PORTLAND, Maine — Six weeks after a Portland fire killed six people, state investigators are turning to a one-of-a-kind federal laboratory to confirm the cause.
The Fire Research Lab within the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, is trying to re-create the exact conditions on Nov. 1 at 20-24 Noyes St.
It was Maine’s deadliest fire in 40 years.
Looking at what’s left, Maine Fire Marshal Joe Thomas said it’s clear the fire was fast and intense. He’s hoping the federal lab can confirm his theory about how it started and spread, ultimately providing answers to six victim’s families and the community.
“At this point, we’re not inclined to be looking at ‘whodunit,’” said Thomas. “At this point, it’s [a question of] what did it?”
Thomas said the investigation into a cause has been centered on the front porch area, but his team isn’t sure why the 7 a.m. fire moved so rapidly. Typically, he said, daytime fires are noticed and called-in quickly.
“So, we obviously had something that played into that to intensify it at that time of day, which is unusual,” he said.
It’s one of many questions under examination at the lab in Maryland.
“They have sophisticated computers that can run programs and visually recreate what happened, what could have happened,” said Thomas.
Thomas said they’ll include factors such as the type of furniture inside and whether doors and windows were open at the time.
Maine investigators have used the lab as a resource several times since it opened in 2003.
Since 2011, the facility has conducted 1,500 criminal and research experiments, some of them physically reconstructed.
“This is an excellent way for it to confirm or throw a monkey wrench into my theory,” said Thomas. “It just couldn’t have happened this way because of this, this is what this tool can do for us.”
Thomas said there’s no word on when the ATF results will be in, but until they are, the state report can’t be finalized or released.
The Nov. 1 fire claimed the lives of tenants David Bragdon, 27; Ashley Thomas, 29; and Nicole Finlay, 26; as well as visitors to the building Steven Summers, 29, of Rockland, Christopher Conlee, 25, of Portland and Maelisha Jackson, 23, of Topsham.
The family of Summers has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the building’s landlord, Gregory Nisbet, and the city of Portland has assembled a task force to review city fire and codes inspection procedures in the fire’s aftermath.
BDN Portland Bureau Chief Seth Koenig contributed to this report.