You never want to hear about it, but it does and will happen. A fully involved structural fire, in this case a structure with four apartment units at 442 Clark Street, Waverly, New York.The fire took place this past Wednesday night (May 6, 2009), and was reported at 11:16 pm. As reported by all the local newspapers and TV news outlets that I’ve read concerning this emergency, nine persons survived the structural fire, but one resident didn’t make it out and died as a result of the fire it would appear. There could have been more loss of live if it wasn’t for the use of alternate exit routes from the second floor out windows, as well as a good Samaritan neighbor assisting those off the roof escaping the fire with a ladder. The fire is reported to have “started in the hallway with the fire start in bottom” of the stairwell. It was also reported that “A person was lighting a lantern, and was burnt himself,…But he notified all the apartments to let [them] out. There was one deceased, and he was a great man.”
"A total of 60 fire fighters converged on the scene to battle the blaze... It took fire fighters a little over an hour to get the blaze under control... Probably by 6 am, we had the fire pretty much contained and out." stated Waverly Fire Chief Howard. Fire fighters tried to located the one missing person, but due to the fact the fire & smoke was so intense it prevented them from completing the rescue attempt. Waverly Village Police said people living upstairs had to use upstairs windows as exits due to flames consuming the main/common exit way through the stairwell, and there were no fire escapes. Cause of the fire is not of a ‘suspicious’ nature but is being investigation by the Waverly Village Police Department.A tragedy like this fire shows the importance of a knowing secondary way to egress/exit a structure if a fire prevents you to do so. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) believes that having a sound escape plan will greatly reduce fire deaths and protect you and your family's safety if a fire occurs. More than 4,000 Americans die each year in fires, and approximately 20,000 are injured. Deaths resulting from failed emergency escapes are particularly avoidable.
Always look for that second exit be it at home, in the store shopping, at the movie theater, or hotel when your on vacation. Every year people parish in fires because they didn’t know what to do. Have you prepared a fire escape plan and practiced it? It really doesn’t take but a few minutes in most cases. Start by getting into the habit to locate and learn the use of alternate routes to safety. Don’t wait until there’s a fire to discover windows are painted or nail shut. Check ALL windows to see if they open and ensure passageways are clear of obstructions. Fast actions are needed in a fire and practice helps if you have to put that action into play.
Here’s a YouTube video on “Home Fire Escape,” that shows safe & effective ways of escaping. Such as the fire in the Village of Waverly showed, the majority of fire deaths occur in the home and of those most happen at night between 10pm and 6am. Keep your family safe and practice a home fire drill. Watching and reviewing this video will show what one needs to know and needs to be practiced...
