Cause of GR fire still under investigation

The cause of the Washington Square fire Dec. 26 is still being determined according to Green River Fire Chief Mike Nomis.

A fire burned through the upper floor of the building and took firefighters all night to extinguish. While much of the second floor was burned, the first floor suffered mostly water and smoke damage.

Nomis said a majority of the investigation is complete, but the department is waiting for insurance investigators to compile their data with the department’s findings before he releases the information. He said he expects to release the cause next week.

Washington Square was formerly Washington Elementary School, the first primary grades school in Green River. It originally opened to fifth and sixth graders Nov. 30, 1925 and served as an elementary school until 1979, when the current Washington Elementary School was built. From 1979 to 1998, the building served as Sweetwater School District No. 2’s central administration building, until the district moved out and sold the building.