N.Y. Lumberyard Fire: Update

(April 10, 2015) UPDATE: Investigators say the cause behind the massive fire that destroyed three buildings last week at Mid-State Lumber, Warwick N.Y., was due to an electrical short in the engine compartment of a tractor trailer cab.

The cab was parked inside a building at the Mid-State Lumber site on Kings Highway. The fire destroyed three buildings and an attached office at the site.

“The fire, aided by heavy winds, appears to have spread quickly to combustible materials located adjacent to the truck cab in the building,” Vini Tankasali, county fire coordinator and the deputy commissioner of emergency services, said in a statement Wednesday.

The fire broke out Thursday afternoon at the Warwick location of the family owned lumber business.

The fire was brought into control Friday morning, where 120 firefighters were involved in submerging the flames. Investigators have ruled the fire accidental.