Well, I don't think the EPA was in a position to make any statements right away - they weren't going to stop people from running in and trying to save lives so

Well, I don't think the EPA was in a position to make any statements right away - they weren't going to stop people from running in and trying to save lives so they could take air samples back to a lab. The amount of blame that got pinned on them after the fact was probably pretty unfair.