ATF, Local Investigators Say Cause of Wash. Fire Remains Undetermined

Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Edmonds (Wash.) Fire Marshal’s Office, Edmonds Police Department and Lynnwood Fire Department reported they have completed processing the scene of the fire that destroyed the Gregory Building Dec. 17 but have not yet determined the cause.

“We don’t have an exact cause of the fire, but we do have a lot of information regarding the area of origin and the subsequent fire path,” said Jeffrey Fulton, the Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s National Response Team. “An undetermined call means that at this time we cannot absolutely prove or disprove all the possibilities that would support that the cause of the fire was either an accident or intentionally set.”

The processing of the scene is complete and it has been released to an insurance company.

Edmonds Chief of Police David Stern explained that “the information gathered from the investigation, such as evidence from the fire scene and leads provided through interviews, give us many pieces of this unsolved puzzle. This investigation is far from over and we will continue efforts to find the cause of this fire.”

“Even though we haven’t determined the cause yet, I’m confident that every available resource has been utilized. The National Response Team has completed its analysis and the ATF offices in Seattle have the resources to continue to support the ongoing investigation,” said Kelvin Crenshaw, ATF Special Agent in Charge in Seattle.

Anyone with information about the fire is encouraged to call 1-888-ATF-FIRE.