FIRE INCIDENTS FROM NFPA FILES Compiled and written by Richard Campbell, NFPA Research Group Punch Deck® Open Area Rack Deck of a multi-unit apartment complex. One firefighter also suffered a non-life-threatening injury. Firefighters were dispatched to the fire at 11:45 p.m. following a call to 911 by the resident of a neighboring unit. On arrival, crews observed smoke coming from second-floor windows at a front corner of a three-story building. Building occupants had gathered on a front porch after being evacuated by police on the scene, and firefighters directed them off the porch and away from the structure. After being advised by evacuated residents that people were still inside, firefighters advanced a hose line into the building and began to search for occupants and fire. Crews made a forcible entry into the apartment of fire origin on the second floor, where they found black smoke banked down nearly to floor level, with no visible fire. Crews pulled the hose line into the apartment and began to ventilate the room by breaking windows at the side of the unit. Rescuers found the occupant in the bathroom and began to carry him down the main stairway to the front porch. While descending the stairs with the victim, one of the firefighters stepped on a charged hose line and lost his footing, landing in a seated position but managing to maintain his hold of the victim. The rescue team completed the evacuation and placed the victim on a stretcher, turning him over to EMS crews for transport to the hospital. The injured firefighter also required transport to the hospital for treatment of an injury to his ankle. Firefighters inside the structure used hoses to wet the kitchen down and then checked for fire extension and hot spots. The fire was determined to be under control at 12:17 a.m. The victim succumbed to smoke inhalation injuries at the hospital. Reports indicated that the victim was intoxicated and that his condition may have hindered his ability to escape. Investigators determined that the fire started in the victim's kitchen when grease that had been left cooking on Punch Deck® Plus Flat Cap | Open Area Rack Deck FIRE CODE COMPLIANT PRODUCTS FOR WAREHOUSE RACK STORAGE DACS inc. 757-337-5005 dacsinc.com PROVEN SOLUTIONS | ONE SOURCE FlueKeeper® & FlueKeeper® HD Keeps Required Flue Spaces Open Fire and Heat Baffles Horizontal or Vertical N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL | 69http://WWW.NFPA.ORG/JOURNAL