ATF Team Examines Remains of Lone Steer Fire Scene - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

ATF Team Examines Remains of Lone Steer Fire Scene

A team of federal investigators will be staying at the Lone Steer burn site for several days, rain or wind or shine.

Members of the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the Sunday morning fire.

They have sifted through debris following disastrous events such as 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing.

The national response team will be on site in Steele for three to five days to examine the scene and originate the cause of the fire.

Around 22 ATF and one South Dakota BCI agent are here, making sure the physical evidence matches what witnesses have testified to.

Team leader, Peter O'Connor says their work is all about layers, removing debris and looking for evidence.

He says the ATF team is investigating because this is a commercial building and also because the fire scene is too large for local resources to handle quickly.

The last time an ATF national response team was in North Dakota, they investigated the Tropics Nightclub which burned down in Fargo, back in 2000.