801 Crockett Street, Shreveport, Louisiana 71101
318/ 673-6655 ● FAX: 318/ 673-6656 ● www.shreveportfire.org

Kelvin J. Cochran, Fire Chief

February 27, 2002

PRESS RELEASE
To: Newsroom
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer
Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Daytime Fire Trend Continues

The recent trend of daytime fires in Shreveport continued today as firefighters were busy battling a morning apartment fire and later a house fire.

Apartment Fire Damages Building
The first fire, at Ashton Pines Apartments, 6000 W. 70^th, in the Steeple Chase neighborhood was called in to Caddo Parish 911 at 10:47 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they found building 14 in the back of the sprawling complex billowing black smoke. Crews raced to extinguish the blaze in a single lower floor apartment before it could spread to other adjacent residences.

Firefighters found the kitchen of downstairs apartment 1402 totally enveloped in flames and thick black smoke throughout the apartment. Other crews were sent to surrounding apartments to check on residents and possible fire spread. All tenants were soon accounted for and the fire was contained to the lone apartment although seven other apartments in the building sustained various amounts of smoke damage. One person was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation by department paramedics. She was not transported to the hospital.

Apartment occupant Carver Jarmon, 46, told fire officials that he was warming up some grease on the stove for cooking purposes when he left the room momentarily. When he returned to the kitchen, Jarmon said the stove top was so fully involved in flames that he was unable to extinguish it. The fire is being listed as accidental.

Heating Unit Blamed for Afternoon Queensborough Fire
A home air handling unit is being labeled as the cause of an afternoon fire that damaged a Queensborough home. Firefighters responding to 2624 Merwin found smoke pouring from the single story wood frame home’s eaves and roof upon their arrival. The fire was reported to 911 just after 1:00 p.m. The fire was listed as under control at 1:33 p.m. but not before firefighters experienced some difficulty in just reaching it. The home had several different roof and attic structures that were not common and forced several different crews to enter from various points in and outside of the residence in order to extinguish the blaze. A lone resident told officials that he heard a breaker switch trip and after resetting the switch noticed that the air coming from the vents in the home was not warm. He then said that he went to investigate the problem and found the heating unit in the attic on fire. No injuries were reported. ###