Butler's zoning officer and building code official said the structure housing the China Palace restaurant and 14 apartments that burned on Wednesday has been condemned.

John Evans said an assessment of the building showed that a firewall in the middle of the structure prevented the fire that heavily damaged the west side of the building from impeding into the east half.

The former suffered severe fire damage, while the latter had mainly smoke and water damage, Evans said.

He said the property owner, which is listed as Alpine Apartments, must secure the building by boarding up the windows and entrances once insurance personnel are finished assessing it.

“At this point, we will work with the property owners,” Evans said. “They will have the option to reconstruct it or tear it down.”

He said the owners will be given a deadline for rebuilding or tearing down the structure.