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Investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have joined a probe into a fast-moving weekend fire that gutted a West Valley City commercial building containing a computer testing laboratory.
West Valley City Fire Battalion Chief Joe White confirmed ATF's involvement on Tuesday, saying the agency was called in due to the extensive losses — estimated at $11 million dollars — and the fact that the lab, operated by Nemko, a Norwegian company, conducts interstate operations within the U.S.
Lisa Meiman, a spokeswoman with ATF's Denver regional office, said the investigation was in its preliminary stages.
"We have no indication of this being a suspicious fire [at this point]," she told The Tribune. "Our team will be going through the scene, trying to find the origin of the fire and cause, then turn that information over the West Valley City Fire Department."
In all, the ATF's National Response Team will bring 15 special agents and fire experts to Utah.
The fire, which gutted the 12,000-square-foot structure, was reported about 2:20 a.m. Sunday at 1940 W. Alexander Street. The building reportedly did not appear to have an operating fire-suppression sprinkler system or smoke alarms; a motion detector did go off, however, alerting an employee who discovered the blaze, WVCFD says.
No employees were hurt in the fire, but when WVCFD crews arrived, they found the building billowing with heavy smoke from its doors, windows and roofing, the latter which had already begun to collapse.
WVCFD crews were joined by firefighters from Unified Fire Authority, South Salt Lake and Salt Lake City. It took several hours to finally control and extinguish the fire.
Representatives of Nemko did not immediately answer inquiries Tuesday seeking comment about the fire.
Twitter: @remims