NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 75

windows. As additional units arrived,
crews were deployed on each side
of the house to protect neighboring
structures and attack the fire where
possible. Arriving crews also added a
ladder pipe and ground monitor to the
exterior attack.
Firefighters continued to seek entry
into the house and made limited
progress through a rear entrance, but
had to retreat when the floor became
unsafe. An attempt to enter through
a door on the second floor was also
unsuccessful due to untenable interior
conditions, and crews maintained an
exterior attack for the remainder of the
operation.
Once most of the fire was extinguished, crews entered the structure
through a corner window at the rear of
the house and were able to access an
interior stairway to the second floor,
where neighbors had indicated that
the occupants were likely to be located.
Crews found the bodies of the occupants shortly afterward and removed
them through a side window. The last
units cleared the scene shortly before
9:30 a.m.
Investigators believe that the fire
may have begun on a front porch, but
were unable to determine the cause of
ignition or whether the residence was
equipped with smoke detectors.
The house was a two-story wood
structure occupying a ground floor
area of 1,200 square feet (111 square
meters).
The house, valued at $60,000, was a
total loss, as were its contents, whose
value was estimated at $50,000.

OHIO
Space heater suspected in blaze that
kills a man and his dog
An early morning fire that may have
been started by a space heater claimed
the life of a male resident and his dog.
Firefighters were dispatched to the
scene at 12:43 a.m. after a neighbor
spotted the fire and called 911.
On arrival, crews reported that an
active fire had already caused the roof
of a single-family residence to collapse
and that only the walls remained
standing. Crews conducted a search of

the house following extinguishment
and found the body of the occupant in
his bedroom.
Reports indicated that the residence
lacked a working furnace and was
cluttered with possessions left by a
prior occupant. The occupant, who
had a motor disability, moved into the
house in order to live independently
and because a local apartment building
wouldn't allow him to live with his
dog.
The victim was heating the house
with space heaters, which investigators
suspect may have ignited the fire.
The house was a wood structure and
occupied a ground floor area of 1,440
square feet (134 square meters). It did
not have working smoke alarms.
The fire destroyed the house, valued
at $10,000, and its contents, with an
estimated value of $3,000.

Storage
CALIFORNIA
Sprinkler credited with preventing
large loss in arson fire
The sprinkler system in a storage facility
of a nonprofit organization was credited
by fire authorities with extinguishing
an early morning fire and preventing
significant damage.
Firefighters were dispatched to the
scene following a 911 report of a commercial building fire at 4:19 a.m. Crews
arrived five minutes later and were
met by facility personnel, who directed
them to a corner of the building where
a door stood open. Looking inside,
crews could see slow-moving, lightgray smoke throughout the ceiling area
of the single-story building.
Firefighters forced entry at rear
and side gates to the property and
through a roll-up door at the rear of
the building. Inside, they found two
activated sprinklers keeping a small
fire in check. Crews completed extinguishment with a hose connected to
a nearby hydrant, then completed
overhaul of damaged materials
before returning control to facility
management.

Investigators determined the fire
was intentionally set along an exterior
wall of the building. The investigation
report found that the fire would likely
have resulted in a total fire loss without a functional sprinkler system.
The building was constructed with
cinder block walls and had a flat roof
constructed with heavy timber with
an asphalt cover. It occupied a ground
floor area of 18,000 square feet (1,672
square meters).
The fire caused $10,000 in damage
to the building, valued at $500,000,
and $2,000 in damage to its contents,
valued at $650,000.

NORTH DAKOTA
Sprinkler system limits storage
facility fire started by hot work
An after-hours fire in a work area
of a storage facility was controlled
by the building's sprinkler system
until firefighters arrived to complete
extinguishment.
Firefighters were summoned to the
facility at approximately 6 p.m. when
passers-by noticed smoke and called
911. Crews could hear the sprinkler
alarm sounding upon arrival. After
finding all doors locked, they forced
entry through the front entrance.
Once inside, crew members were
met with heavy smoke conditions. In
a shop area at the center of the building, they found that a sprinkler had
activated above a workbench, but a fire
was still burning underneath. Crew
members were able to extinguish the
remaining fire relatively quickly.
Investigators determined that
welding had been performed late in
the day and determined that the fire
began when hot metal slag ignited a
cardboard box, then spread to nearby
shelving and other combustibles.
The building was a single-story
structure constructed with concrete
walls and roof framing and occupied a
ground floor area of 8,500 square feet
(790 square meters). The fire caused
an estimated $5,000 in damage to the
building contents, valued at $500,000.
There was no damage to the building,
which had an estimated value of $1.5
million.
N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020

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