The Amarillo Fire Marshal's Office ruled Tuesday that the fire that destroyed the Merchandise Recyclers & Liquidators Door Center, 100 S. Pierce St., on Saturday was accidental.

Combustible materials placed too near a heating element from an electric dryer started the blaze, said Capt. Bob Johnson of the Amarillo Fire Department.

The heating element apparently was being worked on and was plugged in but was not in the dryer, Johnson said. Investigators hope to learn more about what happened, he said.

"I don't think there are going to be any startling revelations, just some more details," Johnson said.

Firefighters were dispatched to the fire at 9:20 a.m. Saturday and fought the blaze more than five hours.

Fire investigators entered the building Tuesday after a crane removed rubble from the area where the fire started, a ground-floor apartment where MRL employee Thomas Kothe lived.

Kothe was at the hospital being treated for pneumonia when the fire started. Kothe is receiving some help from the Texas Panhandle Chapter of the American Red Cross.

He said he is trying to recover from a two-month bout with pneumonia and now is searching for a place to live near his job.

MRL owner Gary Smith said he expects to reopen the Door Center at another location. MRL's other operations, including its Kitchen & Bath Center and Floor & Wall Center remain open.

Click here to see story on Amarillo Globe News site:
http://www.amarillo.com/stories/120402/new_firemarshal.shtml

© The Amarillo Globe-News Online