Cause of McHenry restaurant fire determined

The fire at a vacant McHenry restaurant originally described as having “suspicious circumstances” has been ruled accidental, McHenry Township Fire Protection District Chief Steve Spraker said.The fire “resulted from the soldering of pipes by workers inside the building that day,” Spraker said in a news release. Workers had left the property several hours before the fire started, he added.The district’s investigation included help from the Illinois State Fire Marshal and the McHenry Police Department, Spraker said, adding the insurance company’s fire investigator reached the same conclusion.Firefighters were called at 10:26 p.m. Oct. 21 to the vacant building at 2314 Route 120 in McHenry after a passerby called it in. The fire was already burning through the roof and causing it to sag when firefighters arrived. After an initial search, crews withdrew from the building and worked to douse the flames from outside, according to a release.The fire severely damaged the one-story building, an