NORTH BALTIMORE – A massive fire that consumed a village business last week is still under investigation.

Lindsey Burnworth, a spokesperson for the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s office, said the fire’s cause is
being currently listed as undetermined and will remain so until the investigation is finished.
The fire was reported Thursday around 11 p.m. at HPJ Industries, 510 W. Broadway St. The business engages
in recycling and refurbishment-related services.
Flames reportedly shot more than 100 feet into the air, and the fire could be seen from as far away as
Bowling Green. A nearby home and church sustained cosmetic fire damage. Pallets stacked near the
facility were completely destroyed in the blaze. A total of 11 local fire departments responded.
On Friday morning, North Baltimore Police Chief Allan Baer said that the cause of the fire was being
considered "suspicious circumstances."
Burnworth said an investigator with the Fire Marshal’s Fire and Explosion Investigation Bureau has been
at the site several times and continues to investigate.