Crimped cord caused big Wenatchee warehouse fire

WENATCHEE — A faulty power cord crimped by a door caused the early Saturday morning fire that destroyed the old Stemilt warehouse, Wenatchee Fire Chief Stan Smoke says.

Federal and local investigators believe the cord heated up and started a slow, smoldering fire that may have gone unnoticed for 12 hours before the first report at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Smoke said Thursday. The fire consumed the 100,000-square-foot warehouse at the corner of Chehalis and Columbia streets.

"Investigators are confident the fire began in the basement stairwell of the facility, and the official determination regarding the cause of this fire will be deemed 'accidental,' " Robert Champion, special agent in charge of the Seattle office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said in a Thursday news release.

The investigation uncovered no indication of foul play or criminal activity, the news release said.

The conclusion was based on the work of 25 federal and 15 local investigators, Smoke said after briefing the Wenatchee City Council on the fire Thursday evening.

The fire was reported Saturday by Jeremy Vanatta, a manager at the nearby Building Material Outlet, after he heard an explosion. Mark Yaple, Wenatchee assistant fire chief and fire marshal, said investigators believe the explosion was caused by the buildup of gases created by the slow-burning fire inside the building. Photos show the fire was burning on all three floors of the building minutes after it was reported, an indication that it had been going for some time, he said.

Smoke said more than 80 firefighters used more than 3 million gallons of water to douse the fire and keep it from spreading to adjacent buildings.

The full report on the fire should be released in about 10 days, Smoke said.