LINCOLN – A hardware store destroyed by fire Thursday night will reopen on West Broadway as soon as possible, one of its owners said Friday.

“Oh, yeah, we definitely are,” Rebecca Robinson said. “This is our business. We have built our home and our life around it. It’s just a question of when.”

Robinson’s Equipment, which specializes in chain saws and outdoor equipment, was destroyed by a fire despite the efforts of about 40 firefighters from Howland, Lincoln, Lee and Mattawamkeag. One firefighter at the scene was treated for exhaustion.

The cause of the fire has not been determined but does not seem suspicious, firefighters said. On Friday, Inspector Edward Archer, an investigator from the Northern Division of the State Fire Marshal’s Office, visited the site where only side walls remained standing. He did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.

The fire appeared to start in a workroom and storage area toward the rear of the building shortly after the store closed on Thursday, Rebecca Robinson said. At about 5:20 p.m., a salesman stopping by the store saw smoke pouring from the roof and told next-door neighbors who called for help, she said.

Intense heat and smoke repelled a team of firefighters that tried to fight the fire after going in through the front door, so crews vented and sprayed areas of the roof to cool the building and douse flames. Other firefighters tried attacking the fire’s apparent point of origin at the rear of the one-story building.

The fire flared again briefly at about 1 a.m. and firefighters doused it.

Insurance agents and adjusters visited the site on Friday and were working with the Robinsons.