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Fire investigators determine Olympia fire accidental

Olympia fire not suspicious

As messages of love and support for the Olympia Taverna continue to pour in from the community, fire investigators tell Castanet they have concluded their examination into the cause of the fire.

Fire prevention officer, Paul Johnson says the blaze appears accidental in nature, originating in a second-floor mechanical room.

Johnson said the damage to the building was extensive and impacted the investigation.

"Our crews couldn't safely access the area to do a thorough investigation of that space but there was nothing to indicate the fire was criminal in nature at all."

Johnson says the HVAC unit collapsed into a small space making it difficult to determine the exact cause of the fire, but they are working with the insurance company and they have passed the scene onto the insurance company's fire investigator, "typically we come up with the same result."

The restaurant caught fire just before midnight on Oct. 6. Fire fighters spent most of the night trying to get the blaze under control.

Mike Koutsantonis, owner of the restaurant, said his staff members noticed the fire at 11 p.m. and managed to get out of the building safely.

The building is a complete write-off and will have to be demolished. Koutsantonis told Castanet the family intends to rebuild once the insurance investigation is complete.



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