2010 — Dec 28, Fire, Abandoned Warehouse used by homeless, New Orleans, LA– 8

–8  Daily Sitka, AK. “8 Homeless People Killed in Fire in Old Warehouse.” 12-28-2010. 2.

–8  Minden Press-Herald, LA. “Fire in abandoned New Orleans building kills 8.” 12-28-2010, 3

 

Narrative Information

 

Dec  28: “New Orleans – A blaze in an abandoned warehouse in New Orleans has killed eight homeless people who were burning wood in a barrel to stay warm during a freezing night.  New Orleans Fire Department spokesman Greg Davis says firefighters could not tell the ages or genders of the dead. He says two survivors told firefighters how the fire started. Temperatures dipped below freezing overnight in New Orleans. Davis says the fire was reported just before 2 a.m., and the building was fully ablaze when the first truck arrived. Survivors told firefighters that at least some of the people inside were unconscious.  Davis says they might have been knocked out by carbon monoxide, which is likely to build up when anything is burned in an enclosed area. The building was on the edge of a working-class residential neighborhood.” (Minden Press-Herald, LA. “Fire in abandoned New Orleans building kills 8.” 12-28-2010, 3.)

 

Dec 28: “New Orleans (AP) – The deadliest city blaze in decades killed eight homeless squatters who were burning debris in an abandoned warehouse to stay warm Tuesday, authorities said….

 

“A 23-year-old man who escaped told the American Red Cross he could not get back in to help his friends because of the smoke, agency volunteer Thomas Butler said.

 

“Temperatures were just below freezing, not unheard of but unusually cold for New Orleans. The warehouse is in a blighted city neighborhood left even more so by the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

 

“Agencies that work with the homeless said they believe some or all the victims were in their late teens or early 20s. Linda Gonzales, of the New Orleans Mission, said homeless young adults and teenagers often avoid shelters for a variety of reasons. ‘Some of them choose to stay out and you can’t make them come in,’ she said….

 

“Homelessness has always been a problem in New Orleans, but it has gotten worse since Katrina. Gonzales estimates as many as 3,000 people with nowhere to go may be on the streets on any given night. Shelters only have about 800 beds available, she said, though the city works with them to provide more when temperatures hover near or below freezing.”  (Daily Sitka Sentinel, AK. “8 Homeless People Killed in Fire in Old Warehouse.” 12-28-2010. p. 2.)

 

Sources

 

Daily Sitka Sentinel, AK. “8 Homeless People Killed in Fire in Old Warehouse.” 12-28-2010. p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=190596292&sterm

 

Minden Press-Herald, LA. “Fire in abandoned New Orleans building kills 8.” 12-28-2010, 3. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=188696978&sterm=fire+new+orleans