State Fire Marshal Asks For ATF’s Expertise After 3-Alarm Fire

HILLIARD, Ohio — The ATF National Response Team was activated to investigate Sunday’s three-alarm commercial fire in Hilliard.

NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS.

The National Response Team (NRT) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with agents from the ATF Columbus Field Division, entered the investigation of a large structure fire.

The fire happened Sunday, May 25, at Highcom Security, Inc., and Wolfden Products on Lacon Road. 

The Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal (SFM) requested ATF’s expertise in the investigation. 

The NRT arrived in Hilliard Wednesday and began its on-scene investigation Thursday.

Christopher Sadowski, special agent in charge, ATF Columbus Field Division, said the structure was severely damaged. Early estimates of damages are in excess of $5 million.

Less than a year ago, the NRT was deployed to the Central Ohio area. In September 2008, the NRT was activated to investigate the fire at the Mason’s Furniture Store fire in Circleville. 

ATF’s NRT has brought definitive expertise and an array of state-of-the-art equipment to the investigation of major fire and explosives incidents since 1978. 

Four regional components, organized geographically to cover the United States, comprise the NRT. The team can respond within 24 hours to work jointly with state and local law-enforcement or fire-service personnel in onsite investigations.

The responding NRT component normally has 13 to 18 members, including veteran special agents who have post-blast and fire origin-and-cause expertise; forensic chemists; explosives enforcement officers; fire protection engineers; explosives and accelerant detection canines; and intelligence, computer forensic and audit support. 

A fleet of fully equipped response vehicles strategically located throughout the United States provides logistical support.

ATF’s partnership with federal, state and local officers is vital to the most effective processing efforts at an explosives or fire scene. The NRT capitalizes on that by working alongside its partners in reconstructing the scene, identifying the seat of the blast or the origin of the fire, conducting interviews and sifting through debris to obtain evidence related to the explosion or fire.

Investigators from the Ohio Division of SFM, Northwest Area Strike Team, Norwich fire and Hilliard police departments jointly were investigating the fire with ATF.

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