Rob Zollman, of Brandon, Vt., expresses condolences to Ann Hayden in White River Junction, Vt., Wednesday, June 20, 2018, after learning that her business, Heirloom Antique Center, burned Tuesday in a fire. Zollman had put a down-payment on a set of drums at the store a few days earlier, but discovered the burned building when he returned to pick them up. "I just drove 50 miles to find this," said Zollman, who spent the morning trying to reach Hayden by phone. "I never imagined it was burned down." (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Rob Zollman, of Brandon, Vt., expresses condolences to Ann Hayden in White River Junction, Vt., Wednesday, June 20, 2018, after learning that her business, Heirloom Antique Center, burned Tuesday in a fire. Zollman had put a down-payment on a set of drums at the store a few days earlier, but discovered the burned building when he returned to pick them up. "I just drove 50 miles to find this," said Zollman, who spent the morning trying to reach Hayden by phone. "I never imagined it was burned down." (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Credit: James M. Patterson

Hartford — Area and state fire officials continue to investigate the cause of a Tuesday morning fire that destroyed a longtime antique store and vintage clothing store along Route 5 that recently had been sold.

Hartford Fire Chief Scott Cooney said the building that housed Heirloom Antique Center and Furniture Hospital and Mainly Vintage clothing store has been deemed a total loss.

He said the cause of the fire remains undetermined, and that more information is expected to be released to the public on Friday. Cooney wouldn’t say whether or not the fire is considered suspicious.

Officials believe the fire started early Tuesday morning near the center of the building. The call for the fire came in around 4:45 a.m.

Richard Brown, who ran the furniture store for decades, and his partner, Ann Hayden, who opened Mainly Vintage in the building in 2003, picked through what remained on Wednesday.

Investigators are asking anyone who may have driven by the area early Tuesday morning and seen something to fill out a Vermont State Police tipline form online at vsp.vermont.gov or call 802-722-4600.

Hayden and Brown had been renting space in the building from its new owner, Marc Garza, who had planned to turn the space into a gym.