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A day after it was revealed that trace amounts of gasoline were found at the scene of January's triple-fatal apartment fire, the Fort Wayne Fire Department released a preliminary cause.
In a prepared statement, Fire Chief Pete Kelly said department investigators believe the fire was caused by an electrical problem - citing evidence found at an electrical outlet near the front exterior wall of a first-floor apartment at the Willows of Coventry.
In a second-floor apartment, three students from the International Business College perished from smoke inhalation after the fire at the apartment complex on Fort Wayne's western edge.
Jennifer Spurgeon, 19, of Winamac; Renae Patton, 18, of Ottawa, Ohio; and Lara Punches, 19, of Defiance, Ohio, were all pulled from the burning building but later died.
On Tuesday, attorneys representing the apartment complex, the school and the city of Fort Wayne gathered in an Allen Superior Court judge's chambers to discuss the city's refusal to release records related to the fire investigation.
On Wednesday, Kelly issued his written statement about the preliminary cause.
In an interview, Kelly said the department had hoped to wait to release information about the cause until it receives the results from a key test performed on evidence from the scene.
"They had that hearing yesterday mentioning traces of accelerants," Kelly said. "Since the hearing, more discussion ensued. … We felt it was the time to let everyone know where we were at. These are our preliminary findings. When we get the other results back, then we'll say where we are at that point."
Cal Miller, the local attorney representing the apartment complex's owners, said based on the amount of information and evidence still to be evaluated, it's too soon to rule out arson.
"I understand the political impulse to release a report," Miller said, "but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me."
The apartment complex's owners, based in Omaha, Neb., along with attorneys for the business school and Spurgeon's estate, filed a petition with the court in May to force the city to turn over records related to the fire.
During the hearing, Miller said the apartment complex's investigators found trace amounts of gasoline at the scene.
The city said during the hearing they intend to keep all the records private, declaring them investigatory.
Kelly said the trace amounts of gasoline were likely attributable to the gas-powered equipment used by the fire department, such as chain saws or high-powered fans, to fight the fire.
He was also adamant there were no pour patterns found at the scene of the fire and no foul play is suspected.
Miller, however, said there should be no rush to provide a report until officials know how the gasoline got into those various places.
If an electrical problem is indeed the cause, Miller said, he hopes the city will release records that the other interested parties are asking for so the investigation can be completed.
Since the fire, the apartment complex has seen upgrades designed to improve fire safety, particularly fire-resistant material put under the stairwells going up to the second-floor apartments.
The same process was also undertaken at the Willows' sister complex, Pointe Inverness, just a few miles away.
