ATF National Response Team Activated to Investigate Gallery Furniture Fire in
Houston
HOUSTON, May 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Response Team (NRT) of
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with ATF
special agents from the Houston Field Division have been activated by a
request from the Houston Fire Department Arson Bureau to investigate a fire at
Gallery Furniture. The fire at the popular furniture store and warehouse
located at 6006 North Freeway, Houston, Texas occurred on Thursday, May 21,
2009. The team of about 20 agents and specialists will start the scene
investigation tomorrow morning. Some of the local agents and investigators are
already onsite.
"ATF is investigating this fire jointly with the Houston Fire Department. We
will work together in partnership to determine the origin and cause of this
fire," said Dewey Webb, ATF special agent in charge of the Houston Field
Division. He estimates total loss of the warehouse to be approximately $15 to
20 million. This is the 15th activation of the NRT in fiscal year 2009, and
the 673rd activation since the inception of the team in 1978.
Other local activations of the NRT in the area include the midrise fatality
fire in Houston in March 2007, the Governor's Mansion in Austin in June 2008,
the Lone Star Saloon fire in Richmond in November 2008, the JK Chevrolet fire
in Nederland in December 2008 and most recently the Sunbelt Spa fire in
Houston in January 2009.
In 1978, ATF developed the NRT to investigate in partnership with federal,
state and local investigators in meeting the challenges faced at the scenes of
significant arson and explosives incidents. The NRT consists of four teams
organized geographically to cover the United States. Each team can respond
within 24 hours to work jointly with state and local law enforcement/fire
service personnel in onsite investigations.
In addition to investigating hundreds of large fire scenes, the NRT has also
been activated to scenes such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the
Oklahoma City Murrah Federal Building bombing and the 9/11 Pentagon crash
site, as well as explosions at explosives and ammunition manufacturing plants,
legal fireworks factories and illegal explosive device manufacturing
operations.
The teams are each composed of veteran special agents who have post blast and
fire origin-and-cause expertise; forensic chemists; explosives enforcement
officers; fire protection engineers; accelerant detection canines; explosives
detection canines; intelligence support, computer forensic support and
forensic audit support. The teams work alongside state and local officers in
reconstructing the scene, identifying the seat of the blast or origin of the
fire, conducting interviews, and sifting through debris to obtain evidence
related to the bombing/arson.
Further complementing the team's efforts are technical, legal and intelligence
advisors. Moreover, a fleet of fully equipped response vehicles strategically
located throughout the United States is available to provide logistical
support.
ATF is the federal agency with jurisdiction for investigating fires and crimes
of arson. More information on ATF can be found at www.atf.gov.
CONTACT: Franceska Perot, Ph.D.
ATF Special Agent, PIO
(281) 372-2908 (office)
(281) 914-8124 (cell)
SOURCE Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Franceska Perot, Ph.D., ATF Special Agent, PIO, +1-281-372-2908 (office), or
+1-281-914-8124 (cell)
