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Feds Called In To Investigate Oakland Fire That Shut Transbay BART

OAKLAND (KCBS) – 22 agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have joined the investigation into last week's fire near the West Oakland Bay Area Rapid Transit station, which resulted in the loss of service through the Transbay Tube for most of the day.

Investigators are expected to be at the scene for several days, sifting through what remains of the burned down complex.

KCBS' Jeffrey Schaub Reports:

ATF spokesman Christian Hoffman said they are looking for any possible signs of arson.

"We have certified fire investigators. We have accelerant detection canines on scene," said Hoffman. "We have mappers, we have fire engineers, chemical engineers and chemists."

Hoffman said that they would have responded last week but "the instability of the building" forced them to wait for clearance.

The agency got that clearance and Monday and investigators from around the country have joined the investigation.

The fire on June 14 at the affordable senior housing complex shut down BART service for more than 12 hours, forcing thousands to adjust how they would get to-and-from work that day.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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