UPDATE: Sterling City Manager Scott Shumard has identified the tenant as 62-year-old Juan Antonio Anaya.
EARLIER: In an email to Local 4 News, Scott Shumard, Sterling City Manager says although some experts have arrived to assist with the investigation, more are on the way.
“While some additional investigators have arrived, we are still waiting for additional specialized investigators to arrive tomorrow, such as electrical engineers, and digital mappers to make sure we can best piece together the probable cause and ensure the best investigation possible is completed,” Shumard said in the email. “We understand people are wanting immediate answers, but getting the right people on site and giving them time to work is our top priority.”
EARLIER: The identity of a tenant presumed to be deceased in a Sterling fire has not yet been released, according to a news release from Scott Shumard, city manager for the City of Sterling.
Shortly before 2:30 a.m. Friday, Sterling Police and Firefighters, the Rock Falls Fire Department, and CGH EMS responded to a structure fire at 406 E. 3rd St., Sterling.
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“One tenant has not been located and is presumed deceased following further investigation,” the release says. “Family of the victim has been notified. The victim’s identity is being withheld at this time pending further notifications.”
In an email response to a request for details, Shumard told Local 4 News there has been “difficulty making contact with some of the family. As such, the name is not being released by us yet. Further, we have not recovered the individual for identification.”
Because the fire is under investigation and specialists from the ATF (the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) are being brought in over the next couple of days, the scene is currently being preserved so that a “thorough investigation of the potential cause for the fire can be determined,” Shumard told Local 4 News.
The release says a second injured person remains in the Critical Care Unit at St. Anthony in Rockford.
“The City (of Sterling) wishes to express its condolences with the victims in this difficult time,” the release says. “The City is committed to fully assisting partner agencies, including the ATF in conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire in a best attempt to find answers to the cause of this tragedy for the victims, their relatives and friends.”
The release says the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Representatives from the Sterling Police Department, Sterling Fire Department, Office of the State Fire Marshal, ATF, and Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services continue working together on the investigation.
“The ATF is dispatching a response team from the Chicago Field Division with Certified Fire Inspectors to collect and analyze evidence with state-of-the-art technology,” according to the release. “This will necessitate preservation of the scene for several days. Due to the ongoing investigation, current condition of the building and forthcoming recovery of the victim and demolition, East 3rd Street (Route 2) will remain closed for several days from 1st Avenue to 5th Avenue.”
The release says notification will be released when the road is fully opened. Truck traffic must access Route 2 via Route 40 and Lynn Boulevard.
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