A virtual army of investigators is now poised to begin looking for the cause of the explosion at the ConAgra plant in Garner.

The ATF alone has 25 special agents in Garner, including safety engineers and forensic chemists.

But before anyone can step one foot inside the complex officials say they have to make sure the building won't come down around them.
 
“You've got thousands and thousands of tons of concrete and debris that came down from the ceiling,” said Frank McLaurin of the urban search and rescue team. 

He said the building is so precarious right now that “If you have a strong wind, the whole South wall is going to fall. This building is not safe at all.”

So, before they send one investigator into that crumbled structure, they need to secure it.

“We are not going to send anyone in there to die when we can control it,” explained Earl Woodham, the ATF’s lead investigator.

While engineers work to make that building safe, investigators will work other angles.

“That consists of polygraph exams, interviews and maybe some forensics tests,” said agent Woodham.

Because they don't know why the explosion happened, they'll begin with an assumption.

“Every investigation like this begins as a criminal investigation,” said agent Woodham. “We have to do that because anything we find may end up in a court of law as evidence.”

As a result he said, “We’ll treat it as a criminal probe until it’s determined not to be.”

Several eyewitnesses have made statements about what they observed, and officials say they’ll them into account.

“There is nothing we won't be looking at,” said agent Woodham, “Everything is on the table. We've ruled out nothing.”

But, as investigators compile evidence, they'll narrow their focus.

“Information we have will either be verified or set aside and will be taken off the table,” explained Woodham.

They’ll also be a separate probe conducted by the Chemical Safety Board which has four of its investigators on scene.

“Our basic mission is prevention,” said CSB investigator William Wark.  “We will draw lessons learned from the accident and make recommendations for corrective action to make sure it can’t happen again.

Meanwhile, the investigation isn't the only thing that'll take some time.

“This is a major healing process and it won't happen overnight,” declared Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams.

As part of that healing process, they'll be a prayer vigil at the Wake Baptist Grove Church located at 302 East Main Street in Garner. That’ll be Friday night.