fallcity (fallcity) wrote in casefile, @ 2018-04-08 21:50:00 |
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Entry tags: | the media: channel 6 |
[The segment begin with a woman dressed in a long plaid trenchcoat dress popular with news anchors in the late 90s. Regular viewers would recognize her as Margaret Walsh. In the lower third the graphic reads FIRE CHIEF TO GIVE THIRD PRESS CONFERENCE, below it even smaller text reads NOVEMBER 21, 1997] MARGARET WALSH: We are back at the Fire Department again, awaiting Fire Chief Turner to come out and give us an update on his department’s investigation, which has been placed solely in his department’s hands since last week it was determined that this was a case of arson that was better left to the fire experts, rather than the King County Deputy Sheriff's Department. [The sound of a door can be heard to open, revealing Deputy Fire Chief Wayne King. He smiles, then waves at the cameras.] WAYNE KING: Many thanks to all of you for joining us and giving this the attention it deserves. We expect the press conference to start in no less than ten minutes. [Margaret can be seen smiling at him, then the camera.] MARGARET WALSH: For those of you just joining us Deputy Fire Chief Wayne King has assured us all that Fire Chief Turner will be appearing at the podium very soon. We have heard some conflicting reports so far about whether or not a suspect for the crime of arson has been determined and what evidence the Fire Department has been able to find. As a reminder, Deputy Sheriff Richardson, of the King County Sheriff's Department, has made it known that he thinks this case should be turned over to the police as he believe their talents are best suited for interviewing suspects but as we all know - the fire department is far better staffed. We hope to hear today from Fire Chief Turner that they have found probable cause to lead the Sheriff’s Department to make an arrest of whomever allegedly caused the fire. [The room hushes again as Wayne King opens the door, a balding man walks to the podium, clearly less at ease in front of a room of a handful of reporters both from Fall City and the surrounding Kings County, than his Deputy Chief is. He shuffles a series of note cards in front of him before clearing his throat.] CHARLES TURNER: As the fire department, in charge of all things fire related, we have taken charge of this case as one of our greatest responsibilities to our community of people. As stated in our first briefing, our firefighters have determined the path of the fire and the it’s location of origin. Copies of these drawings are available to the press for distribution. You will now see an enlarged version behind me. [A firefighter is holding up a piece of foam core that shows the path of the fire on an architectural drawing on the March fire. The drawing it’s particularly detailed but it does show the general layout of the house with a circle of red, showing the origin of the fire and a line showing it’s path.] Our initial suspicion, reported last week, was that this was a case of intentional arson. Upon looking more closely at the scene with fresh eyes we’ve determined the fire to be purely accidental. [Fire Chief Turner using a long teacher stick to point towards the circle labeled ‘origin’] CHARLES TURNER: You can see here this is where the fire started. What could be found there the night of the party were highly flammable decorations. We suspect that once these decorations caught fire - likely because of decorative lights that were being fed too high a voltage - they tore apart into multiple pieces that spread the fire in this - [He uses the pointer to follow the red line.] CHARLES TURNER: direction. As explained in our last press conference it caused pieces of the furniture to catch fire, and ultimately collapse, preventing Miss March from having a means of egress. [A long beat of silence continues before the more bold press members shout out question.] FEMALE REPORTER #1: You mean to say that you’ve completely reversed your position on the cause of the fire from last week? CHARLES TURNER: Yes, that is correct. MALE REPORTER #1: How, exactly, can we be certain that you won’t change your decision next week? MARGARET WALSH: Previously, you said there was no need for the Deputy Sheriff to be involved since this was your area of expertise, but how can the public be confident when each press conference points us in another direction? CHARLES TURNER: The situation in the house was still being investigated last week. I do apologize for the misinformation that was spread, but at that time the information seemed to be suggesting arson. Should it have been arson, we would have worked very closely with the Deputy Sheriff and his officers to find a suspect but upon further investigation we found that the evidence had mislead us and this is the far more probable cause. MALE REPORT #2: Probable, but not certain? CHARLES TURNER: [his voice is more stern] We are confident this is the cause of the fire. An unfortunate and tragic event that we wish hadn’t occurred, I assure you. [The camera pans to the fire department representatives on the stage, looking uneasily between Chief Turner, then to the Deputy Chief. Wayne eventually steps forward.] WAYNE KING: In times like these, it’s good to remember to take fire safety precautions in your home, office, or place of business. With the conclusion of this investigation, the members of our staff are happy to open our doors next week to talk to the public about what they can do to prevent future tragedies like this from occurring. We have also spoken with the principals of both of our schools and will be holding a Fire Safety Assembly for the children. I urge all of you to talk to your loved ones about having an escape plan in mind for when a fire happens. [After the conclusion of the press conference the representatives of the department leave the room to just the press. Margaret Walsh turns to her camera once again.] MARGARET WALSH: Folks of Fall City, that is the conclusion of the third press conference from the Fire Department in regards to the the Halloween fire at the March’s home. After weeks of internal conflict between the fire and police it would seem like the police involvement is not warranted in this case as the Chief Turner and his team vouge that their investigation has proven that the fire was entirely accidental. However, after a week of believing it to be arson, will the public feel confident that this determination is true? Perhaps it wouldn’t be out of the question to invite a second opinion in the form a Fire Department from the larger county to make us all feel a bit more confident in this conclusion? We will keep you updated should any more information come to light, Fall City. For now, this is Margaret Walsh signing off from Channel Six. |