| Editor's note: Structural collapse in a fire-based scenario is impacted by numerous possible causes. Being aware of these causes can assist the interior officer or acting officer in cataloguing factors to consider when fighting fire inside or outside the structure. Be sure to check out Michael Lee's article, Building Collapse Dangers. |
By Lela Garlington
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As soon as he parked his car a few houses down from the fire early Sunday morning, Memphis Division Fire Chief John Pillsbury Jr. heard what no chief wants to hear: Five firefighters were trapped in a collapsed building.
His thoughts jumped back to another holiday fire, on Father's Day in 2003. Two firefighters died in a blaze at the Family Dollar store in Frayser.
This time, there were injuries but no deaths, and all five firefighters were released from the hospital by Sunday afternoon.
The Easter Sunday fire was reported at 4:19 a.m. Firefighters were actually fighting two blazes at 1855 York. One was a garage apartment, and the other was a guest house about 15 feet away.
Firefighters from Station 11 near the corner of Union and McLean had been on the scene for about 14 minutes. Suddenly, the two-story guest house roof shifted and part of a back wall collapsed on the firefighters at 4:38 a.m.
"There was fire everywhere," Pillsbury said. The trapped firemen were yelling, "Get me out of here! Get me out of here!" The firemen couldn't move. Pillsbury knew the radiant temperatures were likely hitting up to 1,500 degrees.
Although he had never experienced such an ordeal in his 20 years with the department, Pillsbury credited all the crew with knowing what to do. Some poured water on the original fire. Others pointed their hoses at the second blaze to prevent any flames from reaching the trapped men. Rescue workers immediately grabbed chain saws to cut away the fallen and charred roofing timbers and two-by-fours.
Within the first few minutes, workers pulled the first firefighter to safety. A second rescue unit arrived at 5 a.m. and positioned two air bags under the timbers. The bags were then inflated, acting as jacks to lift the fallen structure off the men. One by one, firefighters pulled their fallen comrades from the building, their gear covered with soot.
Pillsbury said the men were all wearing protective outfits and breathing apparatuses, which helped save their lives.
By 5:15 a.m., 37 minutes after being trapped, the last man was pulled from the burning building. Shortly after that, the fire was out.
Driver Mark Patterson, 42, and Privates Gregory Thomas, 44, Russell Ingram, 38, and Adrian Strother, 40, suffered second-degree burns on their legs, neck, arms and shoulders. They were taken to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis' burn unit and were released Sunday afternoon.
A fifth firefighter, Lt. Gary Parham, 51, was treated and released from Methodist University Hospital after he injured his leg during the collapse. One of the men injured was working overtime because his fire station needed him to stay over. Another injured man had swapped the day as a favor to a colleague who wanted to be off on Easter.
"I have never come this close to losing anybody," Pillsbury said. "This incident here is as close as I hope I'll ever get. It was either the hand of God or some little angel looking over five firefighters. We had five men who got to go home with their families today."
Copyright 2008 The Commercial Appeal, Inc.
