As a result of the Jan. 13 two-alarm fire at the Sons of Italy hall, board members are leaning toward razing the hall and building anew. Said Dr. Tom Pruse of Omaha, president of the state lodge: “I suspect the best option is to bulldoze and rebuild.” He had no estimate on exactly when but expressed hope it could be by the end of the year.

The state lodge said Friday that the Omaha Fire Department and insurance investigators had ruled the fire an accident, caused by spontaneous combustion of cleaning towels in the kitchen. Pruse said he was surprised, but learned that it does happen. The National Fire Protection Association says material prone to such fires includes oily rags as well as hay and other agricultural products.