PORT TOWNSEND — Investigators said the fire that destroyed Aldrich’s grocery Monday may have started in the northwest basement corner of the three-story building.
A multi-agency task force focused its efforts on that part of the building Tuesday.
There is still no word on what caused the fire at 940 Lawrence St. and officials are tight-lipped on any speculation.
On Tuesday, a crew of Port Townsend firefighters stood by to extinguish hot spots as they flared up from the still-smoking building.
Engineers surveyed the wreckage as plywood supports and heavy machinery propped up the sagging exterior walls.
Port Townsend Fire Department Assistant Chief Tom Aumock said the walls will be torn down in the next few days.
Aumock said the building is more dangerous than it was during the fire because of the structural damage which puts investigators at risk.
The roads near Tyler and Lawrence streets will continue to be closed, at least until the exterior walls are torn down, Aumock said.
Excavators were removing debris from Lawrence Street Tuesday and it will likely be the first to be reopened.
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The rest of the story appears in the Wednesday Peninsula Daily News.