2001 — Jan 3, Fire, Family Home, Oak Orchard, Sussex County, DE — 11
–11 AP. “11 Family Members Killed in House Fire in Delaware.” LA Times, 1-4-2001.
–11 CNN Breaking News. “Eleven Dead in Delaware House Fire, January 3, 2001.
–11 NFPA. The U.S. Fire Problem. Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (1980-2007). 2008.
–11 Roberts. “House fire in Delaware claims the lives of 11 members of one family.” 1-8-2001.
–11 The Capital (Annapolis MD). “11 Killed in House Fire…Southern Delaware,” Jan 3, 2001
Narrative Information
Roberts: “The new year began with another tragic house fire in the US. This time the victims were 11 members of one impoverished black family living in a rural area of Delaware. The early morning blaze on January 3 was the latest of a series of fatal fires in working class and poor neighborhoods during one of the harshest winters on record in many parts of the country.
“The fire occurred in Oak Orchard, in the southern portion of the mid-Atlantic state, about 100 miles east of Washington DC. The town is typical of those in the area, where low-income workers live in trailer parks and small houses surrounded by expensive summer resorts for tourists. More than a dozen people—from at least three generations—were crowded into the single-level house where the fire erupted. Four women were reportedly caring for seven or more children—ages nine and younger—in the three-bedroom house.
“Killed in the fire were Jacquelin Wright, 28, along with her five children: Jeremy Wright, 9, Latasha Odums, 7, Terrance Odums, 4, Berlinda Ferdinad, 23 months, and Bertony Ferdinad, 11 months. Ms. Wright’s mother, Elta Mae Street, 50, and her grandmother Evelyn Shelton, 83, also died. In addition, Jacquelin Wright’s half-sister and Elta Mae Street’s daughter, Jody Shelton, 31, and Jody’s children, Lashanda Shelton, 7, and Christopher Shelton, 5, were killed.
“According to a report issued by the Delaware state fire marshal, investigators believe the fire started when someone tried to cook a late night meal in the kitchen and possibly fell asleep. Investigators said hot oil probably ignited and the fire then climbed the kitchen walls, consuming oxygen to create a smoldering fire with few flames. The report stated a woman from the house dialed the “911” emergency number at 3 a.m., but the phone went dead before the call was completed….
“According to reports published by the National Fire Protection Association, between 1993 and 1997 nearly one in three fire deaths were children under the age 19, with the majority of this group aged five and under. ‘January is the peak month for fire deaths in the year,’ stated NFPA statistics expert Margie Coloian. ‘February comes in second and December third,’ she told the WSWS. ‘While smoking is the leading cause of fires,’ she said, ‘smoking combined with portable heaters in the cold months account for the increase in deaths during the winter months.’
“The National Fire Data Center, a federal government agency, reports that America leads the industrialized world in deaths from fires. More than 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in homes or apartments. In 1999 alone 3,570 Americans lost their lives and another 21,875 were injured as a result of fires. Over the last decade, an average of 4,453 people a year were killed and another 26,445 were injured in fires, with most fatalities occurring in the poorer Southern states.
“The aging and decaying homes that so many poor families are forced to live in are a major factor contributing to these deaths. Old dry-rotted wooden homes with poor insulation are literally death traps, where fires spread so rapidly that inhabitants have little time to escape.” (Roberts. “House fire in Delaware claims the lives of 11…of one family.” WSWS, 1-8-2001.)
Jan 3, The Capital: “Oak Orchard, Del. – Eleven family members were killed early today by a fire that filled their southern Delaware home with smoke, state police said. The victims included several young children….The first firefighters at the scene found ‘extremely heavy’ smoke billowing from the eaves of the house said…of the Indian River Fire Company. But there was minimal fire and it was quickly extinguished. Firefighters initially were unsure whether the rural house was occupied, but then they entered and found body after body.” (The Capital. 1-3-2001.)
Jan 4, AP: “Oak Orchard, Del. — A kitchen fire spread thick smoke through a small rural home Wednesday, killing 11 family members, seven of them children. Someone inside the burning house called 911 about 3 a.m. By the time firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was billowing from the eaves of the one-story home, said Patrick Miller of the Indian River Fire Company. The fire itself was small and was put out quickly, he said….
“William Wright, standing stunned across the road from the home, said the victims included his daughter, 28-year-old Jacquelin; her five children, ranging from an infant to a 9-year-old; Jacquelin’s mother, Eltama Shelton; and grandmother Evelyn Shelton. Also killed were Jody Wright, 51, Eltama Shelton’s daughter and half-sister to Jacqueline Wright, and her two children, family members said….
“It was the second large deadly fire in southern Delaware in two months. Five family members, including four children, were killed when their home burned Oct. 31 in Broadkill Beach.” (AP. “11 Family Members Killed in House Fire in Delaware.” Los Angeles Times, 1-4-2001.
Sources
Associated Press. “11 Family Members Killed in House Fire in Delaware.” Los Angeles Times, 1-4-2001. Accessed 11-14-2015 at: http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jan/04/news/mn-8205
CNN. “Eleven Dead in Delaware House Fire,” Transcripts, Breaking News, January 3, 2001. Accessed at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0101/03/bn.01.html
National Fire Protection Association. The U.S. Fire Problem. “Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (1980-2007).” Quincy, MA: NFPA, April 2008 update. Accessed at: http://www.nfpa.org:80/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=953&itemID=30981&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/The%20U.S.%20fire%20problem
Roberts, Larry. “House fire in Delaware claims the lives of 11 members of one family.” World Socialist Web Site, International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), 1-8-2001. Accessed 11-14-2015 at: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2001/01/fire-j08.html
The Capital, Annapolis, MD. “11 Killed in House Fire…Southern Delaware,” Jan 3, 2001. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=29755974&firstvisit=true&src=search¤tResult=2