Feds step in to help fatal fire investigation

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is now assisting multiple local agencies to determine the cause of Saturday’s deadly fire at the Interstate Express Inn just off I44 in Tulsa County.

ATF spokesperson Russ Morrison said samples from the fire scene have been sent to their laboratory, but that’s not all they take into account.

“In an Origin and Cause investigation it’s not just the physical examination of a scene,” Morrison said. “You couple that with numerous interviews of witnesses and with all the guests of the hotel, the first responders, and the firefighters that were there.”

The certified fire investigator with ATF will then examine all available information to determine exactly what sparked the blaze.

“It could be a day or two, it could be a week or two,” Morrison said. “We just don’t know. We have to take it one phase at a time.”

Morrison said that just because ATF is involved doesn’t mean a criminal act was committed.

“If a criminal act is determined to be present, the next step in the process will begin,” Morrison said. “Then you have to make the decision, is it going to be a state matter or a federal matter.”

All entities involved in the investigation will have a say in how a criminal matter will be pursued.

One person was killed, two others were transported to the hospital and more than 20 units were destroyed at the motel when it caught fire at about 8:40 Saturday morning.

Red Cross volunteers responded to the scene a couple hours after the fire began, offering hot drinks and supplies to those affected and cold beverages to first responders and firefighters.

On Saturday night, the Red Cross formed an emergency shelter at Crosstown Church on East Admiral for displaced motel guests and residents, many of whom lost everything they had. 25 people spent the night at the shelter Saturday night, 19 on Sunday night and 9 people remained at the shelter on Monday.