National arson experts join local investigation on fires in St. Paul, Minneapolis during civil unrest

Members of the U.S. National Response Team, which is part of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, have arrived in Minnesota.

One unit has been deployed to St. Paul and another one deployed to Minneapolis. They’re working with local fire crews to investigate fires set during last week’s civil unrest that included rioting, firebombing and looting.

"The cause of these fires is quite obvious… the task at hand now is to determine who is responsible… the extra personnel will help move these investigations along more quickly," according to Special Agent in Charge, William Henderson, of the St. Paul Field Division.

According to ATF, more than 100 properties in Minneapolis, including the 3rd Police Precinct, a U.S. Post Office, businesses and mom and pop stores were torched. Another 35 businesses were set on fire in St. Paul.

Jeannine Julson lives in Bloomington now, but the grandmother grew up in the Longfellow Neighborhood of Minneapolis and came to see in person what, if anything, was left of her childhood stomping grounds.

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"Makes me sad. I hung out here, but look at all this destruction, you can see why it should be investigated. We all know what happened, but still," said Julson.

The U.S. National Response Team is specialized in post-blast investigations, meaning when the embers give way to ashes. The team includes forensic chemists, explosives officers, fire engineers and dogs trained to sniff out an accelerant or explosive. The team explores, collects and analyzes virtually all the debris to identify where and how the fires or explosions started and ultimately lead to who set them off.

Dave Bicking stood outside of what used to be the 3rd Minneapolis Police Precinct and reflected.

"It was one heck of a spark, but obviously there is an underlying current that comes from years and years of people being treated badly and particularly people of color," he said.

The ATF said Wednesday the investigators come at no local or state cost.

The ATF also urged residents to be on the lookout for flammable liquids or incendiary devices and is asking if there’s cell phone video of a suspicious situation, car without plates or abandoned explosive to pass it along to them.