Investigation Begins Into Cause of Fire at LTB's

and the burnt-out structure has been boarded up, the investigation into the cause of at can begin.

said he is meeting with the building owners and an insurance investigator at 8 a.m. Tuesday to get the process under way.

"Hopefully we'll have some answers as quickly as possible," Carley said.

Preliminary reports show that the blaze began in the attic over the bar's beer room, located in the rear of the business. That's the area employees first noticed smoke coming from shortly before 7 p.m.

About 20 customers were inside at the time. Everyone got out safely before the fire erupted into a blaze that burned well into the night, with hot spots reappearing into the early morning.

The called off-duty firefighters in to help battle the blaze. Other departments also were called in to assist, including Allen Park, Brownstown Township, Lincoln Park, Riverview, Rockwood, Southgate and Trenton.

to pump water from the Detroit River onto the blaze.

Brownstown firefighters also used hoses to pump in water from the Detroit River to battle the blaze from the rear of the building.

More than 100 firefighters and nearly $5 million in firefighting equipment were used to extinguish the blaze.

The departments work cooperatively through the Downriver Mutual Aid, which proved essential with this fire, Carley said.

"They’re only phone calls away," he said. "The hard work and rapid response by guys identifying and getting the resources here as rapidly as they did is what led to this fire not getting out of control. It’s a miracle we were able to keep this to 2929 Biddle."

Mayor Joseph Peterson said Sunday's blaze is a prime example of the importance of communities working together.

"Thank God for Downriver Mutual Aid," he said. "Without Downriver Mutual Aid, there is only so much you can do. … These firemen did a great job containing this to the one building. Thank God for the quick response of our Fire Department and of Downriver Mutual Aid."

Hundreds of onlookers took to the streets to watch the fire at LTB's. Wyandotte police were on hand for crowd control.

Sgt. Val Zavala was stationed at Oak and Biddle on what would be the last Sunday night shift of his career. He's retiring later this week after 25 years on the force.

And, wow, what a way to go, he said.

"Anytime you have a fire like that in an old downtown district, it’s devastating," Zavala said. "It’s devastating to the merchants. It’s devastating to the tenants who live in all of these apartments. … It’s sad. It’s sad that during these bad economic times that people have to suffer the damages like this. The community will get by, though. Things will get better. It’s fortunate that no one was hurt and that everyone came together and worked as one to put the situation under control. And God bless us for that."

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