Arson ruled out in Dick Bruhn fire.

After confirming several workers with keys to the Dick Bruhn building were inside the structure when the fire broke out, fire officials said the multi-day blaze was not started intentionally—or by humans.

Officials have yet to determine if the men were doing any construction work inside the building. This would not have been allowed since the building was red-tagged last year after the owner, Gerry Kehoe, did construction work without proper permits that included a full demolition and the removal of asbestos.

Recently, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office began investigating the possible illegal removal and dumping of asbestos from the building, which Kehoe denies doing.

Fire officials and Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District inspectors have both confirmed there is asbestos in the now-destroyed building.

Salinas Fire Chief Ed Rodriguez says “no human involvement” led to the massive fire that left a brick skeleton in Old Town Salinas. The ruins are stable, he adds, and electrical and “environmental” issues have yet to be ruled out as a possible cause for the fire, says Salinas Fire Battalion Chief Sam Klemek.

“The fire was not set intentionally, and [it] spread quickly due to the physical characteristics of the building,” Rodriguez said.

The uninsured and empty building was still powered by Pacific Gas & Electric, Rodriguez says.

Surveillance video from a nearby business shown to the Weekly is incriminating, as it shows a man, presumed to be one of the workers, walking out one of the main doors when white smoke starts venting out of the windows.

Shortly after, black smoke starts coming out of the door, and the man can be seen holding the door open for about 20 seconds. The man appears calm, and does not attempt to seek help when the video stops.

“I’m not going to say that reaction was a good one or something you or I would do,” says Rodriguez. He then added the investigation into the man’s involvement is ongoing.

The investigation into the cause of the fire, led by Salinas Fire and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, is expected to stretch about a month.The verdict for what to do with the building’s remains is expected in about three months, but for now it will not be demolished.

Because Kehoe has no insurance for the wrecked building, city officials continue to work on figuring out how the cleanup costs will be covered. City Manager Ray Corpuz says the city, however, would not foot the bill for any of the damage.

The Ariel Theater sustained significant damage to its bottom floor, which had to be stripped from its carpeting due to it being saturated by contaminated water. Gail Higginbotham, the theater's founder, says her insurance will be talking to Kehoe.

Higginbotham also says she witnessed workers going in and out of the building several times before the fire broke out.

"One time I asked them if the red-tag had been lifted for them to be doing work, but they didn't answer," she says.