Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

SAN FRANCISCO – The National Response Team (NRT) of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with ATF special agents from the San Francisco Field Division were activated Thursday to join the investigation of a fire located in the 3800 block of San Pablo and 40th street in Emeryville.  This fire occurred early Wednesday morning, and the ATF NRT is expected to arrive on scene Friday.

“ATF is committed to working with our state and local partners and will bring our expertise and resources to determine the origin and cause of this incident,” said Special Agent in Charge Jill A. Snyder, San Francisco Field Division.

In 1978, ATF developed the NRT to bring its expertise to federal, state and local investigators in meeting the challenges faced at the scenes of significant explosions and arson incidents.  The NRT consists of four teams organized geographically to cover the United States. Each team can respond within 24 hours to assist state and local law enforcement/fire service personnel in on-site investigations.

The teams are each composed of veteran special agents who include:  Forensic chemists; explosives enforcement officers; fire protection engineers; accelerant detection canines; explosives detection canines; intelligence support, computer forensic support, audit support, and agents who have been highly trained in post blast and fire origin and cause investigations;.  NRT 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 teams’ 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.

This is the 19th NRT activation in FY 2016 and the 791st since the inception of the NRT. 

In addition to investigating hundreds of scenes, the NRT has also been activated to scenes such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, West, Texas, and the Sept. 11, 2001 Pentagon crash site.  Other activations include blasts at explosives and ammunition manufacturing plants, legal fireworks factories and illegal explosive device manufacturing operations.

More information on ATF can be found at www.atf.gov.

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