Downtown Alpine fire still under investigation

ALPINE, Texas — The town of Alpine is still recovering from the devastating fire that destroyed five local businesses on May 26.

RELATED: Alpine residents respond to devastating fire in historic downtown

Although Alpine police said the cause was undetermined, that doesn't mean the investigation is over.

When a community is devastated, it always searches for answers. This is exactly what the Alpine Police are currently working on.

In a telephone interview Thursday, Alpine Police Chief Darrell Losoya confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing and that the department has leads in the case.

For the city, a fire like the one it experienced was not a typical event.

“One of the things about this is we don't experience a lot of fires as often as other large communities,” Losoya said. “They usually have their own special investigators for that. Like if you have an agency in Midland or Odessa, they deal with it more often than we do, where they have their own firefighters and their own investigators specifically for that purpose.”

The primary role of the police department at the start of the investigation is the safety of people and property.

“I've had cases where it was a larger structure and there were more properties to go through,” Losoya said. “That makes things more difficult. And then you also have to manage hazardous materials like asbestos or other toxins.”

As this search continues, Alpine PD feels for its community.

“This building has been a cornerstone of this community for a very long time,” Losoya said. “We understand and sympathize with the businesses and community that are impacted. We are trying to complete this investigation as quickly as possible to rebuild.”

RELATED: Firefighters battle large structure fire in downtown Alpine area; four firefighters treated for injuries