ATF agents assisting investigation into Home Depot fire
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived Wednesday to assist with an investigation into the cause of a massive fire over the weekend at Home Depot store in South San Jose.
The 5-alarm fire on Saturday destroyed the home supply store at 920 Blossom Hill Road and forced nearby residents to shelter in place due to smoke.
San Jose's fire chief said his department would remain the lead agency in the investigation, and welcomed the bureau's investigators and resources.
"Agents from SJFD and ATF will work collaboratively and expeditiously to gather witness statements and thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire," San Jose Fire Chief Robert Sapien Jr. said.
The bureau's National Response Team and the San Jose Fire Department are in the early stages of the investigation, Special Agent in Charge Patrick Gorman of the agency's San Francisco field division.
"We will continue our investigation at the scene until we come to the determination of either incendiary (arson), accidental or undetermined," Gorman said in a news release.
The federal agency's National Response Team offers expertise to federal, state, and local investigators with large-scale and complex fire and explosive incidents.
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Anyone with any information about the April 9 blaze is asked to contact ATF and the SJFD at 1-(888)-ATF-Fire (1-888-283-3473) or by visiting www.reportit.com, or through the mobile "reportit" app, available both on Google Play and the Apple App Store. All calls and tips can remain confidential.