Sep 30, 2007 9:46 pm US/Central
Electrical Spark May Be To Blame For Hutchins Fire
by Jay Gormley
Hutchins (CBS 11 News) ―
Firefighters were back on scene today hosing down a warehouse in Hutchins after gusty winds kicked up several hotspots.
Neighbors saw a spectacular show Saturday night as balls of fire shot hundreds of feet into the air. The heavy flames were finally controlled just after midnight.
Fire investigators say the blaze broke out in the back part of the building. Investigators say it appears that an electrical spark ignited the fire. But, they say it's too early to say for sure.
No one was inside when the fire broke out last night just after 9 p.m. however police were called to warehouse twice to answer a burglar alarm.
When the first alarm sounded "we checked out building after the first alarm and it was secure," said Officer Matt Karnes. "We came back just after 9, after the second alarm and that's when we saw flames."
Despite the two alarms, police do not believe this to be arson. They believe the fire may have tripped the burglar alarms.
The company that owns the warehouse, Manufacturing Specialties Incorporated, makes chemicals and dyes for products.
"We want to go in and look at the way the steel melted. There were a lot of flammables inside. There are still too many hot spots to go into the back of the building" said Dallas County Fire Marshall Bob Grant.
Investigators plan to bring in heavy equipment Monday to begin tearing down the remaining part of the building.
Once down, they will attempt to pinpoint the exact location of the fire and what started it.
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