Emeryville apartment building that burned in 6-alarm fire still smoldering
EMERYVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- The huge apartment building that caught fire Wednesday on the Emeryville/Oakland border is still smoking.
Fire crews are working the scene as investigators wait to get access, including an elite fire team of experts
From the rooftop view of the fire scene, the hot spots, are still visibly smoldering. That means city structural engineers, fire investigators, and ATF experts were confined to inspecting only the perimeter. Fences are going up to safeguard the property.
PHOTOS: 6-alarm fire burns in Emeryville near Oakland border
"They are gathering information that paints a timeline of what happened before the fire," said Aisha Knowles of the Alameda County Fire Department.
That includes looking at reports of illegal fireworks, and reports of a break-in at the apartment building construction site on Sunday, July 3.
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"They got violated. Someone came in and stole tools and other things," said Bruce Ingram, supervisor of the commercial construction project.
Ingram supervises the commercial project across the street. He pointed out the damage from the extreme heat of the fire that blew out windows. He believes the tangle of metal and debris is a total loss. "It's an engineering nightmare," he added.
Meanwhile, more than 200 workers are displaced from the six alarm fire that destroyed the five story construction project and some of the adjacent townhomes. The ATF is bringing in their national response team of 20, or more fire experts.
RELATED: 20 displaced after fire destroys Alameda County townhomes
"We have fire protection engineers, we have electrical engineers, we have chemists," said ATF public information officer Helen Dunkel. "We also bring on the scene accelerant canines and handlers and also explosive canines and our handlers."
The team will work with local investigators starting Friday. Once they get the OK, they'll comb through the debris looking for clues to what started the blaze.
