The cause of the blaze was determined to be hot metal material that had been dropped from the Statler Hotel onto the Automobile Club building's roof. The building's structure required the onsite treatment of 750,000 gallons of PCB-contaminated water following demolition.
An investigation revealed that a blaze occurred due to hot metal fragments falling from the Statler Hotel onto the Automobile Club building's rooftop. Following its destruction, the building required specialized handling of 750,000 gallons of contaminated water containing PCBs.