CENTERVILLE, Ind. -- Investigators still are looking for the cause of a million dollar fire that destroyed the main building of 84 Lumber on U.S. 40 west of here early Tuesday morning.

But whatever the cause turns out to be, officials of 84 Lumber don't plan to let the fire slow their business.

Managers from 84 Lumber flocked to the site of the fire Tuesday and vowed to have the local lumber yard back to its old self within a month.

They even managed to deliver orders due on Tuesday by tapping into help from 84 Lumber stores in New Castle, Greenville, Ohio, and Eaton, Ohio.

"If we get all the permits in order, we'll get a new building up as quickly as possible," 84 Lumber regional vice president Mike Figgins said Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters said the company planned to have a trailer at the site today and begin operations, filling orders from the surrounding stores.

The building that burned to the ground Tuesday was 90 feet by 200 feet and 35 feet in height.

"It was a big one," Centerville's deputy fire chief Gary Locke said.

Centerville fire marshal John Pardo said he was told the new building will be 300 by 100 feet. "They told me they already have the plans," Pardo said.

Investigators from the Indiana State Fire Marshal's office were expected back at the scene at 9 a.m. today to try and nail down what started the fire.

Investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms had joined them Tuesday.

"That's part of the homeland security thing since 9/11," Pardo said.

"They have to be notified of any high dollar fire or any church fire," Locke said.

The $1 million loss figure was fixed by Pardo and in consultation with company officials. The amount hinges on the inventory inside the building.

Some inventory in sheds surrounding the building survived the blaze.

The intensity of the fire was a worry to firefighters. "When we stationed the fire engines, I was afraid we might blister the paint," Locke said.

Water had to be trucked in from hydrants a quarter of a mile away to fight the blaze.

"By 11 a.m., they told me we'd used 330,000 gallons," Locke said."

A half dozen Wayne County fire departments sent equipment and firefighters to aid Centerville Fire/Rescue.

"Everyone worked well together, really well," Locke said. He added mutual-aid training paid off in the fire.

The managers from 84 Lumber also impressed Locke.

"This company's impressive," Locke said. "They never questioned whether they'd reopen."

Managers from as far away as Pennsylvania and Michigan were on the paved lot of 84 Lumber with cellular phones at their ears, planning the resurrection of the local 37-year-old business.

"We can't afford to lose that kind of business," Locke said, "the jobs and the tax revenue they generate." The store employs eight workers.

Centerville firefighters were on the scene until after sundown Tuesday. They had been called out at 4:17 a.m.

84 Lumber officials hired a security service to watch over the smoldering ruins overnight.

"We told them to call if anything flared up," Locke said.

The 40 or more Wayne County firefighters who spent most of Tuesday at the scene went home to get some sleep.

"We've got a lot of guys who need some rest," Locke said. "And most of them didn't get to work Tuesday. They've got to get back to making a living tomorrow (Wednesday)."

The area was last hit with a lumberyard fire in November 2002, when the office building and warehouse of Preble Lumber Company in West Alexandria, Ohio, was destroyed by an early morning blaze. Damages were set at $800,000 in the electrical fire.

Originally published March 31, 2004