Investigation continues for $150 million blaze

By JULISSA McKINNON, Register Staff Writer

A month and a half after a fire torched up to $150 million of inventory stored at the Wines Central Services warehouse in Vallejo, authorities continue to analyze evidence from the scene of the blaze.

After determining arson to be the cause of the fire early on, authorities from the Vallejo fire and police departments and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have been jointly conducting "an ongoing criminal investigation," according to Vallejo fire spokesman Bill Tweedy.

Police have questioned anyone who was in the building the day of the fire, Tweedy said.

Three warehouse personnel were believed to have been in the building before the fire started at 3:40 p.m. According to news reports, Mark Anderson, who was subleasing space at Wines Central, was also in the warehouse that day, even though Wines Central had given Anderson notice to stop storing his wine there. Anderson had removed most of his wine before the fire, according to various news reports.

Anderson, who owns and operates his own wine-storage company -- Sausalito Cellars -- faced 10 counts of embezzlement in Marin County in September for stealing thousands of cases of his clients' wine.

Anderson's attorney, Douglas Rappaport said the wide circulation of Anderson's name in the media has had a "detrimental effect" on Anderson's wine-storage business.

Rappaport said he's confident any evidence police have collected will only point to his client's innocence.

"Had they had evidence that showed he had started the fire he'd probably be in custody right now rather than out on the streets," Rappaport said.

Rappaport added that he hopes law enforcement was not involved in disclosing his client's name to the media.

"I'd like to think the police would be more professional than to disclose his name to the media. I'd be sad to find out if that was the case, and I'd question their competency in their investigation and dealing with it in the public," he said.

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