Cause of Rocky Mount Store Fire Remains Unknown

Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a blaze that destroyed a furniture company.

The fire broke out at around 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Jeff's Furniture Warehouse at 220 Marigold St. Firefighters said they had a hard time trying to put the fire out because of the furniture and mattresses that fueled it.

“The building was filed with a lot of furniture and mattresses so we had a very heavy fire load, which created a very rapid fire with a lot of heat,” said Division Chief David English.

Investigators returned to the store Friday morning to monitor potential hot spots. Store manager Harry Hamlet said he had taken the day off Thursday to celebrate his birthday.

"It's devastating. It's devastating. I just don't know what could have caused it. It's an old building," he said.

Fire officials said the building is so unstable that it may be days before they will be able to send in a team to investigate what caused the fire.