2004 — Sep 12, Arson Fire, Lincoln Park West Apts., Prairie Township, OH — 10
–10 AP. “Ten Dead in Suspected Arson at Apartment near Columbus.” Jeffersonian, 9-12-2004.
–10 Columbus Dispatch. “Apartment fire that killed 10 still unsolved 10 years later.” 9-12-2014
–10 NFPA. The U.S. Fire Problem. Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (1980-2007). 2008.
–10 PR Newswire. “Columbus, Ohio Apartment Fire Ruled Arson.” 9-30-2004.
Narrative Information
Sep 12, AP: “Columbus (AP) A survivor of a suspected arson fire that killed 10 people reached for the ladder in a desperate attempt to reach relatives trapped on the third floor. But Antonio Noriega said firefighters pulled him away as flames raced through the structure where his brother and his family had settled after leaving Mexico to earn a better living. My family, they’re sleeping and the fire is coming fast, said Noriega, who had jumped out the window of his first-floor apartment. I cant help my brothers. Ismael Noriega, 36, his wife, Lidia Mejia, 22, and their three young sons died in the fire, according to Antonio Noriega, Ismaels brother. Mejias two brothers, her nephew and two family friends also died in the fire, Noriega said.
“The victims lived in the same apartment on the third floor, which was destroyed in the quickly moving fire, said Prairie Township Fire Chief Steve Feustel. The fire broke out about 2:30 a.m. at the 24-unit Lincoln Park West Apartments in suburban Columbus. The flames left a wooden skeleton exposed above melted siding and at least 53 people homeless. Two people, including a woman who jumped from a window, were treated and released from Mount Carmel West hospital, a nursing supervisor said….
“Feustel said it was suspicious that the fire burned so fiercely in a stairway, which in modern buildings are designed not to burn. The flames there blocked people from escaping. He said it appeared the first victims found had been trying to escape the flames. Feustel said the fire started either in the basement or the first floor, but the cause was not known. There were no suspects and no known witnesses. The fire came about six weeks after three fires were set in the same building in an empty apartment and hallway, Feustel said….” (AP. “Ten Dead in Suspected Arson at Apartment near Columbus.” Daily & Sunday Jeffersonian, Cambridge, OH, 9-12-2004.)
Sep 30, PR Newswire: “On September 12, 2004, 10 individuals were tragically killed in a fire that was ruled as arson at the Lincoln Park West Apartment Complex. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Ohio State Fire Marshal and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene and are actively investigating this incident. Columbus Crime Stoppers announced that it is offering up to $7,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest and indictment of the person(s) responsible for this crime. ATF, the Ohio State Fire Marshal and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department are committed to investigating this crime and bringing to justice the person(s) responsible for this crime….Source: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.” (PR Newswire. “Columbus, Ohio Apartment Fire Ruled Arson.” 9-30-2004.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Ten Dead in Suspected Arson at Apartment near Columbus.” Daily & Sunday Jeffersonian, Cambridge, OH, 9-12-2004. Accessed 9-29-2015 at: http://daily-jeff.com/local%20news/2004/09/13/ten-dead-in-suspected-arson-at-apartment-near-columbus
Columbus Dispatch (Encarnacion Pyle). “Apartment fire that killed 10 still unsolved 10 years later.” 9-12-2014. Accessed 9-29-2015: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/09/12/sad-anniversary.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
PR Newswire. “Columbus, Ohio Apartment Fire Ruled Arson.” 9-30-2004. Accessed 9-29-2015: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/columbus-ohio-apartment-fire-ruled-arson-74010442.html