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Washington Fire Chief Tom Wide tells KCII that there was a report of fire and smoke in the upper level of the State Theater in Downtown Washington.  He tells us that the cause of the fire was from a discarded cigarette in a projection room trash can. The Washington Fire Department responded and brought the situation under control.  Wide says there was no one in the building at the time of the fire.  He says there is a lot of smoke and water damage to the building.  Agencies assisting in response to the fire were the Washington Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Ainsworth Fire Department, Washington County Ambulance, and Alliant Utilities.  The theatre was built originally as an opera house in 1893 and began showing movies regularly in the 1920s.  The building has also been host to political rallies, commencements and a wide variety of events.  KCII will bring you more information as it becomes official.

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