SF Fatal Fire Investigation Underway

by Jeff Rusack, Reporter
January 22, 2013 5:28 PM


Fire investigators began taking evidence from a home where three Sioux Falls children lost their lives last month.
     
Due to structural concerns fire crews haven't been able to return to the building until this week.

For the first time investigators enter the destroyed home, exactly one month after the fire.

“We try not to think about that. But I think it's in the back of everybody's head. You can't not have it in your mind that three children lost their lives,” said Fire Investigator John Daniels.   

During the fire the ceiling collapsed and the water used to fight the blaze froze over on top of it. Delaying investigation.

Propane heaters and boarded up windows kept the home above freezing. While investigators from Sioux Falls Fire Rescue and The Sioux Falls Police department dig through the burnt remnants looking for evidence.          

“We just had the dog here from the department of criminal investigation,” said Daniels.

Fire Investigator John Daniels believes crews will be out of the structure this week, but that doesn't mean the cause of the fire will follow soon after.  

“A lot of it has to be analyzed scientifically. It goes to labs and such, so it could be easily another month or so,” said Daniels.

“We may have to find out what it isn't before we find out what it is,” added Daniels.  

In a case where three lives were lost, crews want to make sure they know exactly what sparked this blaze.

“We want to make sure we get the origin and cause correct. We do every fire. But, especially on something like this. We want to make sure the investigation goes absolutely perfect and that we do everything proper,” said Daniels.