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Fire
probe narrows
to two causes |
Investigators point to HVAC unit and work on the
roof prior to the March 24 two-alarm blaze |
By Gunnar Olson, Newberg Graphic
reporter
E-mail Gunnar at golson@eaglenewspapers.com
|
The March 24 fire that destroyed the Newberg McDonald’s has been
narrowed to two possible causes, according to Newberg Fire Chief Michael Sherman.
The Yamhill County Fire Investigation Team (YCFIT) narrowed the investigation
to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit on the roof and roofing work
being done near the unit at the time the fire broke out. The work involved the use of a
blow torch, Sherman said.
“There was an individual (using) a torch down around the HVAC system at
question,” Sherman said.
Steve Warden, a sergeant with the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office and a
volunteer firefighter in Newberg who aided YCFIT’s investigation, confirmed that the
worker was using a torch, and compared the device to the kind found at a hardware store
for burning weeds.
YCFIT couldn’t rule out the HVAC unit, Sherman said, because the team
lacks the expertise. “We don’t have any HVAC specialists,” Warden
reiterated.
The department’s position doesn’t lean toward one cause or the
other. “The official stance of the fire department is it’s undetermined,”
Warden stressed.
Once YCFIT determined the fire was accidental in nature and ruled out other
causes, it turned the investigation over to McDonald’s insurance company, GAB Robins
North America.
GAB Robins on its Web site bills itself as a company with offices across the
country that “Provides expert loss adjusting services for all types of property and
casualty claims, from straightforward personal lines claims to complex commercial,
property and liability losses.” Repeated calls to the firm’s Portland office
were unsuccessful.
Mike Kennedy, who owns the Newberg McDonald’s with his wife, Roxanne,
said the company was looking into the two possible causes of the fire. “They’re
taking a real hard look at that area and those two concerns,” he said.
Kennedy declined to release the name of the worker or the company, saying
“it wouldn’t be ethical.” He did characterize the business as a roofing
company.
Kennedy said Friday morning the insurance company’s on-site
investigation would be completed that day, but couldn’t say when the results of the
investigation would be known.
The insurance company will seek restitution if the roofing company is found
to have acted negligently.
“That goes without saying,” Kennedy said. “It’s a sad
situation. But these are the times insurance becomes necessary.”
The two-alarm fire around 9:30 a.m. March 24 reduced the recently remodeled
building to a heap of charred rubble. The fire department has deemed the building a total
loss, which preliminary estimates have put at $1 million to $1.5 million. No one was
injured. |
|
From March 31,
2004, Newberg Graphic
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