Federal investigators have called on a special investigative unit as they search for the official cause of a massive $1.8-million Philadelphia warehouse fire that sent smoke and flames soaring into the sky earlier this week.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) deployed its National Response Team (NRT) to join members of the ATF Philadelphia Arson and Explosives Task Force in investigating the fire along East Butler Street in the Port Richmond neighborhood.
The full NRT was called in after a Philly-based NRT investigator assessed the scene Monday then requested help determining an origin and cause, the ATF said in a news release Tuesday.
The fire began at the Thrifty Irishman Thrift Store, which was housed in the warehouse, around 7:20 p.m. Sunday, the ATF said. The blaze quickly spread to four alarms.
"It was starting off over there at the thrift shop," Isaiah Wyche, a witness, told NBC10. "It was small then it spread out over there."
Flames could be seen from miles away as firefighters battled the blaze. Police shut down surrounding streets and moved people from nearby restaurants.
The fire was placed under control shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday. Firefighters continued dousing the fire through Monday morning. As the smoke cleared, officials discovered the structure was gutted though most of the walls were still standing.
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The ATF estimated the damage at $1.8 million.
No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“ATF is committed to working with our partners at the Philadelphia Fire Marshal’s Office and the Philadelphia police and fire departments by adding our expertise and resources to the investigation,” ATF Philadelphia Field Division Special Agent in Charge Donald Robinson said.
The ATF developed the specialty three-team NRT in 1978 to “bring its expertise to federal, state and local investigators in meeting the challenges faced at the scenes of significant fires, explosives and arson incidents,” the agency said. The NRT has been deployed 842 times since its inception.
The NRT team is made up of veteran special agents who are experts in various forms of fire origin as well as explosives experts, canines, engineers and forensic experts.
