Associated Press
FRIDAY HARBOR — A discarded cigarette caused the May 9 fire that destroyed six businesses in this San Juan Island community, fire officials said Tuesday.
Insurance company investigators found the spot where a cigarette set fire to cardboard boxes holding T-shirts, Fire Chief Robert Low said.
Several employees smoked in the area, and no attempt will be made to identify the individual responsible, Low said, explaining that would be too painful for this community of 2,000 people.
The insurance company accepts the fire as accidental, he said.
Debris is being cleared now and the owners plan to rebuild.
The fire, which occurred just before the tourist season counted on by local merchants, caused more than $1 million in damage to the building near the ferry terminal and the downtown marina.
The building housed six businesses: the Friday Harbor Grocery, San Juan Florists, Hungry Clam restaurant, Friday Harbor Souvenirs and Gifts, Mystical Mermaid gift shop and a coin-operated laundry beneath the grocery.
Friday Harbor is the San Juan County seat and the population center on San Juan Island, the largest in the San Juan island chain .
Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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