State fire marshal looking for cause of fire that destroyed Auction City in Dixon

Firefighters battle a blaze at the 300 block of Cropsey avenue in Dixon on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. Breaking out at Auction City, responders from Dixon, Rock Falls, Polo, Sterling, Amboy, Oregon and Mt. Morris responded to the the alarms.

DIXON –The state fire marshal is trying to determine the cause of a fire Monday morning that destroyed the decades-old Auction City building at 2505 W. Fourth St.

Seven fire departments and CGH Ambulance responded to the fire, which broke out shortly after 11 a.m. The scene was cleared six hours later.

No one was injured, Dixon Rural firefighter Matt Hey said.

Owner Linda Hollingsworth said her family has not yet even been able to discuss what to do next.

“It was just devastating,” she said Tuesday. “We’re still in shock.”

The majority of the main building and all of its contents were destroyed, she said.

The Hollingsworths have been prominent auctioneers in the Sauk Valley for more than 50 years.

Linda’s husband, Lee Hollingsworth, bought Auction City from his uncle in 1974 and ran it until his death on June 3, 2019, at age 76. She and her son, Andrew, continue to operate the business.

Dixon Rural, Dixon City, Polo, Mt. Morris, Oregon, Amboy, Rock Falls and Sterling responded to the fire.

Kathleen Schultz

Kathleen A. Schultz

Kathleen Schultz is a Sterling native with 40 years of reporting and editing experience in Arizona, California, Montana and Illinois.