JAMESTOWN (AP) - The cause of a fire that destroyed a downtown landmark that housed businesses and apartments will be listed as "undetermined," Fire Chief Bert Gray says.

The historic Orlady building burned down in an early morning fire late last week. Part of the structure collapsed in the fire and the rest was knocked down for safety reasons.

On Wednesday, heavy equipment removed debris from where the building's south wall once stood, and fire investigators and contractors searched through rubble to find the cause of the blaze.

Gray said they determined that it started in the basement, but the damage was so severe that they were unable to say how it started.

"We found parts of the second floor, but we just could not find anything of the first floor," Gray said. "There's just no leads to do anything with."

A street was blocked off and piled with rubble.

Firefighters have been working in six-hour shifts to watch the structure for possible flare ups and make sure the fire scene is not disturbed, Gray said.

On Wednesday, five days after the fire was discovered, two hot spots were still smoldering in the rubble. But Gray said that for the most part, the danger is past.

"I don't think they're going to flare up any more," he said.

By the end of the investigation, it will be an expensive fire for the city of Jamestown. The cost of having more than 30 paid on-call firefighters working for 17 hours on the day of the fire will total almost $9,000, not counting the wages of full-time paid staff, Gray said.

The Jamestown Ministerial Association has set up an account at the Stutsman County State Bank to help businesses and individual fire victims. Beth Dewald, the chapter manager for the Buffalo Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, said the names of the people getting assistance will be kept confidential.

"The reason I felt something had to be done - I was getting calls at home and work from people wanting to donate," Dewald said.