Another Danvers blowup

WHETHER THE danger is a chemical explosion on the North Shore or an eruption of gang violence in Boston, the public is never well-served by turf battles among federal, state, and local officials. Efforts by the Danvers Fire Department to keep federal investigators away from the site of Wednesday's blast at a paint and ink manufacturing site is an egregious case in point.

The cause of the early-morning blast, which damaged about 70 homes and businesses, is unknown. Answers may be harder to come by because Danvers officials closed the site to investigators from the federal Chemical Safety Board. Since 1998, teams of experts from the board have conducted independent investigations into the causes of hazardous spills, fires, and other chemical accidents. While confusion at accident scenes results in occasional delays, the blockade by Danvers Fire Chief James Tutko is "unprecedented," according to safety board spokesman Daniel Horowitz.

It's understandable that local firefighters who risk their lives responding to chemical explosions might take a proprietary approach to such sites. But cooler heads, such as those from the State Fire Marshal's office, are supposed to recognize the immediate value of a federal team that includes chemical and mechanical engineers with decades of investigative experience, blast modelers, and combustible dust experts. And unlike local officials, federal investigators not only examine the factors contributing to the blast but also analyze and publicize their findings to prevent similar explosions across the country. Stiff-necked local fire officials have no cause to interfere with such work.

Limited access to the site may be provided this morning. But local officials maintain they don't want federal investigators tramping through a potential crime scene. That doesn't make sense. The Chemical Safety Board has conducted 40 investigations concurrently with local officials nationwide. People in this line of work respect the need to give wide berth to criminal investigators. They aren't likely to pollute a crime scene.

Those who lost their homes and narrowly escaped death or serious injury deserve an independent federal probe that examines whether state and local failures might have contributed to the blast. Despite the presence of hazardous materials, it appears the plant wasn't inspected by state authorities for several years. Federal authorities also will need to look closely at enforcement of local fire codes.

Federal investigators have served notice to the governor's office that they intend to access the entire site this morning. Anyone who interferes with that effort is harming, not protecting, public safety.