CHANDLER, AZ — The ATF’s National Response Team has run into some delays while investigating the cause of the blast inside Platinum Printing.
ATF Special Agent Tom Mangan says this is because the team can’t go into the building until it’s deemed structurally sound.
“Inside you can see a lot of drop-down..obviously the roof is off, but we have structural issues with walls,” he told ABC15.
Mangan says these very issues are preventing the National Response Team from going into the scene of the explosion.
“Obviously we’re looking at initially a fuel-air explosion. Potential gas leak that might have ignited and caused the explosion behind me,” he added.
Though they aren’t ruling out other factors.
He says the National Response Team has arson and explosive experts on site.
This is the 12th time the team has been called out this year.
“The ATF was requested by the Chandler Fire Department, Chandler Police Department to help assist,” said Mangan.
Keyara Winborn tells ABC15 she was in her room when the blast happened.
“I was just recording myself singing along to a song and all of a sudden this big boom came out of nowhere,” she added.
The blast can be heard in her video but then the recording stops.
“I threw my phone across my bed and I just look over suddenly and I could just see particles falling from my ceiling and I thought that my window came blowing in. I thought maybe it was a bomb. I thought it was a plane crashing. I just thought we were under attack,” she said.
Winborn says she saw her life flash before her eyes.
“I was very scared. I was shaking. I was nervous. I was about to cry.”
Winborn lives in the neighborhood right behind the explosion site.
“So we’re not even in the plaza,” Winborn told ABC15.
Which goes to show how powerful this blast really was.
“It felt like the whole house jolted over this way. I was worried about my whole family who was in the house,” she said.
Now that Winborn knows her family and neighbors are okay, here are her wishes for those who were injured.
“I just hope that everyone is okay,” she added.
The ATF says there is no additional threat to the plaza or neighboring homes at this time.
