News Release
For Immediate Release
ATF National Response Team Arrives to Provide Expertise on Five-Alarm Fire Investigation in Oakland
OAKLAND – Currently 20 members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ or ATF’s National Response Team (NRT) arrived on scene today at 950 West Grand Ave in Oakland, California, to provide their expertise in the determination of the cause and origin of a five-alarm fire that occurred at the location the morning of October 23.
“ATF’s NRT is in the preliminary stages of this investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Ray Roundtree, San Francisco Field Division. “Our focus is to provide our expertise on fire scene analysis to the Oakland Fire Department for their investigation into this fire. ATF approaches these scenes without any preconceptions about what may have happened, and we allow the evidence to guide us to a conclusion. We will continue our on scene investigation until we come to the determination of either incendiary (arson), accidental or undetermined.”
The NRT is working closely with the Oakland Fire Department, Oakland Police Department and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
ATF is the only federal agency with the expertise and resources to investigate fire scenes. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the federal expert in this field, and the NRT exists to provide their expertise to federal, state and local investigators with large-scale and complex fire and explosive incidents.
The NRT is composed of veteran special agents who include certified fire investigators, certified explosives specialists, fire protection engineers, chemists, forensic mappers and other highly specialized and experienced fire investigators. More information on the NRT can be found at https://www.atf.gov/explosives/national-response-team.
ATF developed the NRT in 1978. The NRT has deployed 2 times in fiscal year 2019, which began Oct. 1, 2018.
Anyone with any information about this fire should contact ATF at 1-888-ATF-FIRE or by visiting www.reportit.com (link is external) or through the mobile “reportit” app, available both on Google Play and the Apple App Store. All calls will be kept confidential.
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