Sealant pegged as cause of Wallowa visitor center fire
BAKER CITY, Ore. (AP) — Materials used to apply a sealant at the Wallowa Mountains Visitor Center have been blamed for a fire last month that destroyed the building near Enterprise in eastern Oregon.
The Baker City Herald reported the 20,500-square-foot log building was owned by Sea Side Associates of Chelan, Wash., and leased to the U.S. Forest Service.
On July 11, the day the fire started, workers hired by the owners were applying a sealant to the 20-year-old building's exterior.
Fire investigators said Monday that spontaneous combustion of materials used to apply the sealant was the probable cause of the fire.
The Wallowa-Whitman has set up a temporary visitors center in the Chamber of Commerce office in Enterprise.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was the lead agency in the investigation.
Information from: Baker City Herald
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
