Republished January 30, 2019 - 6:31 AM
Original Publication Date January 29, 2019 - 9:26 PM
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Federal authorities have joined the investigation into the massive blaze that razed a hotel under construction in Anchorage.
The National Response Team for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived in Anchorage on Monday to investigate the early Saturday fire that destroyed the Courtyard by Marriott hotel, the Anchorage Daily News reported .
The 141-room hotel was mostly a frame of wood and plasterboard before the fire. The loss is estimated at $20 million, Anchorage Fire Marshal Cleo Hill said.
The heat from the fire cracked windows and melted a sign at a neighbouring motel, Hill said. The fire's towering "thermal column" also left debris as far as a mile (1.6 kilometres) away.
The investigation is in its earliest stages, and authorities have not said anything about the cause.
Firefighters were still extinguishing hot spots, and the structure's remains have not been safe enough to enter yet, Hill said.
The ATF sends specialized fire investigators when "the size and complexity of a fire is too large for local resources to handle in a timely manner," said Jason Chudy, a spokesman for the federal agency.
The city has one full-time fire investigator.
"The team is going to stay as long as needed for us to do as thorough of an investigation as we can," Chudy said.
Anchorage police are also assisting in the investigation, Hill said.
"We're trying to determine if a crime has been committed," she said.
The newspaper's attempts to contact the project's developer, Affinity Hospitality, were unsuccessful. It's not clear if the Newport Beach, California-based group will rebuild.
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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com
News from © The Associated Press, 2019