NFPA Journal - September/October 2019 - 91

1,360-square-foot (126-squaremeter), singlewide manufactured home of unprotected
wood-frame construction.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
There was no detection or automatic suppression equipment
present.
Fire Origin and Path
The only information reported
was that the fire began in the
open area between the kitchen
and living room and involved
furniture.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
A mail carrier driving past the
dwelling observed and reported
the fire. One victim was found in
a small hallway near a bedroom,
two were found in a bedroom,
and two were found in another
bedroom.
New Jersey
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
July, 9 a.m., five (three under
age 6)
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type
This was a three-story apartment
building of unprotected ordinary
construction. The number of
units and ground floor area were
not reported.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
No details were reported.
Fire Origin and Path
No details were reported.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
No details were reported.
California
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
July, time not reported, five
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type
This was an apartment building.
No additional information was
reported.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
No details were reported.
Fire Origin and Path
No details were reported.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
No details were reported.
Ohio
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
December, 11:26 p.m., five (four
under age 6)
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type
This was a two-story, 1,300square-foot (121-square-meter),
single-family home of unprotected wood-frame construction.
Smoke Alarm and Other
Protection Devices
It was not determined if there
were smoke alarms present in the
home. There was no automatic
suppression equipment present.

Fire Origin and Path
The only information reported
was that the fire broke out on
the first floor. The cause is
undetermined.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
No details were reported.
NON-HOME FIRES
Michigan
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
July, 1:46 a.m., six (three under
age 6)
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type,
Operating Status
This was a two-story, 54,000square-foot (5,017-square-meter),
27-unit extended stay motel of
unprotected-ordinary construction. The motel was operating at
the time.
Detection Systems and
Suppression Systems
There were smoke alarms present, but their coverage and
activation were not reported.
There was no automatic suppression equipment present.
Fire Origin and Path
The fire broke out in a room
on the first floor. It was not
reported if the room was occupied. The cause of the fire was
undetermined.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
Arriving firefighters found
extensive fire and smoke
showing from several first-floor
rooms and they were notified
that six people were trapped in
a second-floor room. Searches
were initiated on the second
floor but no one was located
in the room where the victims
were reported. They were eventually located in a hallway and
stairway.
Oklahoma
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
January, 8:36 a.m., five
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type,
Operating Status
Blowout and fire at a gas well.
Detection Systems and
Suppression Systems
No details were reported.
Fire Origin and Path
When a blowout occurred, a
mixture of gas, oil, and mud
erupted in fire. The cause of the
ignition and ignition source were
not determined.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
Blowout preventers did not operate at the time. This incident is
still under investigation.
A Chemical Safety Board
release of this incident can be
found at https://www.csb.gov/
csb-releases-factual-update-onblowout-and-fire-at-pryor-trustgas-well-in-pittsburg-countyoklahoma-/?pg=3

Washington
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
June, 1:01 a.m., five (one under
age 6)
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type,
Operating Status
This was a one-story, 300square-foot (28-square-meter)
cabin of unprotected woodframe construction occupied by
five people.
Detection Systems and
Suppression Systems
No information was reported on
smoke detection equipment.
There was no automatic suppression system present.
Fire Origin and Path
The cause and origin were
undetermined.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
On arrival, firefighters found the
cabin fully involved with reports
of five residents possibly still
inside.
Pennsylvania
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
March, time not reported, four
(one under age 6)
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type,
Operating Status
This was a three-story illegal
boarding house of unprotected
ordinary construction. No additional information was reported.
Detection Systems and
Suppression Systems
No details were reported.
Fire Origin and Path
No details were reported.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
No details were reported.
New York
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
December, 1:30 a.m., four
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type,
Operating Status
This was a two-and-a-halfstory, 650-square-foot
(60-square-meter) vacant
house of unprotected woodframe construction occupied
by four homeless people.
Detection Systems and
Suppression Systems
There was no detection or suppression equipment present.
Fire Origin and Path
The fire broke out in a first-floor
bathroom. Candles were being
used near lighter fluid and
other combustibles.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
Firefighters found boarded
up windows and doors as well
as large amounts of debris in
stairways and hallways that
hindered the escape of the
victims and firefighting operations. Homeless people had

reportedly been breaking into
the property for years.
Oklahoma
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
January, 4:35 a.m., three
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type,
Operating Status
This fire occurred in a twostory, 1,000-square-foot
(93-square-meter) vacant
house of unprotected woodframe construction. The home
was occupied by three homeless people.
Detection Systems and
Suppression Systems
No detection or automatic
suppression equipment was
present.
Fire Origin and Path
The fire started on the first
floor, but the cause and location were undetermined due to
the extent of damage.
Contributing Factors and
Victim Locations
This boarded-up home was
fully involved when firefighters arrived. An exterior attack
on the fire was started upon
arrival. Firefighters believed the
home to be vacant at the time,
but neighbors reported that
homeless people were known
to have entered the dwelling
on previous occasions. The fire
extended to a second vacant
home. No information on the
victims was reported.
Tennessee
Date, Time of Alarm,
Number of Deaths
February, 5:39 a.m., three
Number of Stories, Occupancy
Type, Construction Type,
Operating Status
This was a one-and-a-half-story,
wood-frame recovery/rehabilitation center for women that
covered 3,350 square feet (311
square meters). It was originally
built as a single-family home.
The structure was occupied by
13 adult females and one juvenile male.
Detection Systems and
Suppression Systems
There were smoke alarms
present, but they were either
disconnected or the batteries
were removed. There was no
automatic suppression equipment present.
Fire Origin and Path
A pillow caught fire in a bedroom with several occupants.
One of the occupants poured
glasses of water onto the pillow
then took it to the bathroom
where water from faucet was
used. The occupant thought
the fire was extinguished and
placed the pillow near combustibles in the basement near
the stairway. The fire ignited
combustibles and spread up a
stairway to the first floor and

N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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NFPA Journal - September/October 2019

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