NFPA Journal - September/October 2020 - 66

Firewatch
$100,000, and an additional $50,000
in damage to contents, also valued at
$100,000.

OREGON
Early morning fire claims life of
female resident
An elderly woman died in an early
morning fire that investigators believe
was ignited by either smoking materials or a burning candle.
The fire department was dispatched
to the scene shortly before 7 a.m. when
neighbors saw flames and dark smoke
coming from the victim's apartment,
according to news reports. Arriving
crews reported fire showing from the
rear and one side of a single-story
duplex apartment.
Following a complete exterior circuit
of the structure by incident command,
crews advanced a hose line into the
structure and began attacking fire in
the living room, where they reported
high heat and thick smoke to floor level.
Crews then moved down a hallway and
extinguished fire along the side of the
structure while using a thermal imager
to search for occupants. Crews continued to extinguish fire while moving to a
bedroom and attached bathroom at the
rear of the unit.
As visibility began to improve
through vertical ventilation and a positive pressure fan, crews found the body
of the occupant in the rear bedroom,
already deceased. Incident command
was notified and the scene was secured
pending arrival of fire investigators and
the medical examiner.
Investigators determined that the fire
began at or near the foot of the bed in
the rear bedroom. Due to the amount
of destruction, investigators were
unable to establish the cause of the fire,
but identified smoking materials or a
burning candle as potential sources of
ignition.
According to media accounts, firefighters reported that they didn't hear
smoke detectors sounding upon arrival,

leading fire officials to urge community members to check their smoke
detectors and ensure that they were
operational.
The fire caused $75,000 in damage to
the building, valued at $233,000, and
$50,000 in damage to contents, valued
at $115,000.

OHIO
Arson suspected in fire that kills one,
injures five at apartment complex
A late afternoon fire that began in
an apartment building's elevator car
claimed the life of one resident and
injured five others.
Firefighters were dispatched to the
fire by an alarm monitoring company
at 4:40 p.m. following activation of
a pull station in the building's main
lobby. While en route to the scene,
crews were informed that numerous
residents reported being trapped on the
third floor, where smoke detectors had
activated.
Arriving crews reported that heavy
smoke was showing from the roof and
two sides of a large, four-story apartment complex. Building evacuation was
in progress, but crews noted that several residents were at their windows or
on balconies on the third floor, unable
to evacuate due to heat and smoke
conditions.
Firefighters set up ground ladders
and a ladder truck to rescue occupants
from the third floor, while attack crews
responded to the third floor to locate
and extinguish the fire. Interior crews
located heavy fire in a third-floor elevator, with high heat and heavy smoke
in the hallway. Crews stretched a hose
from a standpipe on the second floor
and extinguished the fire.
After knocking the fire down, crews
found a male victim in the hallway
and were assisted by crew members
checking for extension in transporting
him outside. Crews initiated resuscitation efforts until an ambulance team
assumed patient care and transported

the victim to the hospital, but he later
succumbed to his injuries.
Crews set up ventilation and set
up gas monitoring after the fire was
determined to be out. Crews also rescued a number of pets left behind in
apartments.
News accounts indicated that
firefighters rescued approximately
10 residents. Five residents were
transported to the hospital with
smoke-inhalation injuries.
Investigators determined that the
fire began when an open flame ignited
garbage in the third-floor elevator.
The cause of the fire was classified as
undetermined, but the state fire marshal sought tips from the public on the
cause and a reward was subsequently
offered by a state arson committee for
information, according to news reports.
The apartment complex contained 90
units. All common areas of the building were protected by smoke detectors
monitored by a central station. Eight
families were said to be displaced by
the fire.
The building was constructed with
concrete floor framing, with steel roof
framing, a concrete roof deck, and tar
roof covering. It occupied a ground
floor area of 30,000 square feet (2,787
square meters).
No information was available on the
economic losses related to the fire.

NEVADA
Apartment resident dies in early
morning fire
An early morning fire at an apartment
complex claimed the life of a female
resident, but firefighters were able
to prevent the fire from spreading to
other units.
The fire department was dispatched
to a 32-unit apartment complex at 5:15
a.m. following multiple calls to 911.
Arriving crews found flames coming
from the windows of a second-floor
apartment at one side of a two-story
structure. Incident command called

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 encoun-

tered 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.

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NFPA Journal - September/October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2020