Cause Of Large Bellevue Commercial Fire Ruled 'Undetermined'

BELLEVUE, WA - The Bellevue fire department has closed its investigation into the large fire that hit a business park last Tuesday night. The department has ruled the fire "undetermined," according to Lt. Brian Gomez, which means that no specific cause could be found. Nine units inside the Columbia Business Park were damaged, and the three-alarm fire drew units from Redmond, Kirkland, and Mercer Island.

The fire broke out around 9:30 p.m. last Tuesday at 13427 Northeast 20th St. inside a dense business park in the Crossroads area south of SR 520. Flames and smoke were shooting out of the building, according to witnesses.

The firefighters attacked the fire from the rear of the building. Meanwhile, other firefighters cut holes in the roof to stop the spread of the fire. That strategy was successful, and about half of the businesses in the building were saved from the fire.

Although the cause of the fire is undetermined, the fire department did identify that the building was not equipped with a sprinkler system. The total damage was estimated at about $1 million, according to the Bellevue fire department.

Image via Bellevue fire department