Palm Beach Post
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — The blaze that destroyed Sunniland Patio Furniture on Okeechobee Boulevard on June 12 was accidental, caused by an employee who used a lighter to remove the plastic wrapping on a spa, but instead ignited the cardboard frame of the spa. The fire spread to other combustible materials, according to investigators at Palm Beach Fire Rescue.
The store’s owner, John Bender, said this afternoon he had not been told what caused the fire, and declined to comment until he reads the investigators’ findings.
“I’ve got no comment on it right now, I don’t have any thoughts,” he said.
No one was injured in the fire that broke out around 9:30 p.m. It took firefighters almost eight hours to put out the blaze, which closed down portions of Okeechobee Boulevard all night. Bender estimates losses total close to $1 million.
The fire destroyed the store’s 6,000-square-foot showroom but firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to an attached warehouse where store inventory is kept.
On Monday, Bender said burglars stole a generator, tools and a blower from the store’s warehouse Sunday night. The stolen tools and blower were being used to clean up what was left after the fire.
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