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  • The burned out shell of the Riverwalk Grill in Elk Rapids has been vacant since the October fire. Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump

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March 7, 2012

Elk Rapids fire in Oct. deemed arson

BY ART BUKOWSKI abukowski@record-eagle.com

ELK RAPIDS — Police have plenty to sort out after investigators determined a fire that gutted an Elk Rapids restaurant likely was arson.

An Oct. 23 fire destroyed the Riverwalk Grill, a restaurant near the corner of U.S. 31 and Ames Street. Charred remains of the building still cover the site.

Elk Rapids Police Chief Tom Emerson said fire investigators ruled out natural or mechanical causes. Arson was the lone remaining option, he said.

They "ruled out other causes, so that led them to suspect it was intentionally set," Emerson said.

Now police hope to track down who started the fire, Emerson said. But that could take a long time.

"We're going to be doing follow-up on this and hoping we can come up with something, but this is very time-consuming and very labor-intensive," Emerson said. "We're going to take our time and methodically go through everything."

Police are conducting interviews and await fire scene samples that were sent for testing, Emerson said. Tests could provide more clues about how the fire began and spread.

Restaurant owner Matt Davies said he was surprised by the arson determination, especially since he was told early on that an electrical problem could have caused the fire.

Davies said the rubble remains until the insurance company, Pennsylvania-based Harleysville Group, is done with the property. He doesn't know when that will be.

"We're just trying to sort things out with attorneys ... so we can get the building rebuilt," he said. "Legally, I'm not allowed to touch the building until they're done with it."

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