RAYTOWN, Mo. — By the end of the week, investigators plan to release the cause of a fire at Dirty Don's Bargain Center.
According to a public information officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, investigators finished collecting evidence from the scene and released it back to the owner by the end of the day Tuesday.
Agents and detectives from the Raytown Police Department spent Wednesday interviewing firefighters, employees, the owner and other witnesses to the fire.
"We're still doing documentation, still doing lab tests... certainly still a suspicious fire, but we're not quite yet to the point where we can definitely issue a cause," ATF PIO John Ham said.
Evidence will be tested in the lab for the presence of any accelerants.
In the meantime, Dirty Don's remains closed. A sign on the door from the city and fire departments marks it as an unsafe building.
Although news of the fire is widespread in Raytown, 41 Action News saw six to seven cars drive up Wednesday in the hopes of shopping.
Frank Johnson, who lives in Raytown, drove by out of curiosity.
"People come on out from not just Raytown but all around Kansas City, because there's certain items where you can't beat the prices and the quality of the products," he said.
The bargain center was facing numerous violations from both the health and fire departments. 41 Action News also uncovered records that show delinquent taxes on the property totaling more than $130,000.
Calls and messages to the owner, Don Glenn, have gone unanswered up to this point.
