New details on fatal fire

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - New details about Monday's fatal fire that killed two of Buffalo's bravest.

Crews say they headed into the burning Genesee Street building because they heard screams coming from the basement.

It's one of the main questions investigators have been trying to find the answer to.

News 4 is told the voices may have come from an unrelated dispute on Genesee Street, not in the basement.

Lt. Charles McCarthy and firefighter Jonathan Croom ran into a burning deli.

They did so thinking someone may have been trapped in the basement.

Witnesses told investigators they heard a voice crying for help.

But investigators never found a body.

Buffalo Fire Marshal, George Arthur said, "It's quite possible we have one report that a gentleman who lived nearby upstairs heard people arguing outside prior to that."

Arthur is coming to terms with the loss of two of his colleagues.

Which is why it's so important to find the answers to this fatal fire.

"We're trying to pinpoint exactly where it started and how it started, we're gonna have a meeting and everybody's gonna brainstorm," he said.

He also said, "It's a tremendous challenge especially with that amount of debris and that amount of destruction to the buildings."

A motion detector may have been set off by merchandise exploding inside.

Both entrances to the basement had been locked from the outside, the reason investigators don't think a burglar was inside.

Federal officials will be in Buffalo to help with the investigation.

"We're just waiting back for the lab reports to come back from the samples we took," said Arthur.

George Arthur will mark his 20 year anniversary with the fire department.

A bittersweet moment as he reflects on the loss of two of his colleagues.

He said, "A lot of thoughts go through my mind. Actually Jonathan, that's my old spot ladder 7 so a lot of thoughts go through my mind, sorrow, that could have been me."

If you happen to have any video of the fire, investigators would like to see it.

The number to call with any information is 851-4515.