COITSVILLE Investigators look for cause of fire at restaurant

About 100 firefighters battled the blaze in the bitter weather.
COITSVILLE -- Ohio State Fire Marshal investigators were back today at the scene of a fire that leveled the Bulls Eye Restaurant.
Too much smoke and too many hot spots Thursday night prevented investigators from determining the cause of the fire, Robert Sharp, assistant chief with the fire marshal's office, said today.
Based on witnesses who described a smog over the restaurant around 6 a.m. Thursday, it's likely that the fire had been smoldering for a long time before it broke through the roof around 7 a.m., he said.
Sharp said he and three of his investigators would use diagrams of the building at 6965 McCartney Road to reconstruct exactly what was housed in the rear, where the fire likely started. He said the rear had a dance hall, antiques, wooden bar and wooden floor and behind the bar investigators found evidence of an office with a computer and files.
'Defensive mode'
Firefighters who had entered the burning restaurant Thursday morning had to leave and go into a "defensive mode" because of safety concerns, Sharp said.
"It was a wise decision for them to not go back in -- the roof was collapsing," Sharp said. "It was a bad situation hampered by the extreme cold. The amount of ice was incredible. Anything not heated by the fire was frozen."
The wind chill factor Thursday was minus 6 degrees, with winds gusting to 15 mph.
The fire was not listed as suspicious, Chris Manack, assistant township fire chief, said Thursday.
The fire kept firefighters on the scene for 12 hours, he said.
About 100 firefighters from at least 13 Ohio and Pennsylvania fire departments fought the blaze in bitter cold weather, and U.S. Route 422 was blocked in both directions for about four hours during firefighting efforts.
Estimated damage
Damage is estimated at more than $500,000 to the restaurant and its contents combined, Manack said. Owner Wayne King told firefighters he can't rebuild the same size restaurant for the $500,000 in insurance coverage he carried and is considering replacing it with a smaller building. Manack noted.
Firefighters were able to preserve undamaged the motel and cottages behind the restaurant, and there were no injuries, Manack said.
The fire disrupted telephone service to about 50 customers on State Line Road. SBC repair crews were still installing new lines Thursday evening to replace those that were cut or burned in the blaze, Manack said.
Shelter for firefighters was provided by a Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency mobile command post, a WRTA bus and the Barnstone Ministries church on State Line Road. The church, the Red Cross and three local food establishments provided food for firefighters.