WESTMINSTER : ATF to Help Probe Little Saigon Fire

An arson unit of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has been called to help investigate a fire in Little Saigon last month, Deputy Fire Marshal Elvis Easley said Wednesday.

Easley said the ATF team is helping interview witnesses and analyzing evidence of the Sept. 22 fire that gutted the Viet Nam Vo Dao martial arts school at 9265 Bishop Place, about 300 yards from a fire station.

“They have the expertise and the resources,” Easley said.

He said it is not unusual for the ATF to help local fire departments investigate fires, particularly when arson is suspected.

The cause of the three-alarm fire has not been determined yet, Easley said.

John D’Angelo, an ATF spokesman in Los Angeles, said the federal agency is helping in the investigation, but declined to provide additional details.

Easley said the Fire Department sought ATF’s help in part because students, parents and instructors at the martial arts school have claimed that firefighters did not act fast enough to put out the fire.

“It’s an unbiased agency,” Easley said. “You need to have a third party to look into the incident to avoid the appearance of a cover-up.”

Fire Chief John T. DeMonaco Jr. requested the ATF assistance last week. He said earlier that tapes of conversations between the firefighters and dispatchers showed that firefighters were on the scene three minutes after receiving the emergency call.

The response time was consistent with current standards, DeMonaco said. But he said that the fire could have burned for 15 to 20 minutes before the Fire Department was notified.