The Capital Region’s heart still breaks for the tragedy at Common Roots Brewing Co. Now, we know what caused that awful fire.

It was a shock to see those pictures of a place I had just been to a few weeks ago, now destroyed from flames. The Post Star has updated us on what exactly happened at Common Roots Brewing Co.

Saratoga County fire investigators have finished their investigation and found that the fire started because of an exhaust pipe in the brewing equipment heating up a nearby wood and ignited it. The piece of wood must’ve dried out from being exposed to heat over time. Then, it was just one too many times and that wood was hot enough to ignite.

Initial reports said that Common Roots Brewing Co. had heat shields installed but because of the damage, are unsure whether the shields failed or were in another location. Thankfully, the fire broke out while there were still people inside (yes, I understand how strange that sounds). Because of this, a good part of the building was saved.

The owners do plan to rebuild but don’t yet have an idea when they will be back open again. Until then, there are a few events going on to raise money for the family. Common Roots also announced a store on Facebook starting soon with an original logo to raise money to offset building costs.