HARDWICK, Vt. (AP) - Vermont fire investigators are searching for the cause of a blaze that destroyed an historic, vacant three-story building in the town of Hardwick.
State Police Sgt. Todd Ambroz says all signs point to arson in the fire that was reported Monday night.
He says it was a vacant building with no power or heating source and there were no lightning storms in the area at the time the fire started.
The 1855 building started as a blacksmith shop and over the years had been a restaurant, store and even a boxing club. It has sat empty for more than a decade.
Owner Larry Hamel said he couldn’t get the financing to renovate the building and had planned to tear it down.
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