Update: Arsonist Used Liquid Fuel To Start Fatal Asheville Fire, SBI Says

Updated August 15th:

Investigators now say an arsonist poured fuel in four places in a deadly fire.

According to court papers obtained by the Citizen Times, the State Bureau of Investigation says a specially trained dog found the accelerant inside the door of the northwest corner of the office.

The fire killed Asheville Captain Jeff Bowen last month.

So far, investigators have not named a suspect. To read more on this story, click here.

UPDATED AUGUST 8: 

The Asheville Police department are now calling the death of Jeff Bowen a homicide/arson case.  LT. Welch said they have received numerous tips on this case and they are investigating all tips that come in. They are working closely with the SBI and ATF to determine who set the fire. Lt. Welch would NOT comment on if there was surveillance video in the building.

POSTED AUGUST 4:  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with criminal investigators from the Asheville Fire and Police Departments and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), have determined that the fire on July 28th, at the Medical Office Complex Building in Asheville was deliberately set. Asheville Fire Department Captain Jeffrey Scott Bowen was killed in that fire and several other firefighters had to be treated at area hospitals.

Over $20 million in damage occurred as a result of the fire. The investigation is being conducted jointly by ATF, the Asheville Police and Fire Departments and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI).

Anyone with information about this crime is strongly encouraged to contact these agencies at the following numbers:

ATF Arson Hotline: 1(888) ATF FIRE or (888) 283-8477

Asheville Police Department Crime Stoppers: (828) 255-5050

NC State Bureau of Investigation: 1(800) 334-3000

Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy says the city is under a lot of pressure to get some answers, to find out who set it and why.

"We're making sure that we're not hiding anything, we want to be as transparent as possible," explained Bellamy.

Bellamy tells 7 on your side that in addition to state and local agencies OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is also looking into workplace conditions.

She says they are looking at building and inspection records and no stone will go unturned. 

"We also want to learn from this to see what can we do better in the next fire, what can we do to enhance the training opportunities for the Asheville Fire Department," said Bellamy.

POSTED AUGUST 2: The step daughter of the Asheville fire captain killed last week told the thousands gathered at Tuesday’s memorial service that her father was to her the man he didn’t have to be.

During an emotional tribute, Captain Jeffrey Bowen’s two step daughters spoke of how Bowen rescued them at a time of great need in their lives, and said he taught them how to love again.

Asheville’s fire chief said Bowen was one of the greatest men he’s ever worked with and said Bowen was a true leader and someone who always encouraged others and did the best he could.

“He was a mentor,” Asheville Fire Rescue Chief Scott Burnette said.

Burnette said the new firemen loved training with Bowen and said how one remarked recently that working with Bowen was “like working with Michael Jordan.”

More than 2,400 people packed the Biltmore Baptist Church for Tuesday’s service, including hundreds of first responders from around the Southeast.

August 1st

Visitation for Asheville Fire Captain Jeffrey Bowen was Monday at Biltmore Baptist Church.

People lined the streets as a fire truck carried the body of fallen Asheville Fire Captain Jeffrey Bowen.

Bowen went into cardiac arrest while fighting a fire Thursday at The Biltmore Center in Asheville.  Ten other firefighters were hurt. The cause is still under investigation.

Hundreds lined the route to wave flags, salute and pay their respects to the firefighter. Dozens of firetrucks lead the procession from the funeral home to the church.

Many, like Randy Ray stood on the route to offer their support to the family and to thank Bowen for his public service.

"It's devastating that one of our firemen gets killed like this, you know, it's hard," explained Ray.

One of the firetrucks in the procession carried Bowen’s casket, surrounded by several of the firefighters who served by his side.

Under flags flying on bucket trucks, city works stood together in support by wearing badges around their necks and putting stickers on their trucks with Bowen's name.

Amanda Roberson knew Bowen, and waved a flag along the processional route Monday along with dozens of others.

"People band together when stuff like this happens," explained Roberson.

The memorial service is Tuesday at 11:00am at Biltmore Baptist Church.

Update: July 28th

A day after an Asheville fireman died battling a fire in a medical building, the man in charge of building safety for the city says the death likely could have been prevented had the building been equipped with sprinklers.

Robert Griffin, the city's building safety director and an ex-firefighter, said while sprinklers would have likely saved a life, state code does not require the building to have such suppression.

However, "if the building were to be built today, it would have to have sprinklers," Griffin said.

Not until the 1990s did North Carolina change its fire code -- which is implemented uniformly across every municipality -- to  require multi-family and high-occupancy buildings to have sprinkler systems. 

But since the five-story medical building at 445 Biltmore in Asheville was built before that code changed, it is in compliance and the owners were not required to retrofit, Griffin said.

Investigators are looking for the cause this morning of a fire that killed the firefighter and has another fighting for his life.

The flames started at the Biltmore Center in Asheville Thursday afternoon. There were 200 people inside at the time.

60 firefighters battled the flames with smoke coming out of the 5th floor. The Asheville Fire Department said 37-year-old Captain Jeffrey Bowen issued a 'mayday' call about 45 minutes into the effort.

He died at Mission Hospital of cardiac arrest after fellow firefighters saved him from the burning building. Bowen was married with three children.

Capt. Scott Burnette with the Asheville Fire Department said, "He dedicated himself to protecting the people of Asheville. This is a terrible tragedy for our city".

Investigators say the fire started in the top floor of the building where there were -no- sprinklers. Building codes did not require them at the time.

Firefighter Jay Bettencourt is in critical condition as of Friday morning at the Joseph Still Burn Center in Augusta.

Six firefighters are still being treated at Mission Hospitals.

The Asheville Fire Department and Mission Health System has set up a fund to help the families impacted by a fatal four alarm fire, at a medical center on Biltmore Avenue.

The fire Thursday killed Fire Captain Jeff Bowen and injured ten other firefighters.

Donations to the Fallen Firefighters Fund will help the families of Fire Captain Jeff Bowen and help support Firefighter Jay Bettencourt, who's at the burn center in Augusta.

Mission Health System will match all contributions up to a total of $10,000.

Anyone interested in contributing to the Fallen Firefighters Fund may do so online at www.missionfoundation.org or may mail contributions to Mission Foundation, 980 Hendersonville Road, Suite C, Asheville, NC 28803.  Please mark your checks "Fallen Firefighters Fund."

For additional information, please contact Kelley Webb at (828) 251-4011 or email kwebb@ashevillenc.gov.