LENOX — Investigators believe a massive fire that destroyed the Wagon Wheel Inn in December likely began in the ceiling above one of the motel’s rooms, according to preliminary findings released this week by state and local fire officials.

The Dec. 5 blaze leveled the 18-unit motel at 484 Pittsfield Road, displacing 13 tenants and drawing a large mutual aid response in near-zero temperatures. While the investigation remains officially open, officials say there is no evidence the fire was intentionally set, narrowing the focus to accidental causes such as a possible electrical failure.

Asked whether the fire may have been electrical, Jake Wark, public information officer for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, said such blazes often start between walls or above ceilings, but investigators have not reached a final conclusion.

The Dec. 5 blaze leveled the Wagon Wheel Inn at 484 Pittsfield Road, displacing 13 tenants. Plans for the property on the busy commercial strip near the Pittsfield-Lenox town lines are still unknown.

Future plans for the property, which is currently fenced off and sits opposite the Center at Lenox business complex on Pittsfield Road, are uncertain.

Manager Pinal Patel and owner Parth D. Engineer of Rath Hospitality LLC could not be reached for comment.

No demolition or other permits have been filed yet for the site, said Carolyn Hogencamp of the Building Department covering Lee, Lenox, Great Barrington and New Marlborough.

The Wagon Wheel was built in 1952 and expanded in 1960, and was among the first on what became a commercial strip of motor courts and no-frills motels.

Last year, the property was valued by the town at $733,000, according to the Assessors Office at Town Hall. The land alone was assessed at $223,000.

After the fire was contained, the property was deemed a likely total loss by Lenox Fire Chief Bob Casucci. None of the firefighters and other first responders were injured while battling the blaze. Nor were adjoining businesses affected.

Firefighters from Lenox and at least nine mutual aid departments battled the blaze for four hours in near-zero temperatures, using 18 pieces of firefighting equipment.

The 13 tenants at the motel also escaped the early-morning fire without injuries. They were put up temporarily at a nearby motel, assisted by the American Red Cross and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.