Reported by Jason Wheeler
DAYTONA BEACH SHORES -- For the third time in a year, Florida fire marshal’s investigators were called to the scene of a business destroyed by a fire along state Road A1A.
Investigators said the incidents were not related, and they would not speculate about a possible fire bug roaming the beachside.
In the latest fire, Hurricane Beach and Sportswear went up in flames around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Firefighters said the flames spread too quickly for them to be able to save the T-shirt shop.
Investigators Wednesday morning said it was too early to determine a cause, but they sent a specially trained dog through the scene a number of times, trying to find a possible accellerant.
Crews also had to deal with a rainy day Wednesday, saying they would rather get the bulk of their work done before a downpour hits.
“We’ll be here until we feel we’ve done everything we can,” said Detective Amelia Bowling, with the state Fire Marshal’s Office. “Our priority is to make sure that we can turn the building over to the owner, and that we have everything that we need for the investigation, that we’re not leaving anything behind.”
Officials said the owner of the T-shirt shop has been leasing the building for a number of years.
The latest fire is just a few miles south of the last fire along A1A, which broke out on Labor Day.
The cause of that fire also remains under investigation, as the Fire Marshal’s Office said they had little clues in that case.
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