[mcdude]

Originally Posted by Kings Bluff

Have they discovered what caused the fire yet?

From the Laconia Citizen

Cause of 14-alarm blaze still a mystery

Wednesday, May 13, 2009
State Fire Marshal investigators have pinpointed where last month's disastrous fire at the Alton Bay Christian Conference Center started, but they have not been able to determine what started the blaze.

The actual cause of the fire is still classified as undetermined, District Chief John Southwell with the State Fire Marshal Office said Monday.

On April 12, Easter Sunday, the 14-alarm fire destroyed 45 seasonal cottages that were bunched together in one area of the conference center compound and damaged dozens more. At the height of the fire, 40 community departments and hundreds of firefighters battled the fast-moving blaze that was fanned by strong winds.

Through interviews of eye-witnesses, the area where investigators believe the fire started was on the ground under Unit 28, located on the northeastern part of the compound off Mount Pleasant Path, which runs perpendicular to Route 11.

Witnesses and emergency units that first responded to the fire noted that Unit 28 was the "most involved structure" at the time, which was expelling white smoke from underneath the cottage that changed to black. The sign of white smoke indicates that natural and organic materials were the first to burn.

Investigators viewed hundreds of photographs taken on the day of the fire to help them determine the cause of the fire.

"Wind was one of the driving forces for the destruction," Southwell said.

People in the area at the time of the fire were reported to have been putting out spot fires on the property, but were forced to leave as the fire intensified.