ATF- Texas fireworks explosion probably an accident

DALLAS -- Federal agents finished investigating the scene of a fireworks explosion that killed three employees, and said on Saturday that they believed the blast was not intentional.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said it will allow officials in Kilgore, about 115 miles southeast of Dallas, to make a final ruling.

"It's our belief, as a result of the investigation, that it was an accidental cause," said Clay Alexander, an ATF agent.

Kilgore public safety director Ronnie Moore has said a spark, perhaps from static electricity, probably caused the explosion at Pyrotechnics by Lamb Co.'s warehouse on Thursday. The warehouse and six nearby houses were damaged or destroyed. Five people suffered minor injuries.

Police identified the dead as Marvin Lamb, 70, father of the warehouse's owner; Melinda Edmundson, 25; and Martin Donner, 58.

Funeral services are scheduled Tuesday for Lamb and Edmundson and on Wednesday for Donner.

The blast came after another explosion on Wednesday in Bonita Springs, Fla. A truck packed with fireworks exploded and five workers were killed.

The cause was still under investigation, said Kim Kerlin, a dispatcher with the Lee County Sheriff's Office. The names of four of the victims, whose bodies were severely burned, have not been released. That blast also appeared to be accidental, investigators said.