-- Fire engulfed a 40,000 square foot warehouse used to grow four percent of America's yield of hops - used to flavor beer.

The affect on brewers and beer prices are unknown but fire could end up costing $3.5 million to $4 million in losses.

The fire started Monday morning and by mid-afternoon the warehouse was completely consumed by flames - a pungent odor from the hops filling the air.

The warehouse is operated by S.S. Steiner Inc., part of the Steiner Group of Germany, one of the largest international hop growing, trading and processing companies in the world. Three-fourths of America's hop production comes from the Yakima Valley where the warehouse is located. The US produced almost one-quarter of the hops internationally.

Now the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will investigate the cause of the fire. But authorities said heat build-up in the hop bails make fires a big threat to warehouses such as this one.

East Valley Deputy Chief Mike Riel told the Yakima Herald-Republic, "That's just a possibility that we'll look at but it is very high on the list."

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