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The flag is still flying high over the destroyed Ponderosa restaurant at 2621 E. Center St.
Whether it is a sign of hope or irony remains to be seen.
The fire that destroyed the Warsaw restaurant and limited visibiity for traffic may have been caused by a interior display sign.
Following a two-day investigation at the scene, Warsaw Fire Chief Ken Shepherd said everything indicates that the fire started behind a neon sign.
Investigators theorize that faulty wiring in a neon sign inside the restaurant sparked the blaze. Assistant Chief Lee Hartle reported that the official cause will not be confirmed until the insurance investigators corroborate the department's preliminary investigation.
The WFD damage estimate for the facility was put at $750,000. It is a heavy loss for owner Roger Hart, East Dellview, Warsaw. Hart said a decision has not been reached if the restaurant will be rebuilt.
But he added, "Hopefully we can come back and be bigger and better."
The 8:48 p.m. fire call to the restaurant was initially to investigate smoke. Firefighters cleared the restaurant and began their seach for the fire.
"When firefighters arrived at the scene there was a smoke smell in the bathroom," Shepherd said.
He said restaurant employees had been looking for the source of the smell for a while before they called 911.
The chief said firefighters took ceiling tiles and wall panels in the bathroom down without finding the fire. Then the search spread to the roof of the restaurant.
Firefighters believe the fire had spread through an open space that had been added on to the building for decoration.
"When the fire broke through the roof it got away," said Shepherd. "I have no idea how long it might have burned in the closed attic space."
The WFD, with the assistance of Syracuse, Pierceton and Winona Lake, were at the scene from 8:48 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Saturday. No one was injured.
