Wednesday night’s fire at the Emporia Pallets Plus factory is being considered an act of arson, Assistant Fire Chief Brandon Beck said Friday morning.
Beck said the decision to consider it an arson was made when the fire department concluded its investigation Thursday. He said he couldn’t release any other details of the investigation.
Anyone with information about the fire may call Lyon County Crime Stoppers at 620-342-2273.
The fire department received the call about the fire at 8:40 p.m. Wednesday. Fire crews from Americus, Hartford and Olpe joined Emporia firefighters in fighting the blaze.
It wasn’t contained until about 5 a.m. on Thursday, Capt. Larry Bess said later that morning. Bess said the wooden pallet factory at 1303 South Highway 99 was “pretty much a total loss.”
No one was inside the building at the time of the fire.