KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Possible thunderstorms could delay fire investigators’ probe from the site of a blaze that killed two Kansas City firefighters.
The Kansas City Star reported that there’s an 80 percent chance of rain Friday, which could suspend work on the Oct. 12 fire. Larry J. Leggio, a 17-year veteran, and John V. Mesh, a 13-year veteran, died when a wall collapsed on them while battling the fire.
The investigation is being led by a team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF is working to determine the cause of the fire and what caused the building to collapse.
Investigators have been searching through the remains of the first floor, where the collapse of the building occurred.
“And that’s where we want to be, as far as the fire scene goes,” said John Ham, a public information officer for the ATF. “We’re down to working everything by hand.”
The team has been using hand shovels to remove the remains of the building in buckets. A thunderstorm with lightning may suspend work at the scene.
“We want to get done as quickly as we can, but not at the expense of the investigation,” Ham said.
The ATF has not made any conclusions about the fire yet.