Faces of Fire - Chief W. Keith Brower

A fireball eruption on the first floor of a home fire trapped four of Chief Brower's firefighters upstairs. All four escaped, but one firefighter sustained serious burns. "He's partially incapacitated," says the Chief. "He can't do the job he loves."

NFPA's Faces of Fire campaign is a tool to help people and groups across the country promote the use of automatic fire sprinklers in one- and two-family homes. By containing fires before they spread, home fire sprinklers protect lives and property. The personal stories told through the Faces of Fire campaign will show the experiences of those who escaped or lost loved ones in home fires and those whose lives and property were protected by home fire sprinklers.

0 members like this

Tags:

You need to be a member of My Firefighter Nation to add comments!

Join My Firefighter Nation

Comment by FFN WebTeam on October 27, 2010 at 1:02pm: From the investigative report:

"The neighbor’s statements are consistent with the evidence collected by the FMO.
According to the FMO investigative report, the fire originated on the attached deck at
the point where the stairs join the main body of the deck (just outside the door leading to
the Sunroom). The report notes that there was a void space at this juncture, between
the Family Room and Sunroom exterior walls. There was extensive burn damage in
this area."
"The fire spread along the vinyl siding and combustible sheathing and traveled up
through the vented soffits into the continuous attic space. Interviews with the Delta Exposure homeowner indicate that the fire traveled up the exterior of the Sunroom, around the base of the fireplace enclosure and progressed rapidly along the second floor exterior toward the roof.
Fire initially entered the first floor via the glass door in the Sunroom. Fire penetrated
through the Family Room exterior wall into the Family Room, which was furnished with
several large pieces of over-stuffed furniture. This substantial fuel load in the Family
Room contributed to the rapid spread of the fire through the first floor, until it reached
the point of flashover.'
"Fire then entered the second floor from three directions: from above in the attic space,
through the exterior wall on Side Charlie, and from below on the first floor, through the
two-story foyer and up the stairs."

Loudoun County, Meadowood Report

Comment by FETC on October 27, 2010 at 12:48pm: No disrespect to the injured brothers. I am a big advocate for residential sprinkler standards as well.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but didn't the fire at Meadowood Ct. start as an exterior fire on the rear of this residence which was not identified?