Arson Not Blamed in Clinton Office Fire
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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Investigators ruled out arson as the cause of a fire Friday that destroyed a western Indiana campaign office for presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Terre Haute Fire Department spokesman John Gardner said local and state investigators were focusing on two possible causes: lightning or a malfunction in wiring left behind after a sign was removed from the building.
Two people inside the office when the fire broke out around midnight escaped unharmed, Gardner said.
Former President Clinton stopped outside the building Friday on his way to a campaign speech in the small city of Clinton, located about 20 miles north of Terre Haute.
"Our young workers here are undeterred, and they're ready to roll so we'll get it going," Clinton said. A campaign spokesman said workers would be looking for a new location.
The former president laughed when asked whether the fire was a bad sign for his wife's campaign. "No, I think this is a good omen," he said. "We'll rise from the ashes like the Phoenix."
A volunteer firefighter driving past the building in a commercial district along U.S. 41 south of the city's downtown spotted flames on the roof and warned those inside, Gardner said.
"They got out and a few seconds later the ceiling fell in where they were working and about five minutes later it was fully engulfed in the roof," he said.
The roof of the one-story building partially collapsed and a part of the front wall fell on a parked car, which then caught on fire. The adjoining office of a staffing services agency had water and smoke damage, but a fire wall held back the flames, Gardner said.
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Associated Press writer Tom Davies in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
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TOM MURPHY | April 11, 2008 07:37 PM EST |
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