ATF brought in to help investigate fire at Phoenix strip mall
PHOENIX - National response teams have now been dispatched to investigate the cause of a large fire at a Phoenix strip mall. The flames ripped through the ABC Discount Center at 35th Ave. and Van Buren last Saturday morning.
ATF vans arrived on the scene Wednesday and the agents have been interviewing business owners all day. All of the businesses in the strip mall are closed after the fire ripped through and the special agents say because it's such a large scale scene, they're just here to assist in the investigation.
"This is a significant scene," said Tom Mangan, special agent with ATF. "[It's] a large scene and impactful to the other business around."
The strip mall is now facing $6 million in damages and that's why the National Response Team of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, otherwise known as ATF is here to help.
"The fire of this size is overwhelming to fire investigators here and anywhere in the country because of the amount of effort fire crews have to do every day," Mangan said.
Traveling to large scenes like this one is a common practice for national response teams. They say Phoenix Fire requested their assistance and it will allow the local department to focus on their daily workload.
"Some people ask, 'Why is there a national response team? Is it something nefarious or is it suspicious?' — not at all," Mangan said. "It is a resource within the Department of Justice."
Special agents say the fire damaged 23,000 feet of this strip mall as well as several businesses inside. Moises Tomaio owns a natural medicine store in the strip mall. After the fire broke out, he couldn't believe the sights or smells inside his business.
"It's full of smoke inside, a lot of ashes," Tomaio said. "I don't even know — we might have water damage as well."
Because many people were impacted, the ATF says they'll be working closely with chemists, electrical, and fire engineers to determining exactly what caused this devastating fire.
They are in the very early stages of this investigation. They say they'll be here as long as it takes to determine what the cause is — whether that be arson or accidental causes.