EDEN, N.C. — After a fast food restaurant was reduced to rubble, investigators are working to find out what caused the blast, but say these cases often take months to solve.
The explosion in Eden happened in a matter of seconds, and rocked the fast-food chain, turning it into nothing more than a pile of debris. Almost a week later, yellow tape and a chain-link fence now surround the rubble.
Several agencies are working to determine the cause and piece this puzzle together, including Eden Police, the ATF, and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
"It's very difficult to determine what could've caused [an explosion]," explained Chief State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor.
"You're having forensic investigators basically, with a fine-tooth comb, going through debris. And when you have an explosion, it's more difficult because you're looking at a radius, an area that you have to go through minute material to determine the blast distance."
While Taylor can't comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation, he says, generally, these things take time: interviewing witnesses, determining a blast pattern, and sending different pieces and parts off to a lab.
"A lot of times you will never determine the cause, but you could actually put it in a certain area," he said.
"Especially with an explosion, a gas explosion - static electricity could have been the ignition source, it could be a compressor on a refrigerator, it could be many things."
Taylor says, it's important to be as detailed as possible, as they work through a process of elimination. He says, investigators need to get the cause right, so everyone can learn, and prevent this from happening.