UPDATE: Aurora Lumber Co. Fire Ruled Accidental; See Photos

By Mike Perleberg Onlookers watch firefighters attack a massive fire at Aurora Lumber Company early Tuesday morning, August 11. Photo by A.J. Waltz, Waltz Photography. Update published at 12:15 p.m.: The Indiana State Fire Marshal and Aurora Fire Department have determined the cause of the late night fire at Aurora Lumber Company was a faulty electric wire in a wall. "It's going to read in my report that his fire was accidental electrical," Aurora Fire Chief Jeff Lane said Wednesday. The fire is estimated to have caused more than $200,000 in damage, but the quick work by six Dearborn County fire departments helped keep the damage to just the one lumber barn. Lane said that two firefighters who were hospitalized for smoke inhalation overnight have since been released and are at home recovering. An excavator prepares to demolish what is left of the barn destroyed by the overnight fire at Aurora Lumber Company. Photo by Chuck Folop.   Update published at 10:34 a.m.: Aurora Lumber Company is open for business Tuesday despite a large fire that claimed one of the longtime business' lumber barns. "The main store is open. They just got the electric back on. We may be a little slow, but we've already started delivering this morning," says manager Larry Petty, who was alerted to the fire as he slept at home when a stranger began knocking at his door. The barn that was destroyed was the original store building when Aurora Lumber relocated from downtown Aurora to its current site on U.S. 50 in 1954, Petty says. Only about 12 feet separate the main store building from the barn that burned down. Petty credited firefighters for preventing the fire from doing any damage to the store or other buildings on campus. "When we came down the hill (on the way to the store after being alerted) we could see the fire and I was thinking it was the main store." LISTEN TO EAGLE 99.3'S INTERVIEW WITH LARRY PETTY IN THE AUDIO PLAYER BELOW. [audio mp3="http://eaglecountryonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/aurora-lumber-company-fire-petty-08112015.mp3"][/audio] Petty says help has been offered from other Do It Best stores in the area including Gillman's Do It Best in Batesville and Florence Hardware in northern Kentucky. The barn that was destroyed contained plywood and insulation. Petty aptly describes it as a "big pile of ashes" now. Some customers' screen doors due for repairs were also lost. He said a new building will likely be constructed to house those materials once again. "We'll have to because we'll need that building for our finished plywood and our finished lumber and our molding," Petty said. Aurora Lumber Company employees inspect the barn destroyed by an overnight fire Tuesday, August 11. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle 99.3.   Original story published at 7:05 a.m.: (Aurora, Ind.) - The cause of an overnight fire that has destroyed at least one building at Aurora Lumber Company is under investigation. “It’s kind of like an icon. That business has been here longer than I have,” Aurora Fire Chief Jeff Lane said of the 167-year-old business. It was about 11:45 p.m. when somebody driving by the business on U.S. 50 noticed flames coming from a lumber barn and called 911. About 60 firefighters from Aurora, Lawrenceburg, Greendale, Dillsboro, Bright, and Hogan Township responded to douse the flames. The metal siding and roofing on the lumber barn made the flames difficult to reach with water. By the time the massive blaze was extinguished, one barn was destroyed. Other nearby buildings were damaged by smoke or heat. Lane said it appeared that the hardware store building was largely intact. Still, the cost of the damage done is being pinned at more than $200,000. SEE A SLIDESHOW OF THE FIRE, COURTESY WALTZ PHOTOGRAPHY, BELOW. MOBILE VIEWERS CAN SEE THE SLIDESHOW HERE. Two firefighters – one from Aurora and one from Dillsboro – were taken to Dearborn County Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. They were expected to recover, Lane said. The Petty family owns and operates Aurora Lumber Company. They remained on the scene until about 2:00 a.m. “The Pettys are very good to the community and it’s a shame they suffered this loss,” Lane said Tuesday. Fire crews remain on scene as of 6:00 a.m. Tuesday morning to prevent any rekindling. The Indiana State Fire Marshal is expected to visit the fire scene later Tuesday to help determine a cause. Lane said there does not appear to be anything suspicious related to the fire. Demolition crews have already began tearing down what remains of the damaged building. Firefighters on the scene were supported by life squads from Aurora, Lawrenceburg, Greendale, and Dillsboro. Police from Aurora, Lawrenceburg, and Indiana State Police assisted with traffic control on U.S. 50.