Officials continue to investigate cause of big fire

EVERETT – Fire investigators today hope to learn the cause of a Sunday morning fire that destroyed the Grifols Biomat USA Plasma Center.

Heavy equipment was used to remove charred debris from the building on Thursday, allowing investigators to get a closer look inside.

But they weren’t able to pinpoint where or how the fire began, Everett Fire Marshal Warren Burns said.

The fire destroyed the building in the 2800 block of Hoyt Avenue, causing more than $2 million in damage. Firefighters suspect the blaze began in the basement, Burns said.

Hazardous materials experts are still removing needles, blood and 2,250 1-liter units of plasma stored in a freezer.

The plasma was intact but is considered unusable because of contamination from the fire. Plasma is blood from which red blood cells have been removed. The cells are then returned to the donor. The plasma has many medical uses.

The 1909 building is owned by Bill Rucker, who also owns H&L Sports a block away.

The building’s basement was used to store equipment for Soccer West, which has four stores in Western Washington, said Mike Rucker, president of the business.