REVERE — The cause of a $5 million fire that destroyed a landmark appliance store on Route 60 may not be known for months.
The state fire marshal’s office said the investigation into the five-alarm blaze last month that destroyed Sozio‘s Home Furnishings and Appliances has stalled.
Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Fire Services, said the owner, A. Louis Sozio Realty Trust, does not have insurance on the 16,152-square-foot building. As a result, she said they can’t afford the heavy equipment needed to remove debris from the half-acre site so investigators can reach the area where the fire started.
“At some point, the building will be demolished and we will be alerted,” she said. “Then, our investigators will have another bite at the apple at trying to conclude the investigation.”
Ben DeChristoforo, the city’s chief of Building Inspections, said Sozio is interviewing demolition contractors. Once a firm is hired, he said, the owner will be required to get permits and start the work.
“It seems like the owners are being cooperative and trying to do this,” he said.
Revere Fire Chief Chris Bright said, in the meantime, the owner has erected a fence around the property.
