DURHAM, Calif. - CAL FIRE has released its findings for the investigation into the two fires that burned Westgate Hardwoods in Durham.
CAL FIRE, Butte County Fire investigators, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms reported that the cause of the fires were both accidental and caused by spontaneous combustion.
The fire was first reported on September 25, at 5:52 p.m. Fire crews arrived to find smoke coming from a portion of the building that was used for cabinet finishing.
Officials reported that the fire was partially extinguished by the fire sprinkler system and crews were able to quickly contain the fire.
The second fire was reported the next day at 1:46 a.m. The fire destroyed 75 percent of the large wood-framed building that was used for the finishing process, but a portion of the large building as well as another large building housing the facilities fabrication process, was saved.
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A fire early Tuesday morning burned down a large portion of a hardwood and cabinet-making business in Durham, and firefighters say it is too early say what caused the blaze.
Cal Fire-Butte County firefighters responded about 1:45 a.m. to a report of a fire at Westgate Hardwoods in the 9000 block of Midway, between Brown Street and Turntree Court, said Mary Ann Aldrich, a spokesperson for the fire agency.
The roughly 10,000-square-foot woodworking building was gutted by flames, with about 75 percent of the structure lost to fire, Aldrich said.
Firefighters and investigators remained at the scene throughout Tuesday morning, putting out hot spots and sifting through and removing debris.
“It’s a slow process,” she said, adding the firefighters will likely remain at the fire scene throughout the day.
Aldrich said investigators still must determine where the fire started in the building, which was described as older with a wooden frame and a metal roof and siding.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Firefighters had responded earlier Monday to a fire at the same business where employees were performing finishing work as part of normal business operations, Aldrich said.
That fire broke out around 6 p.m. Monday, and when firefighters arrived they found a small fire in the building and “quickly” knocked it down and contained it, she said.
Aldrich said firefighters remained on the scene for a period and returned to the business throughout the day “many, many times” to check on the building.
Firefighters, she said, were at the facility about 45 minutes before the second fire was reported by a passerby about 1:45 a.m Tuesday.
The fires at the business Monday and early Tuesday morning are being investigated as two separate fires, Aldrich said. The causes of both fires remained under investigation.
It wasn’t clear where each fire started.
Aldrich said it was too early in the investigations to speculate on what the causes could be, adding that there are “many things” that could have caused the fires.
No injuries were reported.