Fire/Rescue News - Northfield medical center blaze ruled accidental

An investigation by the Northfield Fire Department into the Dec. 18 fire at Mainland Medical Center could not determine a cause for the blaze, Assistant Fire Chief Lauren Crooks said.

The cause of the fire, which destroyed one of the three wings of the 1970s-era building on Zion Road, was ruled "accidental, but undetermined," Crooks said.

The fire appears to have started on the ground floor, Crooks said, in or near the office of oral surgeon Robert Fiedler.

The other wings, separated by a stairwell and breezeway, sustained smoke or minor water damage. The entire complex - 10 office suites that include 15 doctor's offices, several of which were vacant at the time of the fire - has been shut down by its owner, George Groch, for the foreseeable future.

Total damages to the building were estimated at about $2 million, Crooks said.