1993 — Feb 28, Fire, Apartment Building (8 children, 1 adult), Ludington, MI — 9

— 9  Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Nine Die.” 3-1-1993, p. 1.

— 9  USFA. Nine-Fatality Apartment House Fire, Ludington, Michigan. National Fire Data Cen.

 

Narrative Information

 

USFA/Kirby: “On Sunday, February 28, 1993, at 12:18 a.m., an alarm was received by the Mason County Central Dispatch for a house fire at 208 North James Street in the city of Ludington, Michigan. The first to arrive on the scene at 12:22 a.m. was Ludington pumper 152 from the station located approximately three blocks away. This unit was confronted with heavy smoke and fire from the 2nd floor and 1st floor entrance. The Ludington fire chief, en route to the scene from approximately half mile away, ordered additional equipment for manpower purposes from neighboring Pere Marquette township located approximately two miles away. The fire was knocked down in about 20 minutes, and the scene was declared under control in less than one hour. [p.1.]

 

“Rapid smoke and flame spread throughout the 2nd floor, claiming the lives of nine occupants and injuring one.

 

“The fire department used 44 firefighters and police personnel and eight units. The fire was confined to the 1st floor entrance foyer and 2nd floor area…. [p.2.]

 

“This building is a concrete block facility, two stories high with a half basement. The floor joists are of 2- by 8-inch wood construction with a wood plank subfloor. The walls are of lath and plaster construction. The hip roof is constructed of wood trusses with asphalt shingles. The overall dimensions of the building are 30 feet 4 inches by 53 feet 6 inches. It is located on a lot 60- by 140-foot lot…. [p.3.]

 

“The Fire.  On Feb. 28, 1993, just after midnight, the male occupant of a 2nd floor apartment was awakened in his bedroom by his wife who apprised him of a fire situation in their apartment. He immediately left the bedroom and entered the living room where his wife and children had been sleeping. He noticed fire and heavy smoke coming through the closed corridor vents installed in the wall between his living room and the corridor. He went into his kitchen and got a l0-pound dry chemical fire extinguisher, returned to the living room, where he grabbed his 3-year old son and went out the apartment door into the corridor. He noticed fire and smoke head high in the vicinity of a light fixture mounted on the south wall of the corridor. He then released his son’s hand in order to pull the pin on the fire extinguisher. He discharged the extinguisher in the

direction of the flames.

 

“Realizing his effort was ineffective, he turned to leave and noticed that his son was not with him. He reentered his apartment to get his family members, but was unable to find them. He went back into the hall and noticed fire and smoke traveling east along the wood paneled walls. At this time, burning ceiling tile began to fall on his unclothed body. While trying to protect himself, he fell down the steps to the 1st floor and exited the building. He began yelling for help and knocking on the 1st floor apartment doors. Unable to summon anyone, he ran to the rear of the building and knocked on the door. The occupant of this unit called the telephone operator who, in turn, notified the fire department of the incident…. [pp. 5-6]

 

“Firefighters…discovered three bodies in the 2nd floor north apartment bedroom and six bodies in the 2nd floor south apartment living room. The victims in the south apartment appeared to have been asleep on the floor and never woke up. One boy who did not live in the south apartment apparently went into that apartment while his father was fighting the fire in the hall-way. All the bodies were removed and transported to the morgue. During the overhaul operation, a melted battery-operated smoke detector was found on the floor in the living room by the north wall of the apartment where the six fatalities occurred. Above it was an air transfer vent which allowed smoke and heat into this room from the corridor. It appears that this detector was mounted somewhere below this opening.

 

“Fire damage revealed that the fire originated in the corridor at or below the ceiling level in the vicinity of a light fixture on the south wall. Fire progressed rapidly because of the highly combustible wood paneling and wood fiber ceiling tiles. It was aided by an additional supply of oxygen as a result of the occupant leaving both his apartment door and the front door open when exiting the building. It was allowed to penetrate the north and south apartments at an early stage, burning through wooden doors and through air-transfer grills that were installed in the corridor walls that separated the living units….

 

“There were nine fatalities. All occurred in the two apartments on the 2nd floor and all but one, the baby sitter, were residents of the building. Three bodies were found in the north apartment bedroom and six were found in the south apartment living room.

 

North Apartment:        One-year-old male

Two-year-old male

Eighteen-year-old female

South Apartment:        One Year-old male

Two-year-old male

Three-year-old male (from north apartment)

Three-year-old female

Six-year-old female

Thirteen-year-old female (baby sitter)

 

“….Toxicology reports on the victims indicated high levels of carbon monoxide – in excess of 65 percent. None of the victims appeared to have been subjected to actual flames…

 

“….at the point where the male occupant of the north apartment was made aware of the fire by his wife, had he led his family out of the building rather than attempting to extinguish the fire, his family may have survived…. [pp. 7-8]

 

“Surviving the children found in the south apartment were the two mothers who were absent from home the night of the fire. They had engaged the 13-year-old baby sitter to care for the children…. [p.9]

 

“Codes:  The city of Ludington currently uses the 1990 edition of the BOCA Building Code. It is the opinion of the building official that this building did not come under the jurisdiction of current codes as it was constructed prior to the adoption of the code which exempted it from present-day requirements.

 

“In 1991, the Ludington City Commission held public hearings on a proposed rental inspection ordinance that would have made inspection of all city rental units mandatory. Most of the people present at this hearing were landlords and voiced strong objection to the ordinance. The ordinance never got beyond the committee stage.

 

“The city fire department does attempt to make some annual inspections and familiarization trips to various commercial and industrial occupancies throughout the city. It uses as its reference the 1987 BOCA Fire Prevention Code. This code has not been adopted by the city commission and does not have the force of law.

 

“There is virtually no inspection program for existing buildings now in place. The current building code enforcement responsibility is conducted by one person. New construction inspections and some complaints leave little or no time to take on added responsibilities.

 

“City records indicate that the last inspection of the James Street property occurred in 1981 following a fire. The building inspector also recalls only two complaints in recent years, one concerning excess garbage and the other a dilapidated garage which was demolished in 1991.

 

“The Michigan State Fire Marshal’s Office indicates that, if this building were subject to today’s codes, the following basic upgrades would have been mandatory:

 

  • The means of egress could not be exposed to unprotected vertical openings.

 

  • Interior stairways would be enclosed with 20-minute fire barriers.

 

  • Exterior stairs would be reasonably protected against blockage by fire.

 

  • Interior finish would be a minimum of Class A or B in the means of egress areas.

 

  • At least one manual fire alarm station would be provided to initiate a fire alarm.

 

  • Apartments would be separated from a corridor by smoke-resistant walls and self-closing doors.

 

  • At least one fire extinguisher would be provided at the stairwell landing.

 

  • Smoke detectors would be installed in accordance with NFPA pamphlet #74.

 

  • Fire exit drills would be required at sufficient frequencies to familiarize all occupants as to how to exit a building safely. [pp. 9-10] ….

 

“Lessons Learned…. One of the major problems confronting the fire service today is the problem of existing buildings and how they affect the fire experience of the community. Time and time again, the fire service is experiencing tragic consequences because of inadequate and/or nonexistent code authority to alleviate dangerous and hazardous conditions that exist in these buildings. Code officials should be provided with the authority to require basic minimum fire protection upgrades in older buildings where situations present a clear danger to the occupants of these structures.

 

“The James Street incident illustrates the urgent need for such authority. As presented elsewhere in this report, the Michigan State Police, Fire Marshal’s Division, stated that, had this building been subject to current codes, basic minimum upgrades would have been mandated. Among these are noncombustible corridors and effective smoke detection devices. It is reasonable to assume that the outcome of this incident would have been different had this building been subject to current codes. [p.12] ….

 

“This incident emphasizes the urgent need for an immediate, effective smoke detector ordinance which would mandate the installation of smoke detectors in every dwelling unit not covered by existing codes. Since the James Street tragedy has occurred, this jurisdiction, along with neighboring jurisdictions, are seriously considering adopting such an ordinance….

 

“By far some of the most serious hazards facing a community regarding fire are with pre-code residential buildings. Timely and thorough inspections of such properties are the most effective means of detecting and correcting hazardous conditions that affect the safety of occupants in

these building. Such a program must have dedicated to it an adequate number of properly trained personnel. Potential resources for implementing and enforcing such a program should include not only the fire department but also local housing, health, and welfare agencies which can assist in identifying overcrowding conditions and other health and safety concerns. An annual rental inspection program is a widely used and an effective method of identifying and correcting hazards….” [p.13] (USFA. Nine-Fatality Apartment House Fire, Ludington, Michigan (February 28, 1993). Emmitsburg, MD: National Fire Data Center, Randolph E. Kirby, lead investigator.)

 

March 1, Pharos-Tribune, IN: “Fire swept through an apartment building in the Lake Michigan town of Ludington early Sunday, killing eight children and an adult.  It was the second house fire in Michigan in 11 days to kill seven or more children. The victims were trapped in two upstairs apartments and the fire spread so quickly that “by the time the fire department got here, it was too late,” Police Chief Walter Taranko said. A patrolman who rushed to the house from a block away found the building engulfed in flames shortly after midnight, Taranko said.”  (Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Nine Die.” 3-1-1993, p. 1.)

 

Sources

 

Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Nine Die.” 3-1-1993, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=109184220&sterm

 

United States Fire Administration. Nine-Fatality Apartment House Fire, Ludington, Michigan (February 28, 1993). Emmitsburg, MD: National Fire Data Center (Technical Report Series, Randolph E. Kirby, lead investigator), USFA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 38 pages. Accessed 4-6-2016 at: http://www.interfire.org/res_file/pdf/Tr-072.pdf