NFPA Journal

Residential

CALIFORNIA

Two occupants die in “extremely difficult” house fire

Firefighters rescued an occupant from the roof of a burning house, but the fire claimed the lives of two other occupants despite the efforts of nearly 40 responding firefighters.

A neighbor wakened by the fire called the fire department at 3:50 a.m. The first crews to reach the scene found fire showing from the first and second floors. An occupant with a vision disability was found on the first floor. The neighbor informed crews that two more occupants were trapped inside, leading to a request for a second alarm and three ambulances.

Crews immediately moved a ladder to evacuate an occupant on the roof, then assisted him to the ground, where he received care from the first-arriving ambulance. Other firefighters pulled an attack line up to the second floor and began attacking the fire while a search was mounted for the remaining occupants.

Crew members found one occupant on a bedroom floor and carried him to firefighters waiting at a window. Exterior crews positioned an additional ladder before the victim could be lowered to the ground and turned over to medical teams. The interior crews then attempted to complete their search of the room but were forced to evacuate due to heavy fire and heat conditions.

After moving to the opposite side of the structure, crews continued operations on the second floor until they were ordered out of the building due to heavy fire in the attic. Following the evacuation, crews extinguished the fire in the attic from the exterior. Crews found the body of a deceased fire victim on the first floor after conditions permitted reentry.

The occupant who was rescued from the second floor succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

The fire chief called the fire “extremely difficult” in local newspaper coverage, citing the physically exhausting demands of carrying people down ladders from the second floor, coupled with extinguishing a fire that he described as “stubborn.” One firefighter suffered an arm injury during the rescue effort.

Investigators were unable to determine the cause of the fire but indicated that the house was equipped with working smoke alarms.

The house was a two-story wood construction and occupied a ground-floor area of 2,000 square feet (186 square meters).

The fire caused $200,000 in damage to the house, valued at $250,000. The contents, with an estimated value of $25,000, were a total loss.

MASSACHUSETTS

Fatal house fire blamed on cigarette that ignites bedding

A woman died in an early afternoon house fire that investigators believe began when the victim fell asleep while smoking in bed.

Firefighters responded to the scene after a male resident discovered the fire and called 911 at 12:13 p.m. Upon arrival, firefighters reported that smoke alarms were sounding amid heavy smoke conditions inside the house.

Crews pulled a handline to a bedroom at the front corner of the residence, noting a glow on the bed after opening the door. The fire was quickly extinguished and the victim was found on the floor at the side of the bed, already deceased. Firefighters remained at the scene while they completed overhaul.

The male occupant who reported the fire suffered unspecified injuries.

Investigators determined that a cigarette started the fire when it ignited bedding materials.

The house was a single-story structure constructed of wood and occupied a ground-floor area of 768 square feet (71 square meters).

The fire caused an estimated $2,000 in damage to the house and $1,000 in damage to its contents.

MASSACHUSETTS

Lawn mower fire starts massive blaze and claims life of resident

A man died when the lawn mower he was using caught fire, igniting a porch and spreading to most of a two-story house.

Firefighters called to the scene of a house fire at 9:30 a.m. arrived to find an elderly male lying on the grass and heavy fire extending along one side of the nearby residence, starting from the basement.

Crews assessed the resident and determined that he had already died from his injuries.

Crews pulled an attack line and began knocking down exterior fire at the side of the house, then repositioned at the back of the house, where they reported heavy fire in the basement.

Incident command called for a second alarm as crews made entry through the front entrance and began an aggressive interior attack. An arriving mutual aid company was ordered to stretch a line and continue fire attack at the side of the house. Interior crews backed out of the structure after encountering heavy fire in a rear corner of the residence, reporting that fire was blowing up through the basement stairwell.

All companies were ordered out of the residence when a section of the roof containing solar panels began to sag, and an alert was sounded to establish a defensive attack. A tower company was assigned to attack the fire in the attic and second floor with elevated master streams from the platform, while a second company deployed a blitz gun to attack the fire at the side of the house.

When fire was no longer visible from the outside, a team entered the house to assess its structural integrity before crews were allowed back inside for overhaul and salvage. The medical examiner was summoned to remove the body of the victim.

Investigators determined that the fire began when the resident’s lawn mower caught fire, igniting his clothing. Fire spread to a nearby deck and to the home’s vinyl siding, then extended vertically to each floor of the two-story home.

The home was a wood construction and occupied a ground-floor area of 816 square feet (76 square meters).

The fire caused an estimated $167,000 in damage to the residence, valued at $175,000. The contents, valued at $75,000, were a total loss.

OHIO

Occupant dies in fire started by cooking materials

One person died in a fire in a manufactured home that started when food ignited on an electric skillet. Two occupants were able to evacuate the home, one of whom suffered non-fatal burn injuries.

The fire department was called to the scene at 9:30 a.m. when a visitor arrived at a neighboring residence and saw fire burning through the front windows of the home. Investigators estimated that the fire had been burning for five to eight minutes at the time it was reported.

Firefighters reported that fire ran the full length of the structure upon arrival. Crew members moved the two residents who had evacuated the structure away from the fire, transferring the injured resident to an arriving ambulance.

Crews pulled an attack line and attacked the fire in an area where the occupant was believed to be located. Other lines were pulled to the opposite side of the home with the arrival of additional personnel. After extinguishing the fire, crews remained on the scene to assist investigators from the state fire marshal’s office and to remove the body of the deceased resident.

Investigators determined that the fire began when food was left cooking in an electric skillet on top of a kitchen counter. One of the occupants tried to transfer the skillet to a sink after the food ignited, causing the contents to spill and ignite cooking oil in a nearby cabinet. Investigators indicated the victim’s ability to escape was hindered by a warped ramp outside the rear exit that prevented the door from fully opening.

The home had a ground-floor area of 588 square feet (55 square meters). The home and contents, valued at $8,000, were a total loss.

Firefighters were unable to find any signs of detection equipment in the debris.

OHIO

No working smoke alarms in fatal house fire

An early morning fire claimed the life of one female occupant and injured another resident of a two-story duplex that did not have working smoke alarms.

Firefighters were dispatched at 5 a.m. following a 911 call by one of the occupants. A fire department press release indicated that arriving crews found fire venting from a downstairs apartment and heavy smoke conditions throughout the entire structure.

After an evaluation of the scene, crews made entry and began attacking the fire at the front of the house on the first floor. Heavy fire, smoke, and heat conditions initially delayed access to the second floor, but crews initiated a primary search of the floor after fire on the first floor was knocked down.

Crews found a female occupant on the second floor and moved her outside, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. A second female occupant who had escaped the fire was located at a neighboring residence and received medical treatment at the scene before transport to the hospital.

Investigators determined that the fire originated in the home’s furnace room and believe that it likely began when a pilot light or burners ignited clothing. They indicated that the house was equipped with three smoke alarms, but found that the alarms were not equipped with batteries.

The residence was a two-story home constructed of wood and an asphalt shingle roof cover. No information was available on the structure’s square footage.

The fire caused an estimated $35,000 damage to the house, valued at $50,000. The contents, valued at $20,000, were a total loss.

INDIANA

Cigarette blamed for fatal apartment fire

One person died in a late night fire that investigators believe began when a cigarette ignited combustible materials.

The fire was reported to the fire department in a 911 call at 11:30 p.m. Upon arrival, firefighters reported light smoke showing from a two-story apartment building. During an evaluation of the scene, crews found someone attempting to revive an evacuated resident at the rear of the structure, with a working fire in a rear unit on the first floor.

Incident command issued a request for an ambulance and directed crews to pull a hose for fire attack. Crews began attacking the fire in the first-floor unit while a second team proceeded to the basement, where they extinguished a small fire. Firefighters were reportedly able to extinguish the fire on the first floor in five minutes. Firefighters checked for extension and conducted primary and secondary searches for other occupants. No additional occupants were found.

According to news reports, the evacuated occupant had been pulled out of his apartment by neighbors after they spotted the fire. The reports indicated that the occupant was pronounced dead at the scene and that he succumbed to smoke inhalation injuries.

Investigators determined that the fire originated in a pile of trash and other combustible materials near a first-floor bathroom and believe that it was ignited by a discarded cigarette. The fire in the basement was caused by burning material falling through the floor.

The apartment building was a wood-framed structure and contained four housing units on two floors, occupying a ground-floor area of 3,240 square feet (301 square meters).

No information was available on the presence of automatic detection equipment.

The fire caused $111,000 in damage to the structure, valued at $533,000, and $66,000 in damage to its contents, with an estimated value of $263,000.

ILLINOIS

Fire in illegal basement apartment claims one life

A mid-afternoon fire claimed the life of the male resident of what fire department reports described as an illegal basement apartment.

The fire department was alerted to the fire at 2:30 p.m. by a first-floor tenant who reported a fire with entrapment. As they pulled out of the station, responding crews reported seeing heavy smoke and immediately issued a request for additional units.

Upon arrival, incident command began a 360-degree survey of the building, which showed heavy smoke coming from one side of the basement and an open door at the rear, with light smoke showing from the first floor.

An engine company advanced a hose to a rear basement entrance but was almost immediately forced to turn back due to fire and smoke conditions. The crew then backed the line out and began a transitional attack at a corner basement window, succeeding in knocking down most of the fire.

As the crew reentered the basement, a newly arrived mutual aid company attempted to advance a line into the house through the front door, but was also met with fire and smoke, and was forced to retreat and attack the fire from outside. When the fire in the basement was completely extinguished, separate crews conducted primary searches of the basement and the first and second floors of the residence. The victim’s body was found near a stairway to the first floor.

The first and second floors of the house were each equipped with a single battery-operated smoke alarm, and there were two smoke alarms in the basement. The smoke alarm on the first floor had activated, but the basement smoke alarms did not.

Reports indicated that the fire started in the basement after a space heater ignited clothing or bedding, then spread through the basement and extended through ductwork to the first floor. A resident of the first-floor apartment reported that he tried to alert the basement resident by pounding on the door and that the tenant indicated that he could not get out.

The residence was a two-story house constructed of wood and occupied a ground-floor area of 1,820 square feet (169 square meters).

The fire caused $300,000 in damage to the structure, valued at $722,000. The contents of the house, with an estimated value of $200,000, were a total loss.

ALABAMA

No sign of smoke alarms in early morning fire that claims two lives

Investigators reported that they found no smoke alarms at the scene of an early morning house fire that claimed the lives of two occupants.

Firefighters were dispatched to the fire when a neighbor called 911 at 12:45 a.m. Crews reported that a rear corner of the house was well involved with fire on arrival, with fire venting through the roof.

Crews pulled two attack lines and made a forced entry through the front door, protecting an exit pathway while searching for two occupants believed to be inside. A female occupant was found near the hallway in a corner bedroom opposite the main body of fire, and crews evacuated her through the front door under heavy fire and smoke conditions.

Crews placed a ladder to a second floor window and began a search for the second occupant, who was found on the floor of a bathroom at the rear of the house. The male victim was removed through the window and down the ladder to ground level. Both occupants were deceased and showed signs of smoke inhalation.

With both occupants outside the house, crews resumed fire attack. Their efforts were hampered by the partial collapse of several sections of the roof and part of the floor in the kitchen area, but the fire was finally brought under control nearly two hours after arrival.

Investigators determined that the fire originated in the kitchen at the rear of the house and spread up to the attic and inward to living areas. The extent of destruction prevented them from determining the cause of the fire. There was no evidence found to indicate that the residence was equipped with smoke alarms.

The house was a two-story wood structure with a brick veneer and occupied a ground-floor area of 1,400 square feet (130 square meters).

The house and contents, together valued at $150,000, were a total loss.

ILLINOIS

Man dies after propane heater ignites clothing

An elderly man died after his clothing was set on fire by a propane heater while he was on his enclosed porch.

Firefighters were summoned at 9:45 p.m. when a neighbor spotted the fire and called 911. On arrival, crews reported fire on the porch and in the adjacent kitchen of the residence. Crews pulled hose lines to the house and were able to extinguish the fire without incident.

News reports indicated that a responding police officer had already found the resident in the bathroom and moved him outside. Reports indicated that the victim had tried to extinguish the flames in the shower.

The resident was transported to the hospital but later died as a result of his injuries. The police officer was reported to have suffered smoke inhalation during his rescue effort.

Investigators learned that witnesses had seen the victim patting himself and were reported to often see flames shooting from the heater. After the victim’s clothing caught fire, flames spread to combustibles in the area and spread to the kitchen.

The residence was a single-story wood structure with asphalt shingles and a ground-floor area of 1,200 square feet (111 square meters).

The fire caused an estimated $2,000 to the residence, valued at $150,000. No information was available about damage to the contents.

MASSACHUSETTS

No smoke alarms in fatal house fire begun by smoking materials

A fire started by smoking materials claimed the life of a female resident with a mobility disability.

Crews were dispatched to the scene at 4 p.m. by a report of a fire in an unoccupied structure. En route, however, they learned that an occupant was believed to be trapped on the second floor, prompting a request for the dispatch of a second engine company and ambulance. Reports indicated that a retired firefighter called 911 after smelling smoke and locating the fire approximately 100 yards from his residence.

Upon arrival, crews found heavy smoke and fire on the second level at the front and one side of the house. Crews prepared an attack line for entry and primary search, then entered the house through a front porch located opposite the visible fire.

As a rapid intervention team waited outside, the interior crews encountered heavy fire on the first floor, and an additional hose was pulled inside to assist with fire attack. However, incident command ordered all crew members to evacuate the structure as conditions began to worsen. After all personnel were accounted for, crews deployed a deck gun and attack line to resume attacking the fire from the exterior.

Crews managed to knock the fire down approximately two hours after arrival, having mounted a second unsuccessful search and rescue attempt inside the structure. Crews at that point were able to locate the body of the resident on the first floor of the residence. Officials requested assistance from the local medical examiner to take custody of the body.

After primary and secondary searches were complete, police and fire investigators initiated an interior investigation. Investigators determined that the fire began in a first-floor living room when smoking materials ignited a couch.

The house was not equipped with smoke alarms.

The residence was a one-and-a-half-story wood structure with a ground-floor area of 1,320 square feet (123 square meters). The house and contents, collectively valued at $941,000, were a total loss.

MAINE

Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in multi-unit building

An apartment building’s automatic sprinkler system extinguished a mid-afternoon fire on a kitchen stove before it could spread to living areas or to other apartments in the multi-unit apartment complex.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene by an alarm monitoring company just before 2:30 p.m. after the fire was detected by smoke detectors, which were located throughout the building.

Upon arrival, crews proceeded to a second-floor apartment, where they found smoke emitting above the door. They entered the apartment to find that a single sprinkler had opened to extinguish a fire on top of the stove.

Crews checked for extension in the rest of the building, then shut the sprinkler system down and drained the pipes. The fire was contained to the apartment’s kitchen and caused no injuries to building residents.

Investigators determined that the fire started when an oven was left on and that clothing placed on top of the stove was ignited by heat from the oven vent.

The fire caused an estimated $5,000 in damage to the structure and $500 in damage to apartment contents.

The apartment building was constructed with a wood frame and included a roof deck and brick walls. The building occupied a ground-floor area of 10,726 square feet (996 square meters).

MINNESOTA

Man dies after ember from burning trash ignites his clothing

An elderly man suffered fatal burn injuries after his nylon jacket was ignited by hot embers as he burned trash outside his house.

The fire department was dispatched to the scene after the victim called 911 just after 3 p.m. On arrival, crews found a barrel of burning material next to a detached garage. The fire chief extinguished the barrel fire while medical personnel entered the house, where they found the victim.

Crews moved the victim to an ambulance for transport to a local health center, where he was stabilized, then flown to a major medical center. He succumbed to his injuries two days after the incident.

Investigators found no evidence of accelerants in or around the burning barrel. After the investigation was complete, the fire chief and assistant chief collected and disposed of biohazards on the exterior of the residence. The residence was secured and a note posted on the front door with a warning about biohazards.

No information was provided on damage from the fire, but it did not appear to have extended beyond the barrel in which it originated.

CALIFORNIA

Fatal apartment fire blamed on unattended cooking

One person died in an afternoon apartment fire that broke out when unattended cooking oil ignited on a gas stove.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 4:16 p.m. by reports of a building fire with possible entrapment. Upon arrival, crews observed smoke and flames coming from a front window and front door of a unit in an apartment complex. Bystanders reported that people were still inside, and firefighters indicated that several other bystanders had been driven back by fire after attempting entry.

After sizing up the scene, incident command directed crews to attack the fire through the front window. A bystander led the incident commander to the rear of the structure and pointed out a bedroom where an occupant was believed to be located, but heavy smoke and fire prevented the incident commander from gaining access.

Two firefighters entered the apartment through the front and mounted an aggressive fire attack while conducting a primary search of a front bedroom, also identified by bystanders as the likely location of the missing occupant. After monitoring operations at the front of the apartment, the incident commander returned to the rear and noted that interior crews were making significant progress in knocking down the fire.

As the primary search progressed, the male occupant was found on a hallway floor between the bedrooms and the front door. Crews immediately initiated resuscitation efforts and moved the occupant outside, where a medical team assumed care and transported him to the hospital. The victim later succumbed to smoke inhalation injuries.

After evacuating the occupant, firefighters resumed extinguishing the fire, then performed overhaul activities, clearing the scene approximately four and a half hours after arrival.

Investigators determined that the fire started when a pan of cooking oil ignited while it was heating on the kitchen stove while the occupant went to another room. The fire spread to wood cabinets above the stove, then traveled to the front room and vented out a front window.

The apartment was in a single-story building containing six units. The apartment occupied a ground-floor area of 400 square feet (37 square meters). The building was of wood construction with a roof cover of composition shingles. Information on automatic detection systems was not available.

The fire caused an estimated $27,500 in damage to the structure, valued at $75,000. The contents of the apartment, valued at $5,000, were a total loss.

ARKANSAS

Neighbors help evacuate occupants from house fire

A call to 911 reporting a person on fire sent firefighters and an ambulance crew to a single-family home shortly after 6 p.m. Upon arrival, crews found heavy fire coming from an open doorway and window at the front of the house, with additional fire in the eaves above the front porch. They also reported that two female occupants were outside the house, one of whom had obvious burn injuries.

Medical personnel tended to the injured occupant while firefighters pulled a hand line into the house and attacked the fire. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, concentrated in the living room and part of the dining area. The burn victim and the second occupant, who had sustained minor burn injuries, were transported by ambulance to the hospital.

Investigators learned that one of residents was sitting in the living room when her daughter ran into the room with her hair and clothing on fire. The mother told investigators that she tried to extinguish the flames with a blanket while yelling for help from the front door. Neighbors heard the cries and helped evacuate the occupants from the house.

The investigators concluded that the daughter, who had waist-length hair and was wearing flannel pajamas, came into contact with either a stove burner or wall-mounted gas heater. Fire spread to combustibles in the living room when the daughter collapsed on the floor as her mother came to her aid.

The house was a wood structure with a ground-floor area of 864 square feet (80 square meters). The fire caused an estimated $35,000 in damage to the house and contents.

MAINE

Fire started by cigarette was preceded by heart attack

Investigators determined that an early evening apartment fire was caused by a lit cigarette after an elderly resident experienced a heart attack while smoking in his dining area.

Firefighters were dispatched to the multi-unit apartment complex after the fire was detected by the building’s local alarm system. On arrival, crews reported seeing smoke showing from a second-floor apartment and were informed of possible entrapment. Residents of the building’s seven additional apartments were reported to have evacuated without injury.

Crews proceeded to the apartment of fire origin on the second floor, where they found the body of the victim and were able to quickly knock down the fire.

The scene was turned over to the state fire marshal after discovery of the deceased victim.

According to investigators, the resident dropped his lit cigarette while smoking in a living area, leading to the ignition of his clothing and a section of carpet. The fire did not spread beyond the apartment of origin, but news reports indicated that residents of the other units were temporarily displaced due to smoke damage.

The apartment building was a two-story structure with a ground-floor area of 4,800 square feet (446 square meters). The building was a wood construction with plaster board interior walls and asphalt shingles. It was not equipped with an automatic sprinkler system.

There was no reported structural damage from the fire. Damage to the apartment’s contents was estimated at $2,500.

INDIANA

Smoking while on oxygen leads to fatal fire

An elderly woman succumbed to smoke inhalation injuries in a house fire caused by smoking while using portable oxygen.

Firefighters were dispatched to the fire at 10:30 p.m. following a phone call to 911 by a passerby. Arriving crews reported no signs of fire showing from a single-wide manufactured home, but encountered black smoke after making a forced entry through the front door. Inside, they found the occupant lying face down on the floor near a dining room table. The victim was moved outside, where waiting medics assumed care and transported her to the hospital.

Firefighters found a small fire in a reclining chair closest to the kitchen, which they extinguished.

The passerby who reported the fire told firefighters that she saw fire in the home’s front window as she drove by. After parking nearby and walking to the residence, she heard the occupant banging on the front window and noticed the fire suddenly self-extinguish as she approached the window. She then called 911 following an unsuccessful attempt to gain entry through the back door.

The occupant died of smoke inhalation injuries following transport to the hospital.

A fire department investigation determined that the combination of direct flame from a cigarette lighter and a supply of oxygen from a nasal cannula caused a flash fire that ignited the victim’s clothing and reclining chair. The investigator believed that the fire caused a breaker to trip, shutting off the supply of oxygen and allowing the fire to self-extinguish. The investigation report indicated that the house was not equipped with smoke alarms.

The house was a single-story manufactured home with a ground-floor area of 840 square feet (78 square meters).

The fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damage to the house, valued at $45,000. Contents of the house sustained additional damages estimated at $2,500.

ILLINOIS

Candle starts fire that claims one life, injures three

One person died and three others suffered injuries in an early morning fire that began when an unattended candle ignited combustible materials.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 5:09 a.m. following a report of a basement fire in a multi-unit apartment building with occupants trapped inside. Arriving crews reported a plume of smoke coming from the rear of the structure, with additional smoke showing from a front entrance. Several occupants were visible in upper-floor windows of the two-story building.

Firefighters pulled a hose into the building’s basement unit, forcing a door and quickly extinguishing a fire in the front room. A second crew of firefighters simultaneously began to search for occupants. One occupant was found on the bedroom floor and immediately carried outside, where personnel began resuscitation efforts before transporting the victim to the hospital.

Most of the building’s residents were able to self-evacuate. Firefighters helped evacuate residents from two apartments, then conducted searches of all remaining units to ensure no additional occupants were still inside. Three residents were transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries. The resident who was carried out by firefighters later succumbed to her injuries.

Investigators determined that the fire started when a candle that had been left burning in a living room ignited cardboard boxes and that the fire followed a ventilation flow path from an open window down a hallway and into the bedroom where firefighters found the victim. They reported that the building’s smoke detectors operated during the fire.

The apartment building occupied a ground-floor area of 2,800 square feet (260 square meters). The fire was confined to the apartment where it originated and caused $1,000 in damage to the unit and $5,000 in damage to its contents.

Educational

MICHIGAN

Welding torch ignites fire during renovation work

Hot work was blamed for starting a fire in a hospital educational facility undergoing renovations.

The fire department responded to the scene at 8:18 a.m. following a phone call from construction workers, who had pulled a fire alarm that failed to activate. Upon arrival, crews from an engine company reported heavy black smoke coming from the roof of the facility’s auditorium area.

Construction workers informed firefighters that they were working in a room adjacent to the auditorium and that the fire appeared to be located in the auditorium. The workers believed that everyone had evacuated the building.

Crews advanced an attack line to the main entrance and then down a hallway, where they were able to confirm that the fire was restricted to the auditorium. A team of four firefighters made entry to the auditorium with the attack line, reporting black smoke from floor to ceiling throughout. Crews removed windows at the front of the auditorium to provide ventilation and began attacking the fire, which they were able to extinguish without complications.

Investigators found that crews were using a torch to cut pipes on the interior side of the wall where the fire began. Workers noticed smoke in the auditorium and attempted to extinguish the fire with a dry chemical extinguisher before pulling the fire alarm. The investigators determined that the torch ignited carpet in a storage area before spreading to holiday decorations, rolls of carpet, and other stored items.

The fire was confined to the storage area, which was not equipped with sprinkler protection. No information was available on the dollar value of damage.

The facility was a single-story structure with a ground-floor area of 240,000 square feet (22,300 square meters).

MONTANA

Arson causes significant damage in after-hours high school fire

A fire that began when arsonists set fire to a mop in a custodial closet caused an estimated $1 million in damage in a high school.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene by an alarm monitoring company at 9:45 p.m. The school was protected by an automatic smoke detection system that included detectors in classrooms and hallways. The building did not have automatic sprinkler protection.

Three suspects, all juveniles, were arrested and faced juvenile delinquency petitions, according to newspaper coverage. Surveillance video reportedly captured two of the suspects exiting the custodial closet shortly before smoke issued from the area, while additional footage showed the third suspect setting fire to posters in a classroom.

Investigators determined that a lighter was used to ignite a floor mop in the custodial closet and that the fire spread to other combustibles in the closet area. They noted that solder on pipes in the closet melted and that water from the pipes may have helped keep the fire from extending.

Newspaper reports indicated that classes were canceled for two days due to extensive smoke and water damage. Repairs were needed in five classrooms and elsewhere.

The building was a two-story structure constructed with wood walls, a steel frame, and a built-up roof covering.

Brush fire

NORTH CAROLINA

Gasoline fuels fatal brush fire

A man burning brush near his home died of burn injuries when his clothing ignited while holding a can of gasoline.

Firefighters were dispatched to the residence when the victim’s daughter called 911 after hearing a boom and seeing her father lying on the ground on fire. When crews reached the scene, they found the deceased victim several feet from a pile of burning brush, with a melted five-gallon bucket nearby.

Investigators said the victim had been using gasoline from the bucket to burn debris and that the fire ignited gasoline vapors, causing the bucket to catch fire and spread to the victim.

Reports indicated that approximately one acre of grass was burned, but that fire did not spread to any structures.

FIREWATCH is a compilation of fire incidents involving a variety of occupancies and fire types. The intent of Firewatch is to illustrate the range of fire scenarios encountered by the fire service, present the challenges contained in those incidents, recount how the fire service addressed those challenges, and record the effectiveness of fire protection systems, where such systems exist. The incidents are identified by NFPA’s Research Group from fire reports submitted to NFPA by responding fire departments. Some of the fire incidents that appear in Firewatch are augmented with details provided by media accounts. Top Photograph: Stockton, California Fire Department