Those who didn’t hear about from local or social media or via word of mouth had only to look outside to see the massive cloud of smoke billowing up from the south side of Parkersburg, just outside the city limits.

One year later, nearly 16,000 tons of solid waste has been removed from the site, lawsuits are pending and inspections of related structures continue.

The investigation of the fire remains open, the cause listed by the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office as undetermined.

“As of right now, the fire is undetermined in cause and will stay that way,” Deputy State Fire Marshal Jason Baltic said in August as state officials delivered what they termed the final report on the incident. “If and when any information or any leads would develop, then we’ll work on those leads as they come in.”

Debris and water are shown at the IEI Plastics site at 3801 Camden Ave. in south Parkersburg this week. One year after fire destroyed the former Ames shovel plant, the cause of the blaze remains unknown. ART SMITH The Marietta Times

Evidence noted in the investigation report from the fire marshal’s office included the discovery of a hasp and lock that had been “pried from the small gas shed located on the northwest corner of the property and along Camden Avenue.” There was no gas going to the shed at the time of the fire, it says.

A male subject was observed on a video walking past a nearby property owned by LKQ Inc. at 3706 Camden Ave. and “returning almost immediately,” the report says.

A portion of investigators’ efforts focused on teens in the neighborhood, based on statements from IEI personnel of vandalism at its facilities, according to the report.

The production manager at the facility told investigators “they had been having difficulty with kids entering the structure” on and off for the last year.

“The kids were setting off fire extinguishers and taking propane tanks as well,” the report says. “He (the production manager) also indicated that the fire extinguishers were found behind the maintenance shop (approximately) 3 to 4 weeks ago. … He also stated that the chain on the fence near the maintenance shop and the barbed wire had both been cut some time earlier this year.”

The maintenance shop was believed to be the point of origin for the fire, according to the investigation report, but “due to the extent of fire damage, no positive area of fire origin could be determined.”

The extent of the damage and the hazardous conditions in the aftermath prevented investigators from conducting an interior scene examination, it says.

A state investigator canvassed the neighborhood, inquiring about the whereabouts of youth in the area at the time of the fire. The report indicates multiple kids were out of the area when the fire occurred, and no conclusions about any youth involvement appear to have been drawn.

Interviews by investigators indicated some incidents involving youth had occurred at a nearby Naik property, the DDW building at 3401 Camden Ave. Six to eight months prior to the fire, four boys estimated to be between the ages of 12 and 16 were caught on the roof of that building after throwing a rock through one of the windows, a supervisor there said. In addition, there was a hole in the building through which individuals had made access and stolen things from an office, it says.