Frager’s fire likely caused by cigarette butt

The fire that destroyed what most called a landmark on Capitol Hill was most likely caused by an employee dropping a cigarette butt into a bucket in an alley.

Officials believe the fire at Frager’s Hardware was accidental, but investigators have interviewed a 23-year-old seen smoking on a surveillance camera during a break shortly before the fire was reported.

The alley space, where the employee tossed his cigarette, is used as storage for wooden beams, bags of cement, and other supplies.

Officials have determined the bucket as the origin of the fire.