Board investigating firefighter deaths in neutral

BOSTON—Boston's Fire Commissioner says he's frustrated that a department board of inquiry investigating the deaths of two firefighters last year has done nothing in four months.

Commissioner Roderick Fraser demanded that the board reopen its investigation and examine autopsy reports indicating that Warren Payne had cocaine in his system and Paul Cahill had a high blood-alcohol level when they died last August battling a blaze in a West Roxbury restaurant.

The initial investigation concluded in February that drug or alcohol impairment did not play a role in the deaths, even though the board did not review medical evidence.

Fraser said the probe did not adhere to department regulations.

Fraser says the head of the 10-member board, composed entirely of union members, told him the board should not review autopsy reports because it is "outside their area of expertise."

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe