NEW YORK — A fire at an assisted living facility claimed the life of a 35-year-old volunteer firefighter in 2021 during a rescue operation, highlighting critical safety lapses. Two other firefighters were injured as they worked to evacuate residents and battle the blaze.
An investigation by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) identified several factors that intensified the incident, including a cultural cleansing ceremony in the facility’s kitchen where an open-flame torch was used and inadvertently set combustible materials alight.
Compounding the danger, the building’s fire alarm system had been placed in “test” mode during the ceremony, disabling automatic alerts to emergency services. The fire spread rapidly due to incomplete sprinkler coverage and insufficient water supply for the sprinkler system and firefighting operations.
Additionally, authorities found that fire and building safety codes were not properly enforced at the facility, further contributing to unsafe conditions. Firefighters responding to the scene also lacked a pre-incident plan for the building, which hampered their efforts in the high-risk environment.
Spring Valley Firefighter Jared Lloyd, 35, was killed in the fire. He had issued a mayday call from the third floor of the burning facility, but firefighters who went in to search for him were forced to retreat due to the extent of the fire, officials said. Lloyd was one of the first firefighters to arrive at the scene.
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