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February 18, 2010 · The fire caused by a small plane crash into an IRS office building in North Austin this morning has been contained. Two people in the building on Research Boulevard were injured. One has been taken to the Brooke Army Medical Center burn unit in San Antonio. The other person is being treated at University Medical Center, Brackenridge, in Austin. One person remains missing.
Helicopters circled above the still smoking building this afternoon as Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo told reporters the situation was isolated and had been contained. His department is leading the investigation and Acevedo cautioned the press about jumping to conclusions.
When the plane hit, witnesses say, the building shook as if in a small earthquake. IRS employee Omar Garcia, said he and others in his office ran from the building. He was surprised by the devastation when he got outside.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions although rumors are rampant – though APD’s Acevedo is refusing to confirm many. What we do know is that that plane that crashed this morning was registered to an Andrew Joseph Stack. That is also the name of a man who owned a North Austin house that burned this morning. And a Joseph Stack posted an anti-IRS, anti-capitalism diatribe online, also this morning.
John Freis saw the plane moment before it flew into the building. “It was white, low winged, I couldn’t see any props. He banked hard up and to the right and when he started coming down it was straight as an arrow and I never saw him come back into sight. So I automatically thought, yes, this guy is running into something and that’s what I told the 911 operator when she answered the phone," said Freis.
One person remains missing. The Austin Fire Department says it is securing the building and searching room by room for other casualties. Dr. Christopher Ziebell is the attending physician at Brackenridge. He told KUT that the Austin Police Department has informed him there will be no further casualties needing treatment.
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