The Rockford Fire Department is still investigating the origin of two recent building fires.
A 7th Street structure caught fire Sunday, one week after a fire at the historic Hanley building, which was being demolished with the hopes of completing the task in time for the Rockford Fourth of July celebration. That deadline won't be met, but demolition has been moving quickly.
Two floors of apartments above El Olivo grocery at 7th Street and 2nd Avenue were gutted in the blaze, with heavy damage to the grocery at street level. A car-repair business behind the building also suffered some damage.
Matthew Knott, a division chief with the Rockford Fire Department, said he doesn’t suspect the two fires are connected at this point.
“But the size and the scope and the amount of resources we drew to each one of these did obviously cause some challenges," he said.
Knott said it’s not uncommon for older buildings to catch fire, but he is still asking witnesses to report information about details they remember.
"And a lot of times, those witness statements are the things that are important to us to help us identify specific areas of origin, and ultimately, the cause of fire too," he said.