PITTSFIELD – Fire investigators believe a high-intensity discharge light fixture was the cause of a fire that destroyed a Curtis Lumber warehouse last week.

“Basically our highest probable cause was the HID discharge light in southeast portion of the structure,” said Otsego County Emergency Service Coordinator Lyle “Butch” Jones.

Jones said the HID fixture was an “older style” which was recalled by the manufacturer but one acceptable fix to its defect was to attach a modification around the light instead, which was the case at the storage building.

The results of the investigation involved members of the Otsego County Fire Investigation Team, the Otsego County Sheriff’ Office and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.

Jones said the HID light was about 10 to 15 times larger than a domestic 100 watt light bulb and that the filament was explosive under certain conditions.