Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives today called on ATF’s National Response Team to begin a joint investigation of a major structural fire at a QVC distribution center in North Carolina.

On Saturday, multiple crews from six counties responded to a fire at 100 QVC Blvd., Rocky Mount. One fatality has been confirmed and approximately 75 percent of the 1.5 million square foot facility was damaged in the fire.

Edgecombe County requested ATF’s NRT assistance given the large number of resources required to investigate the incident. The NRT provides an immediate and sustained nationwide response capability, typically deploying within 24 hours of notification, with state-of-the-art equipment and highly qualified ATF personnel specializing in fire origin and cause determination.

"This is a very important collaboration, given the size of this facility and the role this distribution center played in the community,” said Charlotte Field Division's Special Agent in Charge Vince Pallozzi. “ATF will work in partnership with local and state fire and law enforcement agencies to assist in any way we can.”

Past NRT activations include such incidents as an explosion in West Texas that killed 14 people in 2013; a fire that destroyed the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce; a commercial fire in Charleston, South Carolina, that killed nine firefighters in 2007; and national-level incidents such as the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the Oklahoma City bombing.

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.