Officials rule out arson in blaze at Hook Lobster

The massive fire last month destroyed the James Hook Lobster Co. building in Boston and about 60,000 pounds of lobster. (George Rizer/Globe Staff/file)

City and federal fire officials yesterday ruled out arson as the cause of the fire that destroyed the James Hook Lobster Co. last month, but they have not been able to pinpoint what started the blaze.

An electrical or mechanical malfunction, they said, is the most probable cause of the May 30 fire, which raged for hours and devastated one of the country's largest lobster businesses.

The damage of the waterfront shack was so severe few clues were left, fire officials said.

Jimmy Hook, the company's longtime bookkeeper, said yesterday the Fire Department's findings did not give him a sense of closure.

"It really doesn't answer many questions," he said. "It's sort of left up in the air. I don't know what happened."

Extra investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives assisted in the investigation, which went on for 12 days, with several starts and stops. At one point, investigators found asbestos-coated pipe and had to request hazardous waste specialists to remove it.

The fire erupted shortly after 3 a.m. Firefighters at a station two blocks away learned of the blaze when 911 calls began streaming in. They arrived to find flames leaping from the corrugated tin roof of the wooden lobster shack and warehouse.

More than 60,000 pounds of lobster, sitting in water-filled tanks and worth as much as $1 million, burned. Cardboard boxes used to ship lobster helped fuel the blaze, which did so much damage that the roof collapsed.

Investigators examined layers of charred rubble, interviewed firefighters who were the first at the scene, examined insurance company records, and interviewed employees in their efforts to determine the origin of the fire.

According to a press release issued by the fire department yesterday, the investigation determined that the fire began somewhere in the "center of the building," an area consumed by fire.

Fire officials estimated $5 million in damages and losses.

"There was just so much damage from the fire and you have to deal with the evidence you have," Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said. "Everyone wants a perfect answer and there's no perfect answer. I hate to use a Bill Belichick expression, but 'it is what it is.' "

The Hook lobster business, founded in 1925 and owned by a third generation of Hook family members, was a stalwart of the local fishing industry and remained on Atlantic Avenue even as pricey hotels and high-rises rose up around it. It stood out, with its aging wood facade and metal rooftop trimmed with razor wire, amid the gleaming glass and steel structures. The day after the fire, Hook family members promised to reopen the business at the same location. They are currently operating under the roof of competitor PJ Lobster in South Boston, which offered them space.

Edward G. Jager, the Hook family's lawyer, said the family hopes to have a modular trailer for retail business moved to the site in the next few weeks. He also said he wanted to dispel speculation about the future of the Hook property.

"It's not for sale," Jager said. "They want to rebuild their business. It's only going to get more valuable. They're not making more land down there."