The investigation into the Jan. 20 downtown Williamsburg blaze that destroyed several buildings and apartments has gotten some additional federal resources.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has announced that it has deployed it National Response Team (NRT) to lead the investigation into blaze that destroyed many two-story buildings along Main Street from Second Street to Third Street.
The ATF has had a presence in Williamsburg since the day after the blaze with Mayor Roddy Harrison posting on social media that the ATF was in charge of the ongoing investigation due mainly to the scope of the incident. He estimated the damage to be somewhere in the amount of $10 million at that time.
Weather delayed the arrival of most team members until Friday.
The team will be interviewing witnesses, analyzing, processing and documenting the fire scene, and determining the origin and cause of the fire, ATF noted in the release.
ATF launched the first NRT in 1978 as a mobile, rapid response team to investigate large fires, explosions and bombings. ATF now maintains several NRTs strategically located throughout the United States.
Responding anywhere in the United States within 24 hours, the NRTs work in conjunction with other federal, state and local investigators to reconstruct the scene, identify the seat of the blast or origin of the fire, and determine the cause of the event. In the case of bombings and arsons, NRT members gather evidence to support criminal prosecutions, according to the ATF website.
ATF’s NRT include specialized, elite personnel such as Certified Fire Investigators, Certified Explosives Specialists (CES), CES Bomb Technicians, Explosives Enforcement Officers, forensic chemists, engineers, medics, and canine handlers. The teams are supported by ATF’s intelligence research specialists, forensic auditors, digital media specialists, and other technical and legal experts who work with law enforcement on criminal cases.
ATF’s NRT has a proven track record of handling the nation’s most tragic and complex fire and explosive incidents. The team has responded to more than 943 incidents, including high-profile cases like the Maui Wildfire Disaster, which was one of the deadliest U.S. fires in over a century, requiring an intricate investigation due to high winds and rapid fire spread; the Conception Dive Boat Fire, a fatal fire near Santa Barbara where the NRT helped uncover key evidence leading to safety reforms in marine operations; and the 2020 Midwest Civil Unrest, where the team processed more than 200 arson scenes linked to protests, providing critical evidence that led to arrests and prosecutions.
