Iowa’s top fire investigator thinks that the blaze that destroyed Casey’s city hall on August 20th of this year, the same day that state auditors were scheduled to come and check the city’s books and records, was probably arson. Ron Humphrey is the Chief Fire Investigator for the State of Iowa and says that although all the signs point to the lighting of the fire being intentional, actually proving that is a whole other issue, and the damage to the building was so extensive that the cause of blaze may never be officially determined.

Much of the paperwork necessary for the audit was burned in the blaze, so state officials are now going through bank records to try and piece together the financial situation of the city. That audit could take months to complete, and investigating agencies including the FBI and ATF will be waiting in the wings in the meantime. There have been no arrests in the case, but a search warrant was executed at the home of then city clerk Dorothy Dillinger. A new city clerk has taken over since the fire, and the city offices have moved to the basement of the Rolling Hills Bank & Trust. City of Casey officials including Mayor Forrest Schnobrich believe the timing of the fire to be a coincidence, despite a petition of over one hundred and fifty local citizens calling for the audit in the first place.