THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 16, 1995 TAG: 9502160362
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
Fire officials were working Wednesday to determine the exact cause of a blaze that destroyed a furniture warehouse.
``It's going to be difficult to do so because of the damage that was done,'' said Fire Marshal Jim Howell, who is heading the investigation.
Fast-moving flames raced through the fully stocked building in about 30 minutes Tuesday, causing an estimated $125,000 damage to the structure and $150,000 in loss of furniture and appliances, fire officials said.
``Everything is just ashes, practically,'' said Coston Sawyer, president of Sawyer's House of Furniture and son of the majority stockholder, William Sawyer. ``We still don't know what happened or what was the initial problem.''
The store's nearby showroom on Hughes Boulevard was not damaged, and the family opened for business as usual Wednesday. ``Just couldn't go retrieve anything from the warehouse,'' Coston Sawyer said.
``We're scampering for a place to put everything that comes in,'' he said, adding that the family had received some offers of temporary space.
Howell said officials had some clues about where the fire started but wanted to wait until the investigation was complete before releasing their opinion.
Officials were looking into the possibility of an electrical problem with an appliance stored near an upholstered chair, Howell said.
But he cautioned that the level of destruction might prevent investigators from pinning down the cause.
``We're going to take it from every aspect with an open mind,'' Howell said. by CNB