A popular Rockford hamburger business that was destroyed by fire last year has been torn down.
15th and Chris , 201 15th Ave., was demolished Monday, just a little over a year after a fire badly damaged the building and sent the owner, James Purifoy, to the hospital with third-degree burns.
Local and federal authorities are still investigating the Jan. 22, 2023, fire.
Purifoy’s attorney Elder Granger II said Purifoy was knocked unconscious, and the fire was the work of a Mexican drug cartel. Purifoy alleges that members of the cartel had been demanding money from him.
More: The latest: Rockford 15th & Chris arson, drug cartel investigation going on 7 months
Rockford Fire Prevention Coordinator Tim Morris told the Register Star in August that the fire was believed to be intentionally set.
“We have determined it to be an incendiary fire,” Morris said, meaning authorities believe the fire was set on purpose and not accidental in nature. “We are still working with the Rockford Police Department and ATF to look at all avenues. There are different pieces of evidence and different interviews we conducted. We are still deciphering some of that and the evidence to make a final determination on what to do moving forward.”