BY KAREN BOSSICK

Investigators have increased the reward for information about whoever is responsible for an arson fire in downtown Hailey to $10,000.

The Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are each offering $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fire that destroyed the Croy Street Exchange Building in Hailey on March 16.

Anyone with information should contact the Idaho Arson hotline at 1-877-75-ARSON. People can also contact the Bureau of Alcohol., Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) at 1-888-283-8477 or at ATFTips@atf.gov.

Calls and tips will be kept confidential.

The building had been stripped to wood at the time of the fire in preparation for its renovation into workforce housing. Investigators say it could have been more disastrous than it was, taking out a huge swath of downtown Hailey, had firefighters not prevented the fast-moving fire from spreading to a nearby gas station, an Intermountain Gas office and other nearby buildings.