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HARLINGEN — After wrapping up its part of the investigation, the Fire Marshal’s Office here is awaiting a federal report as officials work to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed Johnny’s True Value Hardware store last week.

Based on its investigation, the Fire Marshal’s Office is trying to determine the cause of July 22’s early morning blaze that gutted the 100-year-old store at 914 W. Tyler Ave., Lt. Noel Smith said Tuesday.

“It’s ongoing,” he said. “We’ve done our part of the investigation. We’ve done the physical. We’ve seen multiple things. Right now, to say any one thing won’t be correct.”

Now, officials are awaiting a report from Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents, Smith said.

Last week, the agency was called into the investigation to account for the hardware store’s firearms inventory, Fire Chief Rafael Balderas said.

After the Fire Marshall’s Office’s completed its part of the investigation, questions remain regarding the cause of one of the city’s biggest fires.

“We don’t have any indication either way,” Smith said. “We’re looking at all options. We’re waiting for data to make that determination.”

Meanwhile, store owner James Hess’ insurance company is calling in its investigators to conduct a probe, officials said.

“It’s typical when insurance is involved,” Smith said, referring to insurance companies calling in investigators. “An insurance company can send an investigator or pay the claim. They’re trying to see if they can find determination of what might have caused the fire. We’re hoping to join them in their part of the investigation.”

When the fire broke out early July 22, sending flames bellowing out of the building’s west rooftop, nearby residents said they heard an explosion at about 6 a.m.

“I heard people say they heard an explosion, probably attributed to propane,” Smith said. “It did add to the flames.”

Residents also said they heard what they described as fireworks, attributing the sound to ignited ammunition.

“It just kind of went off like a ‘pop,’” Smith said.

At the scene of the fire, he said, investigators found shrapnel.

“We found shrapnel in the street,” he said.

Inside the building, some of the hardware store’s merchandise helped fuel the fire, Smith said.

The store’s fertilizer stock, he said, was “definitely part of the fire load.”

“Fertilizer, paint, plumbing equipment — it’s all fuel for the fire,” he said.

The family-owned store at 914 W. Tyler Ave. dated back to the 1920s, when it served as the city’s Sears store.

After Sears moved into Valle Vista Mall in the early 1980s, the Hess family opened Johnny’s True Value Hardware, whose last owner was James Hess.

Hess has been unavailable for comment.

At the scene of the July 22 fire, Balderas described the building as a “total loss.”

At 5:11 a.m., the fire department responded to a call reporting flames jutting out of the building’s west rooftop while heavy smoke engulfed the store, Assistant Fire Chief Ruben Balboa said.

Surrounding the building, fire department officials, working with the Brownsville Fire Department, staged three trucks, each shooting aerial jets of water pumping 1,000 gallons a minute to control the blaze, he said.

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