Investigators determine cause of Cornelius ethanol fire March 17 2021 Static from the fuel mixing process appears to have started the fire at Thunderbolt Racing Fuel and Summit Foods. Fire investigators have concluded that static during the racing fuel production process was likely to blame for the three-alarm fire at the Summit Foods and Thunderbolt Racing Fuel facility in the 500 block of North Fourth Avenue Tuesday, March 16. Forest Grove Fire & Rescue said that after investigating the scene and speaking with employees, investigators learned that an employee felt "intense heat" while transferring super unleaded gasoline from one metal drum to another, which contained ethanol — part of the mixing process to make the high-quality racing fuel.