Memorial For Firefighters Held Today Investigators Still Seeking Cause Of Fire That Killed Four

Investigators poked through charred rubble for a fifth day Tuesday, seeking clues to the origin of a warehouse fire that killed four firefighters.

Seattle Fire Department officials insisted they had reached no conclusions as to the fire’s cause, despite a KIRO-TV news report Monday that two unidentified department sources had said it was arson.

“The people conducting the investigation have said that it is suspicious at this point, and they will not go any further than that,” department spokeswoman Georgia Taylor said Tuesday. “Any other high-ranking official or low-ranking official who may or may not have an opinion isn’t involved in the investigation.”

The five-alarm fire Thursday night destroyed the building, which housed the Mary Pang Food Products Inc. food-processing company, a bakery and a rehearsal space for a rock band.

Those on the scene Tuesday included structural engineers and Seattle City Light electricians. The engineers were trying to determine why the floor suddenly gave way during the fire, sending the firefighters to their deaths. The electricians were trying to determine whether the cause of the fire might have been due to an electrical fault.

Also present was Charlotte, a Portland Fire Bureau black Labrador dog adept at sniffing out such accelerants as gasoline. While so far she hasn’t found any suspicious smells, much of the area remains to be searched, authorities said. Her handler, Lt. Greg Keller, said Charlotte is accurate 85 percent of the time.

Today, as many as 5,000 firefighters from across the United States and Canada are expected to attend a memorial service for the dead firefighters at the Seattle Center Arena.

After comments from officials including Gov. Mike Lowry and Mayor Norm Rice, a procession of firefighters and fire trucks will move from the center to the Westin Hotel downtown.

The investigation into the fire’s cause is being conducted by the city fire and police departments and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Officials have said it could be days before the probe is completed.

In addition, the state Department of Labor and Industries is investigating to determine whether the fire department followed workplace-safety codes and regulations in battling the blaze.

That investigation - covering issues ranging from firefighters’ protective gear and communications equipment to the fire department’s own safety procedures - could take months, L&I spokesman Roland Lund said Tuesday.

Farmer’s Insurance, meanwhile, confirmed it had received a claim on the building by Friday morning, the day after the fire, from warehouse owners Harry and Mary Pang.

“We are investigating,” Bob Evoy, regional claims manager for the insurance company, told The Seattle Times. “This is a very large loss. It was a commercial building in downtown Seattle.”