Investigators: Cause of Rock Hill fire that injured two firefighters undetermined

The cause of the March 23 house fire between Rock Hill and York that injured two firefighters when a wall collapsed on them has been ruled “undetermined,” because the damage was so severe investigators can’t figure out exactly where it started.

The investigation into the fire has been closed because there are too many possible accidental causes, said Charles Williamson, investigator for the York County Fire Marshal’s Office.

It is clear that the fire was not intentionally set, Williamson said. The fire started in the garage of a home where the family ran a petroleum machine repair business in the garage.

“There was just too much damage,” he said, “and all the possible accidental causes can’t be ruled out.”

Neighbors described hearing blasts that sounded like explosions, but fire investigators said aerosol cans, a lawn mower, water heater or other items in the garage could have burst during the fire, causing the sounds that some thought were explosions. The wall fell because of the damage the fire had done to the structure, Williamson said.

The business did not need a license under York County rules and the family did not violate any business license rules, Williamson said.

One of the residents and the family dog escaped the fire. When fire crews from Newport and other departments responded and were fighting the fire, the wall collapsed on two Newport firefighters, injuring both in the legs. Both Joseph Volk and Rich Diamanti are out of the hospital after surgeries and are expected to recover after months of rehabilitation.

This story was originally published April 1, 2015 at 9:19 AM with the headline "Investigators: Cause of Rock Hill fire that injured two firefighters undetermined."