Mike Wolanin | The Republic A heavy machine sits on rubble as half of the Irwin Block building has been demolished in downtown Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.
Demolition of the Irwin Block building is about halfway complete, and excavators are continuing the work in downtown Columbus.
Casey-Bertram, Indianapolis, is doing the demolition work of the fire-damaged building.
The company first did a brick-by-brick demolition of the firewall separating the Irwin Block building from its neighbors, the Greater Columbus Indiana Economic Development Corp. and Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce offices, which were also damaged in the Dec. 3 fire.
City officials have been told the demolition could take six to eight weeks, possibly to be completed at the end of February.
Local and state investigators have ruled the cause of the Dec. 3 fire as “undetermined,” meaning that they were unable to find enough physical evidence or evidence obtained from witnesses that would indicate what caused the fire.
