Probers say city fire cause was electrical
Toolbox
Published: January 7, 2009
Fire investigators say an electrical incident likely sparked a blaze that destroyed a Rutland apartment house, leaving four families homeless and causing more than $400,000 in damage.
Sgt. Thomas Williams, a Vermont State Police fire investigator, said officials were not able to pinpoint the exact cause of the blaze that happened Saturday afternoon at 44 Forest St., but they have ruled out foul play.
Reached Tuesday, Williams said "pyrolysis" — a term for a chemical change that lowers the ignition point in materials exposed to a heat source for a length of time — may have been a factor if combustible materials were near an exposed electrical source in the small and inaccessible space where the fire started.
Investigators with Rutland City Fire, State Police and Division of Fire Safety probed the burned-out building Monday to try and learn what caused the blaze.
According to the Rutland City Assessor's Office, the building was last assessed April 2006 at $137,300. Williams, who said the building was insured, said the $400,000 loss estimate was based on what it would cost to rebuild the structure and on the value of personal property that was destroyed.
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