The Alabama Fire Marshall’s office will not fine Summer Classics for failing to maintain functioning fire sprinklers in their Columbiana patio furniture company that burned to the ground last month.

The company will pay for clean-up of the site, said Randy Rivers, vice president of operations for Summer Classics.

Rivers said Monday that Summer Classics had business insurance, but he is still not sure how much damage and costs the insurance will cover.

&uot;The insurance company has not received the fire marshall’s report,&uot; Rivers said.

He said clean up of the site in Columbiana, about one block from the Shelby County Courthouse, should begin within three weeks.

Alabama Fire Marshall Richard Montgomery said the fire sprinklers in the Summer Classics building were not functional for several years leading up to the May fire.

Montgomery said not maintaining functional sprinklers is a violation of state fire code, but it does not constitute a violation carrying a fine.

The responsibility to maintain fire sprinklers is the building owner’s, Montgomery said.

If a city has an inspection department, then that department would check sprinklers, he said.

Since most small towns, including Columbiana, do not have inspection departments, the fire sprinklers are not maintained by anyone other than the building owner.

Montgomery added that the Columbiana Volunteer Fire Department was in the process of getting the Summer Classics building better equipped.

Still, such a process often takes a long time, Montgomery said