PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
Special agents have flown in from around the country to help determine what caused the massive fire at the historic Thunderbird Hotel on Hayden Island.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting Portland fire in the investigation. An estimated 30 investigators have been brought in from around the region and beyond, according to ATF Special Agent Christopher Porreca.
Because of the size and scope of the fire, the ATF's National Response Team was called to assist. The team includes explosives specialists, forensic chemists and even a special arson dog, according to a spokesman.
"This investigation is just beginning," said Porreca.
As investigators begin surveying the grounds, the five-alarm fire still smolders two days after breaking out. Portland fire received the call just before 3 a.m. Sunday, and intense flames ripped through the now vacant hotel.
A spokesman estimates 85 percent of the hotel was destroyed; damage has been estimated at more than $5 million.
The property's director of operations, Rod Russell, told FOX 12 he will not be making comments until the investigation is complete.
Multnomah County property records reveal the owner, Thunderbird Hotel LLC, attention Howard Dietrich Jr., owes more than $1.1 million in taxes on the property for years 2009 through 2011.
Records also show the owner bought the property from Doubletree in 2004 for a listed amount of more than $21 million, but the hotel closed in 2005 and has remained empty ever since.
"It has been a concern to a lot of us," said Portland Fire Marshal John Harding. Harding explained that the building, filled with items including mattresses and furniture, fueled the flames Sunday.
It took several hours to get the fire under control and is considered the largest building fire in the area in a decade.
Fire investigators expect to remain on scene through the week, and, at this point, have ruled nothing out, from arson to electrical, according to a spokesman.
"Sometimes you can investigate with all the resources you have, and you may not ever determine what did happen," said Porreca.
Investigators are still looking for any witnesses of the fire or anyone who took pictures or video. http://www.portlandoregon.gov/fire/
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