Biographical Information
Ages: Lessard, 55; Nichols, 57
Cause of Deaths: The two fire captains died in a flashover at a housefire.
Additional Information: Both firefighters had more than 30 years of firefighting experience at the time of the incident.
The Hamilton Spectator (Ontario, Canada)
The Canadian Press
Copyright 2007 Toronto Star Newspaper, Ltd.
All Rights Reserved
WINNIPEG, Canada — Firefighters and paramedics in this city are in mourning, struggling to come to terms with the loss of two veteran fire captains in a weekend blaze.
As the fire ate through a two-storey house on a quiet cul-de-sac late Sunday, six firefighters were dispatched to the second floor to make sure no one was trapped inside. When the whole building suddenly erupted in flames, the firefighters were ordered to evacuate.
But there was no time to react. Suddenly, one of the situations firefighters fear most — a flashover — was upon them. Without warning, the area turned into a fireball, with temperatures surpassing 530 C.
Fire Captains Harold Lessard, 55, and Thomas Nichols, 57, each with more than 30 years’ experience, died.
Four other firefighters were taken to hospital. One remained in critical condition yesterday, while a second was listed in stable condition with burns to about 15 per cent of his body. Two others were treated for minor injuries.
The two occupants of the house escaped the blaze and were safe at a neighbour’s home, while the crew worked inside.
Union president Alex Forrest defended the decision to keep the firefighters inside the building even though the two occupants had already insisted there was no one left inside.
“We get told all the time there’s no one in a house, we go in and we find people — we can’t take that chance,” said Forrest.
“I wouldn’t have any hesitation in calling these people heroes,” said fire Chief Jim Brennan. “It takes a hero to do that job, and they were doing their job.”
Deputy chief Ken Sim said flashovers are common in firefighting, but are especially dangerous because they erupt within seconds and without warning.
They occur when a sudden flow of oxygen from something like a door opening ignites the gases in a room that is already extremely hot.
Eleven firefighters died in the line of duty last year, according to the Canadian office of the International Association of Fire Fighters. The last time more than one died in the same blaze was March 2005, when a veteran and rookie firefighter died battling a fire at a hardware store in Yellowknife.
The cause of Sunday’s fire is still under investigation, as is the way supervisors handled the situation.