Cause of Sammy's Pizza Fire to Remain "Undetermined"
August 28, 2008 — After months of extensive investigative work, numerous laboratory tests and interviews, the cause of the March 20th blaze which caused extensive damage to Sammy's Pizza in downtown Hibbing will be listed as undetermined. "It's very frustrating to reach this conclusion," said Hibbing Fire Marshal Jim Iammatteo. "We know the fire started in the rear of the building. We had all the electric components in that area tested, but we simply aren't able to report an exact cause." The Hibbing Police Department, Deputy State Fire Marshal Terry Christenson, private insurance investigators and even a independent lab participated in the investigation. "Everyone did a great job in trying to determine the cause," said Iammatteo. "It was a great team effort all the way around, but the cause has eluded us."
The restaurant has since re-opened and is reportedly doing well in getting back on its feet. "In many ways, we were very fortunate with this fire," added Iammatteo. "We kept the damage contained and no one was seriously injured. It could have been a lot worse!"
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