Fire Investigator Richard Howard has classified the 1st floor apartment fire as accidental. Howard stated that the 3rd alarm fire that caused one fatality and the building’s inhabitants to be evacuated was caused from smoking materials on the bed. Howard also concluded that the intensity and rate of spread were highly increased due to the occupant’s use of medical oxygen.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the early evening blaze, but were on scene for nearly 5 hours, evacuating occupants, retrieving medicine and checking on animals left in the apartments. The fire severely damaged only one apartment, but caused several others to have moderate smoke damage and dozens more to have smoke exposure.
Nearly 60 Firefighters responded to the scene and AMR transported a dozen occupants to area hospitals for “non-life threatening†conditions, mostly due to smoke inhalation and anxiety.
