Daily Mining Gazette File Photo No lives were lost in a May 21 fire that destroyed three buildings on Fifth Street in Calumet. Until the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office receives a report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire and Explosives, the fire will continue to be under investigation.

CALUMET — There is still no word on the cause of a fire that raged through the 100 block of Fifth Street on Friday, May 21, 2021, and destroyed several buildings in the village’s historic business district, the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday.

Detective Lieutenant Josh Saaranen told the Daily Mining Gazette that he is expecting to receive a report from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) within the next week or two.

“They’re the ones who helped us with the investigation,” said Saaranen. “Their report should be with me shortly,” adding that the ATF usually completes an investigation and reports within a month, and it has been more than two months now, so he is expecting it soon.

The ATF sent an investigative team to Calumet, said Saaranen, because of the extent of the blaze.

“Because it was such a large fire,” he explained, “they have a specialized (arson) unit, so when they hear about a large fire, they activate it, and they came to assist us.”

The ATF is a federal law enforcement agency within the United States’ Department of Justice, its website states, that protects communities from violent criminals, criminal organizations, the illegal use and trafficking of firearms, the illegal use and storage of explosives, acts of arson and bombings, acts of terrorism, and the illegal diversion of alcohol and tobacco products. The ATF partners with communities, industries, law enforcement, and public safety agencies to safeguard the public it serves through information sharing, training, research, and use of technology.

The ATF was established as a separate component within the Department of Justice pursuant to Title XI of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law 107-296, on Jan. 17, 2003.

A May 24 online news outlet reported that: “State and federal agencies are working with the local sheriff’s office in Calumet, and are treating the incident as a crime,” attributing the statement to the Associated Press.

In a May 26 interview, however, then Sheriff Brian McLean said it was not known at the time whether it was not or not.

“Well,” he said, “we don’t know that it is a crime scene, but we don’t know that it isn’t, either. So, we’re just eliminating possibilities.”

The fire, which destroyed three buildings from 108 to 120 on Fifth Street were a total loss. The fire was reported at approximately 10:49 p.m. The buildings housed a laundromat, apartments, the former Evergreen Restaurant which had been recently purchased, as well as a former tattoo shop. The fire displaced between 20 and 30 people.