$10,000 offered for information on cause of Memorial Union fire

 by Matt Culbertson
 published on Monday, March 17, 2008

Cameron Riley Barnes / FOR THE STATE PRESS

WHODUNIT: A Nov. 1 fire at the Memorial Union closed the building for more than two months.

ASU officials announced last week a cash reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information about who caused the Memorial Union fire on Nov. 1.

The cash reward, announced on Thursday, is being offered by Arizona's Advisory Committee on Arson Prevention and will only be given if a tip results in an arrest and conviction, ASU spokeswoman Leah Hardesty said in an e-mail.

The committee is not affiliated with ASU, and ASU Police are continuing to lead the investigation into the fire, Hardesty said. As of Sunday, no one had called the tip line, she added.

The motive for the fire is unknown, but the fire is classified as "suspicious," Hardesty said.

The Nov. 1 fire closed down the Memorial Union for more than two months.

The Arizona Board of Regents, the governing body for the state's three public universities, approved $40 million to repair and renovate the areas damaged by the fire, Hardesty said in a news release Thursday.

The first and lower levels of the MU re-opened on Jan. 14, and the second and third floors will continue to undergo repairs and are projected to open in May, she added.

Anyone with information about who caused the fire is encouraged to call ASU Police at 480-965-TIPS or the Silent Witness Hotline at 800-352-7266.

Reach the reporter at: matt.culbertson@asu.edu.