The cause of a massive blaze in Hoquiam Wednesday morning that leveled the Best Cedar Furniture facility on the 1100 block of the Fifth Street Extension has been determined by Hoquiam Fire and Police investigators as accidental.

According to Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers, investigators concluded the fire began in an area that housed oil and stain rags, which ignited, starting the fire.

“An investigation team was created with personnel from Hoquiam Fire, Hoquiam Police, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Department and the Ocean Shores Fire Department,” said Myers. “The team was assisted by Hoquiam Public Works in clearing debris with an excavator during the investigation, due to the extent of the damage.”

The fire was reported about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. When firefighters arrived they found the structure — a former cedar mill converted by owner Terry Kost into an outdoor cedar furniture manufacturing facility in 2002 — completely engulfed. Aberdeen and Hoquiam firefighters teamed to contain the blaze, keeping it from spreading to an area where Kost had some of his inventory or the cedar mill Kost owns across the street. A building housing a large wood kiln adjacent to the facility also remained undamaged. Nobody was inside at the time of the blaze and Kost said he hadn’t lost any inventory but did lose several large pieces of equipment, including forklifts.

“Due to the commercial structure and possible magnitude of the loss, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms dispatched an agent to assist in the investigation,” said Myers. The agent told a reporter she was there simply to assist and was part of a team of ATF agents who are specially trained and certified to look for signs of arson, explosives and bombs. It is standard procedure for a fire of this type and magnitude to bring in federal investigators.

The investigation into the fire went through most of Wednesday, as investigators were unable to access the scene until around noon as firefighters were using foam to extinguish remaining hot spots. A firefighter said the foam was used because it forms a soapy residue on the hot spots and sticks to the spot, so it’s not necessary to dump a large amount of water to knock down small hot spots.

“The department appreciates the assistance from our fellow agencies as well as the work of Hoquiam and Aberdeen fire departments in keeping this huge fire from spreading to other structures or businesses,” said Myers.