CALUMET — The Houghton County Sheriff’s Office has still not received a report on the cause of the fire that destroyed several historic buildings in the 100 block of Fifth Street in Calumet Village.

At last report, on Aug. 4, Detective Lieutenant Josh Saaranen told the Daily Mining Gazette he was expecting to receive the report of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) within two weeks of that date, or Aug. 18.

In the meantime, the Calumet Village Council moved forward to coordinate cleanup efforts of the fire scene, which now has barricades between it and the sidewalk on Fifth Street, to conceal the mess and reduce the risk of liability.

On August 18, Village Council Trustee Alise Matz issued a release stating that the Environmental Protection Agency after meeting with village and other officials, announced they will start removing fire debris from the scene around the mid-September.

The meeting included EPA experts, as well as personnel from the Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes and Environment (EGLE), and Matz, acting Village Manager Dave Geisler, and Leah Polzien, executive director of Main Street Calumet. Also present was Tom Tikkanen, vice chairman of the Houghton County Board of Commissioners.

In a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Saaranen said he will contact the ATF this week to learn of the status of their investigation or the report on it, so that local, state and federal officials can continue moving forward with cleanup, insurance, and other issues related to the fire.