Fire Destroys Luverne BusinessThe following appeared in the Rock County Star-Herald on March 25, 1954. This fire was a $100,000 fire.Fire Destroys Luverne BusinessCause Said to Be Overloaded Power CircuitFire which destroyed a Main Street business structure housing five Luverne business establishments early Friday morning originated in a fuse box in the basement of the Rainbow Café. This was the decision of Ben F. Cords, Mankato, deputy state fire marshal, who conducted the investigation here Saturday together with Fire Chief Bill Busse and other members of the Luverne fire department. In reporting on his investigation, the deputy fire marshal stated that the "cause of the fire resulted from overloading of the electrical circuits of the existing system in the Rainbow Café."The building which was destroyed was owned by Carl Omodt, Luverne.Five Businesses AffectedHoused in it were three eating places, the Club Café, owned by C.D. White, the Rainbow Café, owned by H.J. Kadinger, and the Grill Café owned by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Peters and Maxine Peters. All were total losses, with the exception of some equipment that may be salvaged, losses to Pat’s Plumbing, owned by Orville Barclay, and Luverne Sheet Metal, were almost total. A brick wall, separating Pat’s Plumbing from United Cleaners which is also in the same building, prevented the fire from spreading there. However, water in the basement of the cleaning plant damaged electric motors there, and odor from the smoke necessitated having all the clothing in the plant deodorized. Mrs. Burton Knowlton, owner, found it necessary to suspend operations for several days as a result. Orville Barclay said yesterday that he and Orvin Birkeland have leased the former A & P location and Pat’s Plumbing and Luverne Sheet Metal would be open for business there in the near future. Owners of the three cafes have announced no definite plans as yet. Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.