Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

WASHINGTON – The Denver Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives requested ATF’s National Response Team joined the investigation into a business fire that occurred in the early morning hours on July 4, 2023, at the Alcova Marina in Alcova, Wyoming.

NRT members from the Cheyenne Field Office arrived in Alcova on July 5, 2023, to assist the Natrona County Fire District, Station 7, and other local partners in this ongoing investigation. The NRT consists of Special Agents, Certified Fire Investigators, Fire Protection Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Forensic Chemists, Certified Explosives Specialists, an Intelligence Research Specialist, a Medic and an Accelerant Detection K-9 with handler.

“The Alcova Marina was a staple for the many members of this boating community,” said ATF Denver Field Division Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. “Through our existing partnerships with the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office and Natrona County Fire District, we were able to rapidly deploy our National Response Team to provide assistance in determining the origin and cause of this devastating fire.”

This is the 19th NRT activation this fiscal year and the 908th since the program began in 1978. The NRT is comprised of three regional components, organized geographically to cover the United States. The team 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, to assist local and state law enforcement or fire service personnel.

Past NRT activations include such incidents as: the Nashville “Christmas Day” bombing; more than 200 fire scenes resulting from civil unrest throughout the Midwest in 2020; a series of bombings in Austin, Texas, in 2018; and national-level tragedies such as the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon; the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta; the Oklahoma City bombing and the 1993 World Trade Center 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.