SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — More than a year after the Diamond Fire tore through North Scottsdale and threatened hundreds of homes, investigators say the cause of the fire has been declared undetermined.
Records obtained by 12News show there was a 15-hour delay in securing and protecting the suspected origin site, which compromised the scene integrity and led to a lack of physical evidence.
"Approximately 15 hours had passed from the time of the fire's initial report from dispatch to the time that the origin was protected by fire investigators," the report stated. "The area was not flagged off and secured, security officers/fire staff were not posted, construction workers remained on scene and continued to work in and around the structure."
The inconclusion comes after multiple residents claimed to have witnessed construction crews in the area of the origin site.
“Everyone out here in Rio Verde knew that it was started by cutting rebar for a pool at a specific home," said Brittany Morris, whose home was threatened by the fire.
Morris remembers watching the flames from the window of her home. She frantically evacuated with her family while her husband stayed back to fight the fire.
“I literally looked outside and I could see the flames," Morris said. “It got really chaotic really fast trying to get everyone out of the house and just clear out.”
Her home did not burn down, but it was covered in fire retardant. The cleanup cost was $55,000. Insurance covered the bill but her family had to pay a $5,000 deductible.
“To be out that money, you know, for something that is someone's fault and we had no control over that. So that's so frustrating," Morris said.
She has been waiting since June of last year for investigators to make a final determination on the cause of the fire so she and her insurance company could try to get her deductible back from the company responsible.
Residents wanted to see someone held accountable.
After the cause was considered undetermined, Morris received an email from her insurance company that her case was closed.
“I feel like a company that causes that sort of damage that's not taking ownership, there's no reason that company should still be in business," Morris said.
Department of Forestry and Fire Management Wildland fire investigator Aaron Casem said he worked with Scottsdale police and fire to investigate the Diamond Fire.
He said his biggest challenge was the fact that the suspected origin site was not secured for 15 hours.
“The scene wasn't properly sealed off and construction workers and people, witnesses were walking through the area, and actually, were still there on scene. So that was one of the more difficult things for me is the scene wasn't properly sealed off, and again, it compromised the whole investigation," Casem said.
Casem said securing the origin site was not the priority at the time.
"You want to try to put out the fire. You want to protect homes. You want to protect life. And that really is the focus," Casem said. "And oftentimes that scene preservation, that is overlooked, which is what happened."
Records show one of the fire personnel who initially responded to the fire reported seeing three men, who appeared to be building construction workers, spraying the area with a garden hose.
Another first responder saw construction equipment, saws and rebar material in several areas.
But Casem said those witness statements were not enough.
“There wasn't anything there at the specific scene. Things were moved," Casem said. "As far as physical evidence, rebar, actually, at the point of origin, equipment that was left there? There was nothing there.”
Casem said Scottsdale officials were tasked with interviewing the construction crews in the area as well as residents who witnessed the start of the fire. He said ultimately, there was insufficient evidence to make a determination.
“It is frustrating. But again, we want to use these moments as teachable moments for us to be better and to provide better service. So I think we're only getting stronger from here," Casem said.
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