EL DORADO — The El Dorado Fire Department is investigating an early morning fire that damaged the exterior of the El Dorado Racquet Club on Wednesday and caused a fish cooker to fall through a deck that was burned in the blaze.
Firefighters responded at1:18 a.m. to a report of a structure fire at the racquet club and found flames creeping up an outer wall in the deck area and heading toward the attic.
They extinguished the blaze and noted minor fire damage to an interior wall in the ballroom area and to the kitchen wall.
The fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damage. Firefighters said the blaze appeared to have originated on the deck, where a fish cooker and trash can had been placed.
The fish cooker reportedly had not been used in months because the propane bottle was empty.
A grill that was 5 to 10 feet from the point of origin wasnot believed to have been related to the cause of the fire, firefighters said.
Samples were not pulled from the area of origin during the investigation because a firefighter spilled a can of lighter fluid in the area while attacking the blaze.
The cause of the fire was undetermined.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 8 on 09/10/2012