BUTTE – Butte fire investigators say they can’t figure out what caused the blaze that destroyed a tire warehouse, but they know it wasn’t intentionally set.
The June 11 fire destroyed the Whalen Tire Distribution Center, which held an estimated $1.7 million in inventory.
Fire marshal John Lasky says video cameras show no suspicious activity in the area of the warehouse before the fire, burn patterns don’t indicate an intentionally set blaze and there was no apparent motive.
Lasky says firefighters responding to the scene at 3 a.m. June 11 reported that the building was locked and there were no signs of forced entry to any of the doors or windows.
Lasky says investigators believe the fire originated in the central area of the warehouse on the first floor.