Halloween Fire Claims Historic Sunfish Mall, Arson Suspected

Darren Doyle, story and photos
An historic county landmark is in ruins after it was claimed by a Halloween night fire that officials say was caused by arson.

The Sunfish Mall, owned by Steve Yates and located at the intersection of KY HWY 187 and 238, was fully engulfed in flames around 10:30pm. Firefighters did all they could, but the building and it's contents provided far too much fuel to keep the flames going. Emergency personnel worked hard to keep the blaze controlled and away from the nearby home.

Front of building just before it fell. (courtesy Elizabeth Honeycutt)

Responding to the fire were the Bear Creek, Lincoln, Kyrock, and Brownsville Fire Departments, along with the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office, Jailer's Office, and Probation and Parole Office.

Law enforcement officials investigated the scene and began an immediate search of the area for a certain vehicle that could possibly be a match to the evidence found at the scene.

"Obviously there's no excuse for purposely setting anything on fire for the fun of it, whether it's Halloween or not," said Sheriff Shane Doyle. "This is such a senseless tragedy for a couple of reasons. One, it was a beloved landmark to the Sunfish community and this county that's now gone, and two, what looks to be some sort of prank could've seriously injured someone or even caused death."

The fire is still under investigation. No injuries were reported at the scene.

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