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WARREN TOWNSHIP - Fire investigators want to know what caused the fire that that destroyed a former Mahoning Avenue N.W. bar, parts of which dated back to the 1800s.

Surrounding parts of Mahoning Avenue were closed and four fire departments worked for nearly five hours to put out the fire called in by a passer-by at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. The building had been empty about three years and most recently operated as Hammer Jack's and Hacienda.

"It was old and dilapidated," Rick Cyphert of the Trumbull County Fire Investigative Unit said. "At one time it was a pretty nice country western bar and dance floor."

Owner Robert Stocker of Warren could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The fire started in the front of the building near a kitchen and restroom.

Investigators said there were no signs of a break-in. A car had driven through the front of the building almost three years ago, but there was no obvious hole through which someone could have entered, investigators said.

Champion fire Assistant Chief Matt Balut went through the rubble during the day Wednesday with a dog trained to detect accelerants. He did not report any findings.

The electric was on in the building and the building had been up for sale, investigators said.

Cyphert said the roughly 12,000-square-foot building originally operated as a feed store in the late 1800s. Balut said through the years there have been several additions, the most recent in the 1970s. The additions made extinguishing the fire more difficult, with sections of overlapping roofs and a jigsaw layout inside, he said.

Warren, Champion and Howland townships were on scene along with Warren firefighters. They cleared about 6 a.m.

The property's value is about $165,700, according to the Trumbull County Auditor's Office.

The Red Cross of Trumbull and Mercer counties assisted fire crews.

dloreno@tribtoday.com