The cause of the C&S Lumber fire will not be able to be determined, according to a State Police Fire Marshall. The damage was so extensive that evidence marking the start of the fire is unable to be located.

That does not mean that the fire wasn’t accidental. Roulette native Justin Cochran sent me this message, and gave me his permission to share his thoughts to our readers.

I am not an employee of C&S Lumber. However, I consider the owners and their families, as well as some employees my brothers and sisters. I would like to do my part to quash the rumors that surround the unfortunate loss of one of the most successful businesses the village of Roulette has come to know. It was brought to my attention at an uptown establishment on the morning after the blaze that the mill was destroyed for "insurance purposes" and that the mill was off work for two days before the blaze. Did it occur to anyone that the two days before Monday were Saturday and Sunday and that of course nobody was working? I am sure that whoever said that meant the two days to be working business days. This is completely and utterly untrue. First of all, I was at the mill myself Monday afternoon and it was business as usual. Any single soul that knows Mr. Caden or Mr. Sherry like I know them should understand full well that this mill was theirs, and 26 other employees and families lifeline. The equipment and machinery they had were nearly paid off. Now begins a lenghty battle with the insurance company to recover what they lost. Nobody enjoys a battle with an insurance company especially when the odds are you may be on the losing end. So why accuse someone of torching the place for the betterment of insurance? These guys are not fradulent. We have come to know some local business owners have duped plenty of people in this area and those people have lost alot. But not these gentlemen. I know them and I know they couldn't look at themselves in the mirror and consider themselves men among men.The C&S in C&S Lumber stands for Caden and Sherry, not Crude and Sheisty. You may even go a far as to say that it stands for Classy and Successful. We as a town that should be supporting these gentlemen and their families should also consider doing what we can to be a part of C&S as well. By that I mean Caring & Sympathetic. The night that the blaze took place I rode down to the scene with an employee of the mill. He was in tears and very concerned. Not about his job being in jeopardy, but about the principle that this was more than a job to him. It was his life and what he loved to do. He would drop what he was doing on a dime if his phone rang and he was needed at the mill for some certain task. And he wouldn't do it for the pay, he did it for the pride he took in where he worked and for those whom he worked with, and for. Most importantly he was concerned about what equipment he could selvage, and the emotional state of the 2 gentlemen that built this business with their own two hands 8 years ago. John Caden said it best. They will build bigger and better. Nobody defines perserverance and positiveness the was Caden and Sherry do. Eight years ago they were handed an apple. Soon, we will see how that one apple will make a very good apple pie. ~Justin Cochran