Northern Washington Boat Factory Fire Ruled an Accident

A police spokesman in the northwest Washington town of Ferndale says a huge fire at a boat factory has been ruled accidental.

The Bellingham Herald reports that Lt. Matt Huffman says experts from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have determined the Sept. 11 fire at Northwest Marine was caused by chemicals used to build small parts for boats.

Huffman said Friday the experts traced the fire’s origin to one room in the large warehouse.

A full report isn’t expected for months. Some highly explosive chemicals are used in the boat-building process.

While police didn’t have an exact damage figure Friday, the loss is thought to be in the millions of dollars.

The fire started after workers had gone home. No one was hurt.

The business had been building about three boats per month.