Although the

investigation is still ongoing, fire investigators have ruled out arson

in the Thursday morning blaze that destroyed the offices of the Fayette

Daily News in Fayetteville.

The arson investigation

unit of the state fire marshal's office searched the area Thursday and

discovered no indicators of an accelerant, said Sgt. Bill Rieck of the

Fayetteville Fire Department. Had the dogs "hit" on a particular

area, it might have indicated the fire was set intentionally.

Fire investigators

also believe they have identified where the fire started in the building,

but they have yet to determine what started the blaze, Rieck said, adding

that the matter is still under investigation.

"At this

point, we've found no evidence to indicate there was any criminal intent

involved here," Rieck said.

No one was

injured in the blaze, according to Rieck. Three nearby homes were evacuated

for safety precautions, but firefighters were able to contain the fire

to the newspaper building.

The fire did

set off a small explosion of a LP gas tank that powered a forklift used

at the building, Rieck said.

"There

was an explosion from that tank," Rieck said.

Fire investigators

have not been able to determine yet what caused the blaze at the paper's

Church Street location.

The fire was

reported at approximately 5:38 a.m. by someone at Carolyn Ford, which

is adjacent to the Daily News building, Rieck said. Five fire engines

responded to the blaze, including some from the Fayette County Department

of Fire and Emergency Services.

The first fire

crew on the scene noted a heavy fire load, Rieck said, adding that the

building was unoccupied at the time of the blaze.

Firefighters

entered the building to battle the blaze but had to withdraw due to dangerous

conditions and intense heat, Rieck said. Fayetteville's tower truck sprayed

water on the roof of the building from its high vantage point to help

contain the flames, he added.

"Our crews

did an excellent job of protecting the surrounding structures," Rieck

said.

A small portion

of Ga. Highway 85 near the newspaper's office was shut down briefly so

firefighters could connect to a water supply on the western side of the

road, Rieck said. He called that maneuver standard procedure in an effort

to get more water to the scene.

"We just

had to reach out a little bit to provide that water," Rieck added.

Rieck said

a newspaper official wanted the department to tell the media the company

plans to continue publishing.

Bound volumes

of the newspaper for the past 50 years are available at the Fayette County

Probate Court for those interested in looking for a particular issue of

the paper. The probate court office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday

through Friday.

The court keeps

the back issues because the Fayette Daily News is the county's legal organ

in which legal notices are published.

Charles Tillman,

who operates the paper's press, said he left the building Wednesday night

at 11 p.m. after the paper's Thursday edition was printed. He said great

caution is taken to make sure all the electricity is shut off to the paper's

press unit before the building closes at night.

Tillman was

disappointed about the fire because "we were just starting to get

things done," he said.

"Everybody

was just starting to get happy again," Tillman said.

No other representatives

of the newspaper could be contacted by press time to determine the paper's

upcoming publishing schedule.

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