Fire's cause still unknown

The cause of an Aug. 3 fire that destroyed Riverside Auto Center remains undetermined, however, it may have been triggered by an extension cord, said Bonners Ferry Fire Chief Pat Warkentin.

Insurance will cover the loss, and plans to rebuild at the same location are under way, said Bill Hiatt Jr., president of the downtown Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge dealership.

“We’re excited now that the shock and horribleness is over.” Hiatt said.

Debbie Youngwirth, owner of Deborah Youngwirth CPA, continues to look for a permanent home. For now, the bookkeeping office, which occupied a second-floor office at Riverside, is set up at the former Gene’s OK Tire next to Mugsy’s restaurant downtown.

Warkentin, a private insurance investigator and investigator with the Idaho Fire Marshalls’ office in Coeur d’Alene were unable to determine the fire’s cause.

“The fire started in (owner) Bill (Hiatt) Sr.’s office, and we know it started around his desk,” Warkentin. “There’s a possibility it was an electrical extension cord.”

The blaze was a slow, burning fire that didn’t take off until air got to it, he said.

“Once it went, we has so much fire fast,” Warkentin said. “It burned long enough we couldn’t determine the chain of combustibles.”

Bill Hiatt Jr. said the building will be knocked down within a week. A 6,000-square-foot building is planned. It will be closer to the body shop, which will allow for more open the rest of the lot for displaying vehicles.

“Chrysler has their own kind of prototype they want us to follow,” Hiatt said. “It will definitely be nicer. They have an arch they like to you use.”

The one-story building will feature big glass windows and a loft for offices, he said.

“We are going to have service writing area next to new building,” Hiatt said.

The Hiatts will go with a wood-frame structure and plans to hire an architect and general contractor.

“We’re not going to hire a big company out of Spokane, but people who have done business with us in the past,” Bill Hiatt Jr. said.

They hope to be in the new building by mid-winter.

For now, Riverside is operating from a trailer donated by Foust Logging and a second from Ainsley Inc. They also are using Linda and Bill Hiatt Sr.’s motorhome

“Things are going really good,” Bill Hiatt Jr. said. “It’s actually booming for us right now.”

Debbie Youngwirth continues to go through paper documents and has paper restoration export from Colorado helping.

“We were working on that through the weekend,” Youngwirth said. “We’re still trying to identify what documents we did lose. We were really lucky. It looks like a lot less than we thought. I’m going to say a very small percent.”

She continues to look for a permanent location for her office.

Warkentin commended Bonners Ferry firefighters for doing an outstanding job, considering the 90-plus-degree day, and limited manpower and equipment.

“The fire built up for a couple of hours,” Warkentin said. “It had to have been going because as soon as it vented, there was so much fire. It had built up gases and smoke. It had a lot of fuel when it finally opened up.”

He also commended South Boundary, North Bench and Paradise Valley for their assistance.