1992 — Dec 17, Fire, four-family apartment building, Auburn, WA — 5

— 5  Assoc. Press. “Apartment Fire Claims 5 Lives.” New Castle News, PA, 12-18-1992, p. 2.

— 5  USFA. “Five-Fatality Apartment Fire, Auburn, Washington – December 17, 1992.” P. 19.

 

Narrative Information

 

USFA: “An early morning fire in an end unit of a four-family apartment building left five people dead, including three boys, ages 3, 6, and 13. The mother of the three children was the only resident who escaped; the boys’ father and a family friend perished.

 

“The Auburn Fire Department received the alarm at 2:11 a.m., from a 9-1-1 call placed from a neighboring unit. (Press accounts that the surviving occupant attempted to dial 9-1-1 from the unit of origin could not be confirmed by Auburn fire officials.) Two engine companies, a basic life support ambulance unit, a mutual aid tanker, and a chief officer–a total of 13 personnel–were dispatched. Police officers arrived at the scene ahead of firefighters and reported a fully-involved apartment unit. The responding chief requested an additional alarm en route, summoning off-duty Auburn firefighters. Arriving firefighters had difficulty controlling the blaze which involved both floors of the apartment in the wood-frame building. Although the fire completely gutted the unit of origin, the adjacent unit sustained only minor damage.

 

“Once the fire was brought under control, firefighters found all of the victims’ bodies on the second floor, either in the corridor or in bedrooms. All of the victims appeared to have been awakened, but it was unclear if smoke detectors were installed in the dwelling.

 

“One of the scenarios considered for the cause was a child playing with a lighter. Initial interviews with the lone survivor have provided contradictory accounts of the possible cause.” (USFA. “Appendix A: Briefs on 1992 Residential Fires with Five or More Fatalities Discussed in this Report.” Pp. 13-19 in Eight Children and Two Adults Die in Rural House Fire, Remer, Minn…. 1999, p. 19.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Apartment Fire Claims 5 Lives.” New Castle News, PA, 12-18-1992, p. 2. Accessed 5-30-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/new-castle/new-castle-news/1992/12-18/page-3?tag

 

United States Fire Administration. “Appendix A: Briefs on 1992 Residential Fires with Five or More Fatalities Discussed in this Report.” Pp. 13-19 in Eight Children and Two Adults Die in Rural House Fire, Remer, Minnesota (January 1, 1989). Emmitsburg, MD:  National Fire Data Center, USFA, FEMA, 1999, 29 pages. Accessed at: http://www.interfire.org/res_file/pdf/Tr-028.pdf