An electrical malfunction in a piece of equipment inside one of the studios is to blame for the fire that destroyed the studios and offices of Ad Astra Broadcasting earlier this month.
According to officials with the Hutchinson Fire Department, the fire started inside the building putting to rest any speculation that the fire was the result of arson.

The fire broke out in the building in the 100 block of North Main around 2 a-m, destroying the structure. It also knocked Ad Astra’s four radio stations off the air. The loss to the building and its contents is estimated at over 400-thousand dollars.

Meanwhile, company officials confirmed Monday that they would not be rebuilding, instead have bought a building which once housed a Hutchinson insurance company. They closed last Friday on property formerly owned by Elliot Insurance Management at 10 East 5th.

They won’t move into the building right away. They are currently building temporary studios on the first floor of the Wiley Building. Officials telling us, they are hoping to be back on the air hopefully sometime next week.