EFFINGHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT - NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS - MAY 2007
Occupants Escape Apartment House Fire
Jason D. Short - Effingham Daily NewsOccupants in an apartment building that caught fire Wednesday escaped without injury, but a firefighter battling the blaze suffered from heat exhaustion and was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released.
Heidi Kiper and Jason Groves were asleep in the downstairs apartment in the building on the corner of South Maple Street and West Clinton Avenue in Effingham when Kiper heard pounding on the couple’s door. Luckily, her uncle, Laverle Lankford, had been enjoying the late morning on his porch when he saw smoke rolling out of the second story of the apartment building.
His wife called 911 and he headed to the apartment house where he knew his niece and her boyfriend were sleeping because they both work third-shift jobs.
After the pounding on the door woke her, Kiper was met by her uncle and Effingham Fire Chief Joe Holomy and told to get out of the building. As they exited, fire trucks were rolling up to put out the fire.
She and Groves, this morning, are thankful for the quick actions by the fire department and Lankford, but they are also left homeless, losing most of their possessions, which were not insured.
When the fire department first arrived, heavy smoke was rolling out of the second floor of the two-story wood frame three-unit apartment building.
The other occupants of the building were not home when the fire broke out.
“They got there quickly,” said Kiper. “The firemen wouldn’t give up, even when they were exhausted. They had to be told to sit down; they wanted to fight the fire.”
When fire crews entered the second floor of the apartment building, they faced heavy smoke and high heat. As they moved down the hall, the thermal imaging camera indicated heavy fire conditions in the attic, according to fire officials.
Firefighters attempted to knock down much of the fire, but were forced back by the conditions. Fire personnel then left the building after making sure everyone was out and fought the fire from outside the building, according to a press release by the fire department.
Shumway, Watson and Teutopolis fire department were called to the scene to assist while Altamont and Dieterich fire stations covered the Effingham stations.
Fire department crews had the fire under control by 12:20 p.m. and firefighters re-entered the apartment building to check for hot spots.
Because the heat and humidity were so intense, help from area fire departments was needed to give firefighters relief, said Holomy.
One firefighter was transported to St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham for heat exhaustion, where he was treated and released and is reportedly doing well.
Firefighters also saved a 10-week-old puppy found under some debris in the kitchen on the second floor. EMS personnel administered oxygen and wrapped the puppy in a towel before the puppy was taken to a local veterinarian for further treatment. The puppy also is reportedly doing well.
Kiper said one of the firefighters entered the building while the fire was still raging and retrieved the case that housed her father’s military flag she has had for 32 years.
“He saved it for me,” she said.
An investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office was on scene at 1:15 p.m. to determine the cause and origin of the fire. All fire companies began leaving the scene by 2:30 p.m., but the investigator and several crew members remained at the scene until 5:40 p.m.
The apartment building is owned by Jim Suiter of Downs; his mother, Ann Suiter, serves as landlord. The upstairs apartment was rented to Carlos Moore and Beth A. Hollowell, and the one directly below his was occupied by Kiper and Groves. The back apartment was rented to Tory Hardenbrook and her daughter, Lillith Hardenbrook. Only Moore and Hollowell had insurance on their belongings.
“The back apartment was not damaged, just a little water. The upstairs and downstairs are totaled,” said Ann Suiter
“We sure appreciate those firemen. They were there from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. They sure work hard,” she said.
The building sustained heavy structural damage with an estimated loss of $90,000, while the combined loss of all three renters is estimated at $75,000.
“I can’t thank the fire department enough,” said Kiper. “They even apologized for not being able to save everything.
The Effingham chapter of the American Red Cross is helping those displaced by the fire. Anyone who would like to help should contact the Red Cross.