Federal probe of fire may take several months

GEORGE B. GRIFFIN
Reprinted with Permission, Telegram & Gazette

WORCESTER-- It will be several months before federal investigators finish their probe into the Dec. 3 fire that killed six firefighters.

Nancy A. Stout, director of the Division of Safety Research for the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health, said yesterday three NIOSH investigators had just returned to their West Virginia headquarters from the fire scene.

But NIOSH fire safety experts expect to renew their investigation here about the middle of January. A final NIOSH report on the fatal fire will not be ready for release until well into next year, she said.

"We had three investigators up there last week, but it was really preliminary background work," Ms. Stout said.

The NIOSH investigators did not wish to begin a formal investigation until the remains of the six firefighters had been recovered from the rubble of the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. building, she said.

"We will return in January to begin a formal investigation," Ms. Stout said. "But because it was a complicated event that involved so many fire companies and so many individuals it will take a lot of time. It will be several months before we produce a report."

The final report, she said, will describe the "circumstances and time frame" of the fire and will offer recommendations on how to prevent such tragedies.

"It's going to take interviewing a lot of people and putting together a time frame of who was doing what and when, to really figure out what happened," Ms. Stout said. " ... One of the key components of the investigation is interviewing the firefighters who were on the scene."

The Division of Safety Research is the NIOSH agency with responsibility under federal law to investigate firefighter deaths that result from working fires.

State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said state and local investigators were also investigating, to gather evidence on the cause and origin of the fire.

Investigators have worked to find clues to the fire within the building and have collected evidence to learn how the fire progressed, he said.

Fire Marshal Coan declined to discuss statements allegedly made by two suspects who were arrested last week, saying his investigators were developing evidence for a "solid case" based on "physical evidence."

Fire Marshal Coan had no estimate on when the investigation would end.

The building's owner, Framingham developer Ding On "Tony" Kwan, offered on Monday to donate the land to the city, help establish a monument to the fallen firefighters and maintain the monument forever.

City Manager Thomas R. Hoover said the city is interested in pursuing Mr. Kwan's offer. City councilors have filed an order asking that Mr. Hoover create a committee to make recommendations on an appropriate public monument. Mr. Hoover said the group will most likely start its task after the first of the year.

But the priority now, Mr. Hoover said, is for Mr. Kwan to tear down the rest of the building and clean up the site once the investigation is done. Mr. Hoover said the warehouse was torn down enough to recover the remains of the six firefighters and none of the debris has been removed. Mr. Kwan is responsible for completing the job and clearing the site, he said.

"He indicated he'd cooperate in that regard, said Mr. Hoover, who spoke to Mr. Kwan Monday.

Mr. Kwan's lawyer, David H. Gibbs of Boston, said he and his client will set up a meeting with city officials soon to discuss the demolition. "We're going to cooperate with the city completely," Mr. Gibbs said.