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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 19, 2005 Fire starter ordered to pay restitution But where the homeless man will find $155,750 to repay fire damage to a Medford warehouse is anyone’s guess By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune The man who sparked a massive fire in a downtown warehouse must pay for damages although justice officials said he likely never will. Steven Ray Kummerfeld, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court to a charge of recklessly burning the Cold Springs Packing plant at 11th and Front streets on Aug. 27, 2002. Kummerfeld was not charged with arson because police could never establish that he intended to torch the building, said Tim Barnack, deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Kummerfeld was sentenced to probation for the misdemeanor conviction. However, he will return immediately to Tucson, Ariz., where he is serving a prison sentence for robbery, Barnack said. Circuit Court Judge Bill Purdy ordered Kummerfeld, who was homeless at the time of the fire, to pay the building’s former owner $155,750 in restitution. "Could I break that hundred and fifty-five thousand into three payments instead of one?" Kummerfeld joked after hearing his sentence. Purdy smiled and said he could have four payments. Advertisement "He could win the lottery," Barnack said of the restitution amount following the hearing. The judgment included former owner David Culbertson’s cost to demolish the three-sectioned building and to clean up the site spanning almost a city block near the railroad tracks. Culbertson sold the property to developer Joe Kantor, who talked of building condos on the spot. Kantor said he has scrapped that plan, and Sherm’s Thunderbird Markets Inc. approached him last week about buying the lot. The exact amount spent on suppressing the fire was unknown and not factored into the restitution request, Barnack said. Numerous fire departments from around Jackson and Josephine counties battled the huge blaze, which erupted at about 10:30 p.m., drawing hundreds of onlookers. Firefighters soaked the structure with approximately 4 million gallons of water. But wood trapped inside the brick and cinder-block building smoldered for more than a week. Kummerfeld lit some paper inside the building after fleeing from Circuit City where he shoplifted a compact disc the day of the fire, Barnack said. Kummerfeld had lost his shoes in Bear Creek and may have been trying to get warm with a fire, the prosecutor added. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s