BRIEF: Melrose fire damage estimate: $600,000

Sept. 14--MELROSE -- The blaze that damaged eight apartments and six businesses Thursday on Main Street caused about $600,000 damage, Melrose Fire Chief Jeremy Kraemer said Tuesday.

Firefighters from Melrose, Freeport and Sauk Centre fought the fire for about six hours.

By Tuesday, the fire marshal had cleared the scene. The cause remained undetermined.

"It's my assumption it'll probably stay that way, just because the fire marshal has already cleared the scene," Kraemer said. "It is not a suspicious fire."

Kraemer said there was no link to the March 11 fire that caused almost $5 million in damage to the Church of St. Mary. Investigators determined arson was the cause of that fire.

Firefighters who responded to Thursday's blaze initially received a report of smoke in the apartment above McDonald Realty, 223 E. Main St.

Kraemer said where the fire started had been narrowed to a couple of rooms.

Whether further investigation takes place would be in the hands of insurance companies.

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