BUFFALO, N.Y. — After this past week’s fatal fire on Main Street that took the life of Buffalo firefighter Jason Arno, city officials are bringing all hands on deck to give the community answers.

“We lost a brave firefighter, Jason Arno, on March 1, who was bravely fighting this fire trying to keep property and people in our community safe,” Mayor Byron Brown said.

What You Need To Know

  • ATF officials say that they will be working the investigation into the Main Street fire slowly due to the fact that the structural stability of the scene is compromised

  • Officials hope to have answers to the cause of the fire by the end of next week

  • Mayor Byron Brown said he welcomes the extra assistance during this investigation.

The investigation is being conducted by the Buffalo Fire Department, Fire Marshals, the Buffalo Police Department, NY State Fire officials and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Response Team, along with a unit from the New York City Fire Department.

“We’re working very slow today into this scene because the structural stability of this scene is very compromised at this point,” said Walter Shaw, Branch Chief of the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Brown clarified that although the contractors that were working on the building the day of the fire were insured and licensed, but did not have a permit.

“We don’t know exactly what type of work was being done," Brown said. "But at the time of the fire, there were no permits in place."

The mayor said he welcomes the extra assistance during this investigation.

“They have experience dealing with issues like this all across the country,” Brown said. “And they’ve brought some of their most experienced people to Buffalo to assist us with this investigation."

Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo said that the original plan for emergency demolition was halted to allow the national response team to assess the stability of the building further, and that as the investigation continues there will be more to follow regarding construction permits or lack thereof.

“We’re working our way into the building, looking at different types of potential fire causes and ruling those out as we go along,” said Shaw.

Shaw said his team hopes to have answers by the end of next week, although he believes it’s still too early in the investigation for speculation.

“We’re here,” Shaw said. “We’ll be here until we figure this thing out. And we appreciate the support of our state and local partners and the community. And we are very sorry that this event ever occurred.”

A wake for Arno will be held on Thursday, March 9 from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Amigone Funeral Home. Funeral services will take place on Friday, March 10 at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph's Cathedral.