OGDEN, Utah — With investigators still in the dark about the cause of a fire that destroyed an under-construction building in Ogden nearly a week ago, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has stepped in to help get answers.
"It's a big site, there's a lot of damage," said Ogden Fire Chief Mike Slater of the building at 18th Street and Lincoln Avenue. "It was in that tinder phase, so it did burn to the ground."
The ATF has joined the investigation into Friday's fire, but the agency warned that its presence does not mean the blaze was sparked by arson.
"It gives the opportunity for [Ogden Fire] to keep their resources on the street, protecting the citizens. But it also gives them an opportunity to talk to some of the [ATF] investigators that have had a magnitude of experience to share information and ideas with," explained ATF agent-in-charge Brent Beavers.
Is recent string of structure fires in Ogden part of a troubling, concerning trend?
Friday's fire was the third structure fire in Ogden in one week, including a fire at an apartment building on 32nd Street that displaced 13 people and a townhome under construction on 12th Street. However, the ATF is in town to investigate only the most recent incident.
The Ogden fire is the first of the year in Utah in which the ATF's national response team was called for help. Chief Slater says while this investigation is ongoing, they are doing what they can to help prevent similar fires in the future.
"Just yesterday, we spoke with some of the builders that have these structures going vertical, and asked them to follow some of the fire code," he said, "to put temporary fencing or permanent fencing up, to secure the first floor, put people on scene to watch.
"We're doing everything we can with the builders to make sure their properties don't end up in flames."
Slater added one more important rule: that if anyone sees something, they should say something.
"Fire grows so fast and so rapidly, we're behind the 8-ball from the get-go," Slater explained. "If you see something, don't hesitate to call dispatch; maybe you prevent something like this from happening."
