Did Cigarette Start Old German Fire?

The fire which last week destroyed the Old German Restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor may have been caused by a discarded cigarette. That's the conjecture of Deputy Fire Marshal Benjamin Zahn, Jr. who has been the principal investigator of the blaze. The local landmark eating place located in a 100-year-old business block' at 120 W. Washington St., was burned out in a five-hour blaze last Tuesday. Meanwhile, a finel decisión on whether to rebuild the Old Germán has not yet been made, owner Robert (Bud) Metzger said today. , "We are shooting for that ing)," Metzger said.'But there are a few things to iron out." Zahn, who has worked on the fire virtually fulltime on orders of Firè Chief Fred Schmid and Fire Marshal Nolan Lee.said a provable cause of the fire may never be known. "However we've eliminated many possible causes, including wiring," Zahn said. "Our theory now is that a discarded cigarette ignited a coat vhich had been hung up under a basement stairway. The stairway then would have caught fire and the flames enveloped the restaurant in minutes." ■HTÏÏIIiMOTIimil - Ill lllll The deputy fire marshal said the coat had been Hung in an aréa enclosed by , plywood walls, located directly under the stairs leading to the first floor kitchen'of the Oíd Germán. He said the area was used by restaurant employés to change clothmg. A workers said he changed his clothes m the area shortly after arriving at the business place Tuesday morning The fire was discovered shortly after 7 a m Employés said when they attempted touse a phone to cali the Fire Department the phone was dead. "Wires for the phone were in the immediate area of that basement, stairway '.JO and would have been burned through minutes after the fire started," Zahn said. He said his investigation will continue but there appears little more on the actual cause can be uncovered. Metzger said after the rubble from the fire is removed from the building this week he will have a construction I neer inspect the structure. Bad weather has handicapped clean-up efforts, Metzer said. Metzger said he did not have any difM ferent damage estímate than the $200,000 given by a city fire official since an in■ surance adjustor has not made a report fl yet.