Minn. food shelf apparent arson target
Published 9:00am Wednesday, September 12, 2012OLIVIA — Police are asking for the public’s help in finding whoever set the fire that destroyed the contents of a west-central Minnesota food shelf.
A passer-by discovered the fire Sunday in a downtown Olivia building that housed the Renville County Food Shelf.
No one was hurt. A person living in a second-floor apartment was able to escape safely. Smoke and heat caused extensive damage to a hair salon, an American Red Cross office and the apartment.
The state fire marshal determined the fire was arson. It apparently was set in the food shelf entrance.
A food shelf volunteer said the fire destroyed all of the food shelf’s contents, including five freezers and three refrigerators. She says food shelf operators hope to reopen quickly.
