A fire that destroyed three Juneau auto shops last week was caused by a faulty heating system, Fire Marshal Dan Jager said Monday.
By email, Jager said investigators “determined the fire to have started with the heating system on the side where the fire damage occurred. The fire is unintentional and we do not believe that the fire to be intentional.”
The fire, which burned for four hours late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, gutted a garage next to the Sandbar & Grill on Industrial Boulevard.
[Fire wrecks three Mendenhall Valley auto shops]
Firefighters from every station in Juneau responded to the blaze, which was extinguished in 25-degree weather overnight.
The building — owned by the owners of the Sandbar — was insured, but none of the businesses were.
According to statistics provided by Jager, there have been 72 fires of all types (residental, commercial, vehicle, etc.) so far this year. In all of 2015, there were 65.
Winter is the peak fire season in Alaska, with fires typically caused by improperly maintained (or used) chimneys and heaters.
