Unattended cooking is the cause of a $500,000 fire that has destroyed a downtown variety store.
The Hamilton Fire Department was called out to to the Hess Variety at 25 Hess St. N. at Market Street about 10:00 p.m. on April 7 and found smoke and flames coming from the front and rear of the building.
The structure has apartments on the second floor and all the occupants managed to get out before fire crews arrived. Still, firefighters completed primary and secondary searches to be certain there was no on still inside.
The fire spread through the walls to the roof area.
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At the height of the fire, there were 11 units on the scene.
No one was injured.