Stating that for legal reasons they could only provide limited information, authorities in Lockport are not yet ruling the cause of last week's massive fire at a tire recycling plant. In the meantime, they hope to confirm the identity of a body found on site in "probably a couple more days."
Lockport mayor Anne McCaffrey joined police and fire officials in a late Tuesday morning news conference to update the public on the ongoing investigation into the three-day fire that tore through High Tread International last week.
Police Detective Lieutenant Todd Chenez, in his opening remarks, acknowledged the desire for information by Lockport residents, but added that the ages of some related to the case prevent officials from providing many of those answers.
One thing he and others would confirm is that the business owners did not start the blaze.
"During the investigation we have learned that the owners of the HTI property... there was no wrongdoing," Chenez said.
Fire investigators are still sifting through the remains of the large complex, and the tons of crumb rubber, to find a cause. The investigation in earnest could not begin, it was explained, until last Friday, two days after the flames first broke out.
"There's a systematic approach to fire investigation. You tend to work from the areas of most damage to least damage, and then vice versa to make sure everything makes sense," said Senior Fire Investigator Luca Quagliano. "Do the pieces fall into place? What was there that could have started the fire? What wasn't there that should have? Things of that nature."
Given the size of the scene, Quagliano explained, state fire investigators were requested to assist with the probe.
The search for a cause continued, one excavator bucket at a time. Then, on Friday evening, a body was found. Speculation is high that it is tghe body of teenager Joe Phillips, whose family reported him missing shortly after the fire started. Lockport authorities say tests are still pending to identify that body found at the fire scene.
"As soon as we have a firm identification on that, we will report that back to the public," Mayor McCaffrey said. "I expect that to probably be a couple of days."
McCaffrey also provided an update on the city's water system, which was strained by the need for additional water. A main which broke at Summit Street has been temporarily patched up but the mayor says a permanent repair is scheduled for Saturday. The street will be closed in that area during the repair.
