Feb. 5--Investigators still have not been able to start digging through the rubble that once was the old Singer Furniture plant to determine what caused it to burn to the ground earlier this week, but that could change today.
Officials with Lenoir Fire Department and Lenoir Police Department, who are working jointly along with the Caldwell County Fire Marshal's Office and the State Bureau of Investigation, said Wednesday that excavation of debris from the site could start as soon as today to give investigators their first true look at what caused the fire and where it originated.
The devastating fire occurred early Monday morning. Lenoir firefighters were dispatched to the scene on College Avenue behind Fairfield Chair Co. at 1:42 a.m. They were able to protect power lines from Duke Power running along College Avenue as well as the Fairfield plant from the fire, but they were not able to do much more to the Singer building than a defensive exterior attack. Eventually, the walls and roof of the structure collapsed, and what did not fall during the fire itself was knocked down Monday afternoon by heavy equipment from Gateway Grading to eliminate any safety hazards.
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Initial indications are that the fire was started by human hands, though who started it, how and where it originated have not been determined because there still are fires burning below the mangled steel beams and brick rubble that once comprised the four-story structure. The scene itself has been too hot for investigators to attempt starting to dig through, and there are other safety concerns like the jagged edges of the steel beams and possible void spaces unseen from above that could entrap anyone sifting through the massive pile of debris.
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Phelps said the delay in beginning the investigation at the scene was a result of it being too hot and dangerous at this point.
"We've had to let it cool down to let the construction crews and investigators in to do their work," he said. "There are still hot spots underneath, and the fire department has been running a continuous stream of water to try to cool things off."
