OLIVIA — 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.