The Berry Clinic served patients in the area for more than 18 years before announcing its closure on August 5 via a Facebook post. It was an announcement many feared was coming. Many speculated the clinic would not rebuild after a fire decimated the building and shocked the community earlier this year.
The Berry Clinic went up in flames during the early morning hours of March 25. The historic building was a total loss. The fire has been under investigation until the case was officially closed late last month.
The Department of Commerce and Insurance released the investigation findings late on Wednesday afternoon. According to the report dated August 28, the official cause of the fire was “undetermined.” The report stated that State Fire Investigator Bryant Allen said the 5,000-square foot building was a smoky loss.
In the narrative of the report, it recollected the facts in the case. It read at approximately 5:17 a.m. on March 25, the Camden Fire Department was dispatched to the Berry Clinic on court square. When fire personnel arrived, they reported observing visible smoke coming from the attic. The entry doors were locked. The fire department made forced entry through the front doors and attacked the fire on the second floor of the clinic.
Originally built in 1923, the building had undergone renovations in the 2000s.
According to the investigation, witness information was obtained by interviewing firefighters who were first on the scene. Employees were also questioned.
Weather was monitored from 12:55-6:15 a.m. Witnesses verified a storm with lightening around 1:15 a.m. that same morning. Because of this information, weather could not be eliminated as a cause of the fire.
Weeks and months after the fire, postings on the clinic’s Facebook page spoke of a temporary working location and intentions to get the clinic income “back up and running.”
For a time, Ken Berry saw patients via eVisit, as service he halted on June 4. Then on August 5, a message to patients read, “After much thought and prayer, we have decided not to rebuild our clinic in Benton County. It has been our great honor to take care of you over the past 18 years. Over the last five months we have been able to reassess our mission and have come to the conclusion that our calling has always been to bring health and wellness to as many people as possible. The clinic was the first step in that journey.”
