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Two buildings and two businesses on North Main Street in Rockford were decimated by flames on March 1, 2023.
ROCKFORD - Following a lengthy investigation by the state fire marshal that took over a year, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office has closed an investigation into a fire that decimated an auto repair shop and defunct bar and grill in Rockford in the spring of 2023.
In September 2024, assistant county prosecutor Anthony Miller and state fire marshal investigator Frank Reitmeier determined that there was "insufficient evidence to support the filing of criminal charges"; therefore the case is closed, according to state fire marshal incident reports obtained by The Daily Standard through a public records request.
However, the case could be reopened if pertinent information is received. For now, the cause of the fire is classified as undetermined.
No one was injured in the inferno in Rockford that started around 1:45 a.m. March 1, 2023, but two buildings housing DJ's Auto Repair and Wildfire Bar and Grill on North Main Street were decimated by flames. Inside DJ's Auto Repair, investigators would later learn that owner Doug Hole lost several classic cars valued at $1 million that were destroyed during the fire.
Dozens of firefighters from 12 departments in two counties battled the blaze for 10 hours. At one point they exhausted the town's water supply and had to draw from the St. Marys River and a nearby creek.
Reitmeier was called to the scene to investigate the blaze at around 8:45 a.m. March 1, incident reports state. While there he received an account of the events of the early morning response to the fire from Rockford Fire Chief Rob Belna and spoke with the owners of the Wildfire, Kevin and Deidre Hague, for the first time.
Early on it was determined based on witness observations and videos provided, that the fire had started at the bar and grill and spread to other businesses, reports state. Belna also informed Reitmeier that as fire crews were setting up the ladder truck, he noticed Kevin Hague and Deidre Hague were standing across the street from the fire location.
"Chief Belna explained that Mr. Hague is fire chief of Chattanooga Fire Department, and owner of Hague Towing & Repair," the report states. "Chief Belna advised that during the early stages of the fire, both Mr. and Ms. Hague were yelling at him that he should request assistance from Chattanooga Fire Department. (Chattanooga Fire Department was 11 miles away.) Chief Belna advised that he did eventually request assistance from Chattanooga Fire Department when it became necessary to tank in water for fire suppression."
Reitmeier learned from Belna that the bar and grill had been closed since the end of 2022 and was for sale, per the incident reports.
While on scene, Reitmeier made contact with Kevin Hague, who told him that he purchased the restaurant in April 2022 for $113,000 in full without a mortgage.
"Mr. Hague said that the business was purchased so that his wife … and adult children could run it as additional income for their family," the report states.
Two buildings and two businesses on North Main Street in Rockford were decimated by flames on March 1, 2023.
Kevin Hague told Reitmeier that the family tried to run the business until November 2022, when it was decided that it took too much time away from the younger children to run it along with his other business and that they were not able to maintain the proper staffing, so they decided to sell it, according to the incident report.
The incident report also states that Kevin Hague originally offered the business to Doug Hole, owner of DJ's Auto Repair. Doug Hole and his son, Ryan Hole, own the properties on either side of the bar and grill. Doug Hole said they were not interested.
"Mr. Hague said they then decided to place the building and business on the open market … " the report states. "The asking price was $150,000."
From Kevin Hague, Reitmeier learned that there were no major issues with the electrical system, mechanical systems, or appliances in the building, the report states. He did say that on occasion the lights would dim or flicker.
"Mr. Hague said that the second floor was not used and contained a few old items that were there when the building was purchased," the report states. "The only access to the second floor was exterior rear stairway. The door was metal and would have been locked."
Kevin Hague also reported to Reitmeier that the front and rear doors for the first floor had doorknobs with combination locks and that they would have been locked, the incident report states. Kevin Hague and his family knew the combination.
The bar had no alarm systems, however there was a surveillance camera system, incident reports state.
"The DVR (digital video recorder) was located in the office," the report states. "He (Kevin Hague) explained that up until the Friday (before the fire) the systems were able to be accessed via the internet. But on Friday, he and Ms. Hague went to the subject location and removed the internet router so it could be used at home. They also picked up some beer. He said that would have been the last time they were in the building."
Kevin Hague told Reitmeier they had a surveillance system at home that showed the couple leaving to respond to the fire scene, the report states. Reitmeier then requested a copy of the video for the evening of the fire up until they left, to which Kevin Hague said he would ask his wife.
Per the incident report, Kevin Hague told Reitmeier that there were no flammable liquids inside the business. The only things plugged in would have been the freezers and coolers. The only light that would have been on was in the back room and it was always on and did not have a switch.
"Mr. Hague said he learned of the fire while lying in bed at home, when he heard RFD (Rockford Fire Department) had been dispatched," the incident report states. "He said he woke his wife up and they drove to the scene. According to Mr. Hague, they arrived just as RFD were arriving. No water was flowing and the rear of the business was engulfed in flames. Mr. Hague voiced his displeasure with the fire suppression tactics put in place by RFD. He felt if Chattanooga Fire Department would have been called earlier that the fire would not have spread to the other businesses."
Reitmeier learned from Deidre Hague that at 2 a.m. she called their unidentified insurance agent to check on the coverage for the business and building; he did not answer the phone, according to the incident report. Deidre Hague also mentioned to him that there were already people posting online saying (the Hagues) had something to do with the cause of the fire. She added that when those people began to get backlash, the posts were removed.
Two buildings and two businesses on North Main Street in Rockford were decimated by flames on March 1, 2023. Dozens of firefighters from 12 departments battled the blaze for 10 hours.
While on scene at the fire, Reitmeier also made contact with Doug Hole, owner of DJ's Auto Repair, the report states. He learned that Doug Hole had been in business at that location for over 25 years. He also had several classic cars valued at $1 million that were destroyed during the fire.
"Mr. Hole explained that he owned the building that was attached to the south of Wildfire Bar and his son, Ryan Hole, owned the building to the north of Wildfire Bar," the incident report states. "Doug confirmed that Kevin Hague had offered to sell the Wildfire Bar building and contents to him for $100,000, but the liquor license was not part of that deal. Doug said he told Mr. Hague he was not interested. Doug also added that the building containing Wildfire Bar was in need of structural repair and the second floor was a 'rat trap.'"
Doug Hole also told Reitmeier that he left his business the night before the fire at 6 p.m., the report states. He said everything was OK when he left and the building was locked.
On the day of the fire, the general area surrounding the incident was checked for surveillance cameras by the Rockford Police Department and state fire marshal's office, the report states. At that time, a copy of the surveillance video from Rockford Food Mart, 205 North Main St., was obtained.
Fire destroyed two buildings in Rockford on the morning of March 1, 2023.
"During the preliminary review of the video at 1:22 a.m. March 1, 2023, on camera #6, a reflection of brake lights was seen on the house and fence west of the alley behind the Wildfire Bar & Grill," the incident report states. "Then at 1:28 a.m., on camera #6, a reflection of brake lights and back-up lights were seen on the house and fence west of the alley behind the Wildfire Bar & Grill. Then at 1:33 a.m., smoke could clearly be seen coming from the direction of Wildfire Bar & Grill."
During a telephone call with Kevin Hague on March 6, 2023, Reitmeier again asked him about obtaining a copy of his home surveillance video from 10 p.m. Feb. 28 to 2 a.m. March 1 that would establish their location before and at the time of the fire, the report states. Deidre Hague advised that they only had a short video of when they left to respond to the fire and that the video prior had already been recorded over.
"Deidre emailed two short videos," the report states. "One video was 1:46 (minutes) long and showed Kevin and Deidre walked out to the tow truck, Kevin appeared to remove his firefighting gear and they walked to another vehicle. Radio traffic, believed to be from his Fire Department MARCS radio would be heard. Deidre was also heard asking Kevin if they were taking the Tahoe, to which he replied, 'that was the plan.'"
The other video provided by Deidre Hague was 27 seconds long and showed a dark-colored SUV believed to be the Tahoe with the couple inside backing out of the driveway and driving down the road, the report states.
"Both videos had date stamps, however, neither had time stamps," the report states.
On March 14, 2023, a joint fire scene examination was conducted at the scene of the fire, the report states.
While at the examination, Reitmeier spoke briefly with Kevin and Deidre Hague concerning the need for additional surveillance video to establish their location on the evening of Feb. 28, 2023, the report states. The couple advised him again that the surveillance system at their home re-writes the hard drive every day and the home video they sent was all that they had.
During the joint fire scene examination, it was noted that there was a distinctive burn pattern on the north wall in the center of the building, the report states. It was determined that the fire spread from the interior of the structure to the exterior. It also impinged on the exterior of the wall for the next building.
"The rear second floor exterior door was too severely damaged to determine if it was secured, unlocked, or had been forced open," the report states. "The first-floor rear door that entered the storage room had a dead bolt in the open position. The doorknob was damaged, and it could not be determined if it was secured prior to the fire. The rear exterior door that entered the hallway was too severely damaged to determine if it was secured, unlocked or been forced open."
Two buildings and two businesses on North Main Street in Rockford were decimated by flames on March 1, 2023.
As the fire debris was removed during the fire scene examination, it was determined that the fire origin was in, around or above the office, the report states.
Officials were not able to extract data from the Wildfire Grill's surveillance camera DVR, which was damaged in the fire.
On March 21, 2023, Reitmeier reviewed video surveillance from the Hagues' home along with the emergency radio traffic, the report states. At 2:05 a.m., the dispatcher re-toned Squad 5. The tone for Squad 5 was heard on the video from the Hagues' home as they were preparing to leave, which verified they were home at the time, according to Reitmeier's incident report.
Reitmeier received a call from former Rockford Police Sgt. Brian Stetler on March 31, 2023, advising him that he received a call from Bradley Joseph, who said that "Jacob Hague claims his father John Hague admitted that he and Jacob's mother, Jessica Lefeld, started the fire at Wildfire Bar & Grill at the request of Kevin Hague," the incident report states.
John Hague is a cousin of Kevin Hague who also worked at the latter's Hague Towing business.
Reitmeier then conducted a recorded interview with Bradley Joseph on March 31, 2023.
During the interview, Bradley Joseph reported Jacob Hague telling him, "'Kevin told my mom and dad to go to the bar and throw flares in the kitchen and catch it on fire.' Bradley asked Jacob why would his parents do that and Jacob said because Kevin told them to," the report states.
Joseph said Jacob Hague did not say why Kevin wanted his parents to start the fire, the report states. Joseph added that Kevin "is a fire chief and knows what he's doing," the report states.
Bradley said that the comments made by Jacob were also heard by his nephew Bryan Joseph and two other people, the report states. Bryan Joseph was also interviewed for the report and described his conversation with Jacob Hague.
At 1:32 p.m. March 31, former police chief Paul May and Reitmeier interviewed Jacob Hague.
"In brief, at the beginning of the conversation, Jacob claimed that 3-4 weeks ago, his uncle Kevin Hague told him that something was on top of the stove and that the burner was left on (at the bar, which caused the fire). He said that was all he knew," according to the report. "Then in brief, it was learned that on the night before (the interview) he told Brad (Joseph), Bryan, Gavin and Adrienne, that the fire at the bar was started by his parents, John Hague and Jessica Lefeld using a flare. Jacob said that the day after the fire, his father, John, said that he tossed a flare upstairs to start the fire and that Jacob's mother, Jessica was with him. Jacob said that he and his father only had one conversation about the fire. Jacob claimed his mother did not talk to him about the fire and that he did not know why they did it."
According to the reports, Jacob Hague told Reitmeier that his father said "he felt bad about the fire spreading to the other businesses and he thought that is why he told him," the report states.
While obtaining phone records, Reitmeier learned that the phone John Hague was using at the time of the fire had since been broken, per the report. The phone was still at their home. John Hague was given a different phone by Kevin Hague which he now uses all the time.
According to incident reports, investigators interviewed Lefeld and John Hague, but were unable at any point to connect either one to the fire.
Throughout the lengthy investigation, investigators received numerous documents from the bar's unidentified property insurer concerning the subject property and their investigation into the fire, the report states. Among the documents was a notification letter sent to the bar, dated Feb. 27, 2023, which indicated that the insurance policy for the bar would not be renewed.
The case was submitted to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office for review on March 28, 2024. On Sept. 3, 2024, it was determined that there was insufficient evidence to support the filing of criminal charges.
The case is closed, but can be reopened if pertinent information is received.
At a Rockford council meeting this week, village councilors told The Daily Standard they were unaware the investigation concluded.
When asked if the investigation would impact the affected and surrounding businesses' insurance, they were unsure.
Council president Marcas Heitkamp said Doug Hole, owner of of DJ's Auto Repair, paid for the demolition. Because a private business paid the expense, they were unsure of the amount.
Texts and calls to Doug Hole, Jennifer Lefeld, John Hague, Kevin Hague, Deidre Hague and Jacob Hague from The Daily Standard were not returned prior to press time.
