Apartment fire still a mystery

In the predawn of Sunday morning, a mysterious blaze had begun in the Deer Park Manor, the source of which is still currently under investigation.\nThough no assurance of the exact cause of the fire has been obtained, officials believe that the location of its origin was the natural gas unit of the building's western exterior.\nThe call arrived at the firehouse at 1:18 a.m. Sunday, and the department's speedy arrival limited the extent of the damage to only the 10,000 square-foot mansion and not the surrounding area.\nIt is suspected that a jet of flames was shot from the gas unit, sending the fire towards the house.\nOther than the structure itself, no one was hurt.\nFire Chief Jeff Barlow said the source is still undetermined and that any implication that the fire was "suspicious" is not being entertained until the investigation has run its course.\n"We're not speculating on any foul play," he said. "We don't want to skew the investigation with any preconceived outcomes." \nBoth the state fire marshall's office and the federal Division of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms had been called in Monday morning, with investigators from each examining the area.\nBut Barlow said their role is purely complementary.\n"This case is still under local jurisdiction," Barlow said.\nPam Bright, director of Public Information for the state fire marshall, concurred.\n"The fire marshall has only been called in to provide more manpower and resources to aid in the investigation," she said. \nSamples of soil, ash and other debris were sent to a lab for testing, and the results have still not been returned.\nIn the meantime, Deer Park Manor is attempting to readjust and continue with its daily work.\n"We're just trying to get back to business," said Manager Michael Latham, whose office is in the manor. "We're not letting it affect us."\nThe building itself was built in the 1950s by Sarkes Tarzian. Tarzian was a prolific inventor. He developed several important components and systems used in radio and television sets. \nThe estate was sold to Michael Fitzgerald in 1998 as a part of the Deer Park project on Tarzian's estate property. Today, the house is used as an office for Deer Park Management -- a property management firm, a media center and conference facility.\nThe fire momentarily disrupted these procedures when it consumed a large room with a swimming pool, its floor and wooden ceiling. In the room next door, burning debris had fallen on several computers leading to partial melting. The odor of smoke and ash lingered into the workday as undamaged furniture was set outside to dry.\nNo exact figure of the total cost of the damage has been released, but the sight reveals that the building will require serious reconstructive attention.\nStill, amidst the upheaval, the workday continued.\n"We have great employees that are really pulling together," Latham said. "We're doing the best we can, and are thankful no one was hurt"