Ottawa ? Last week when Adrian Derousseau watched Ottawa Co-op Assn. employees move into their new crop production center, he saw few signs that one of the largest fires in recent city history occurred there at 120 N. Cedar St.

“In a way, we were lucky. It could have been worse,” said Derousseau, the co-op’s general manager, as he reviewed the past nine months.

The fire that broke out the night of June 5, 2004, in a building crammed full of equipment, machinery and herbicide storage tanks, caused nearly $2 million in losses and damage, Derousseau said. Its cause is still under investigation.

But nobody was hurt. Insurance coverage was good. Heavy spraying machinery such as Terragators and Ro Gators lost in the fire were replaced in a few days. Though it was small and cramped, a building only a block away served as a temporary office and machine shop. And now the co-op has a new, more spacious building with the latest in new safety and alarm systems.

“We were fortunate that some things turned out the way they did,” Derousseau said.

The future looked bleak, however, late that Saturday night. About 11 p.m., Derousseau received a call at home from a Franklin County emergency dispatcher who told him the production center, just a couple of blocks southeast of the co-op’s main office and grain elevators, was in flames.

“When I got here it was out of control,” Derousseau said. “I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

All off-duty Ottawa firefighters were called to work that night, and firefighters remained at the scene battling the blaze through the early Sunday morning hours of June 6, Assistant Fire Chief Richard Oglesby said.

Someone called the fire department at 10:55 p.m. and reported the blaze, and the first firefighters arrived three minutes later. They found smoke coming out of the building. A team of firefighters entered the building but was ordered out minutes later when an explosion occurred. Firefighters fought the blaze from outside most of the rest of the night.

Though some of the herbicides in the building were flammable, they were not explosive, Derousseau said. He thinks the explosion might have been from burning tires. But Oglesby said there always was a potential for a catastrophe when hazardous chemicals are involved.

Investigation continues

Richard Gwin/Journal World-Photo Floyd Rolland, an employee at the Ottawa Co-op, sorts chemicals in the new chemical and herbicide facility. A fire caused million in damage to the co-op last year.

An investigation into the cause of the fire was launched and grew to include Ottawa Police, the Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. The fire was labeled suspicious, but a cause has not been determined, and investigators stop short of saying it was intentionally set.

“We still have a lot of questions,” Oglesby said. “There are some things we are still looking at. We’d like to disprove all accidental causes and have more information before we decide whether or not to make a determination (about the fire.).”

In the months since the fire, investigators have checked more than 70 leads. Oglesby wouldn’t discuss those leads or say whether any of them provided any useful information. Some laboratory work also was conducted in the case at the Johnson County crime lab.

But more information is needed, Oglesby and Ottawa Police Capt. Randy Allan said. They ask anyone who thinks they might have seen or heard something concerning the fire to call them.

Co-op fire under investigation (06-08-04) Ottawa Co-op damaged in fire (06-07-04)

“Law enforcement and safety are contingent upon more than just police and fire,” Allan said. “It requires the assistance of the public. If (people) want to make sure their community is safe, they need to become involved.”

Calls can be made to the state crime tips line, (800) KS-CRIME, or to Franklin County Crime Stoppers, 1 (888) 311-TIPS (8477). The state has a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction in the case. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous, and a $1,000 reward is possible.

Still uneasy

Derousseau commended the fire department for its work in battling the blaze that night and working with co-op employees to prevent chemical contamination problems. But the mystery behind the fire still makes him uneasy. He finds it hard to believe that someone would intentionally set such a fire.

“Everyone was interviewed,” Derousseau said of co-op employees. “We just haven’t had any big issues at all. It’s a very stable work force. There is a lot of good professionalism. It’s just a good group in general.”

The Ottawa Co-op has about 1,500 members, and offices and facilities in several area counties, including Douglas, Osage, Anderson and Coffey counties.