Officials continue analysis of storage unit fire

Authorities are still investigating what caused the fire at Express Storage last month in Pullman.

The storage facility on the Moscow-Pullman Highway caught fire Feb. 8. Damages and property losses are estimated to surpass seven figures, said Darren Jones, fire marshal at the City of Pullman Fire Department.

The fire destroyed almost all units in the structure, housing many vehicles like a motor home, a motorcycle and a boat. Firefighters had a harder time accessing the fire because storage units were individually coded and the building is made of metal.

Jones added one unit alone could easily contain a half-million dollars’ worth of items.

He said not everything destroyed was insured. It’s required to have insurance while renting a unit, but that doesn’t mean everything is covered within the policy.

The fire department is the lead investigating agency out of many, since dozens of people lost possessions. Jones said many private fire investigators representing insurance companies or law firms are performing evaluations of the site.

He said the investigation may take several more months because of the sheer size of the structure and the amount of entities involved. The facility is much larger than those involved in other incidents, he added, meaning authorities have more ground to cover.

Jones said nothing suspicious has been found at the scene, and the fire was most likely caused accidentally. The building has been secured while investigators sort through the debris.

Media and information related to the incident can be emailed to darren.jones@pullman-wa.gov.