The Berkshire Eagle
WAREHAM, Mass. — Investigators say a five-alarm fire that destroyed a massive warehouse in Wareham this week was likely started by an acetylene torch that ignited cork insulation.
The state Fire Marshal’s office and the local fire chief say the three-story building was formerly a cold storage facility and its walls and ceiling were lined with an 8-inch thick layer of cork.
Investigators say a member of the building owner’s family had been using a torch to cut salvage metals from the building on Sunday and likely ignited the cork, which smoldered for hours before the fire was reported early Monday morning.
Because the building was unsecured and because damage to the warehouse made it impossible to determine a point of origin for the fire, the official cause remains undetermined.
Copyright 2010 MediaNews Group, Inc. and New England Newspaper Group Inc.
All Rights Reserved