RISON —Investigators believe that Rison City Hall was deliberately set on fire early Monday morning to cover up a burglary that had taken place inside the building before the blaze began.
Capt. Gary Young of the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department said Monday afternoon that a joint investigation by the sheriff’s department, Arkansas State Police and the Rison Police Department revealed that some guns and other items had been stolen from the premises before the building was set on fire.
No suspects had been arrested as of Monday night.
Young said the fire was reported at 3:08 a.m. Monday by a newspaper carrier who saw smoke coming from the building.
By the time firefighters arrived, Rison Fire Chief Murry Freeman said the north end of the building that houses the police department was engulfed in flames and smoke was rolling from out of the top of the building.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
A total of 16 firefighters worked the blaze and Freeman said they had it under control within about 20 minutes after their arrival.
By daybreak Monday, it was evident that Rison City Hall had sustained heavy damage. The police department office appeared to be totally destroyed, leaving only charred furnishings, file cabinets and computers inside. Rison Police Chief Jeff Prescott said he believes all the police department’s records were destroyed in the fire.
Freeman said the entire building sustained heavy smoke damage, and noted that the heat was so intense that computer monitors located near the southern end of the building were melted.
Meanwhile, Rison Mayor Vernon Dollar spent most of Monday scrambling to find temporary office space to house all the city hall operations.
In addition to the general city operations and the police department, the city hall complex also contained office space for the water/sewer department, road department and the district judge’s office.
Dollar said Monday afternoon that the city is leasing two offices in the vacant building next door to serve as temporary quarters. He said he hopes to have the temporary office open by next Monday, April 16.
In the interim, Dollar said the public can contact the police department through the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department at (870) 325-6222. For other city business, he said the public can contact him through his cell phone at (870) 814-8775.
The mayor said it is critical for the city to get up and running again as soon as possible. He said the city needs the revenue taken in daily from water/sewer bills, etc. to maintain operations.
Depending on the ultimate decision by the insurance company on fate of the fire-damaged building, Dollar said there is a possibility that city hall could be permanently moved to a new location in the downtown area.
Dollar said he is considering two vacant buildings as possible locations: the old post office building on Pine Street and the Bank of Rison building at the corner of Main and Second Street.
The Bank of Rison is scheduled to move its operations to the Rison Financial Center once its acquisition by Fordyce Bank and Trust is approved by federal regulators. However, that deal is not expected to be finalized for about three to four months.