July 7, 2003

PRESS RELEASE
To: Newsroom
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Asst. to the Fire Chief
Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2411, page: 675-2137

Arson Injures Five / Three Critical in Morning Apartment Fire

An devastating apartment fire has several members of one Shreveport family and a family friend clinging to life after their apartment building went up in flames early this morning. . .

Treated for severe burns by fire department paramedics, a 35-year-old and two children are listed in critical condition in the Louisiana State University Health-Science Center’s Burn Unit and two other children are listed as stable and good respectively in the hospital’s emergency department. All were the occupants of apartment 1508-C where fire investigators have determined the origin of one of two arson fires was intentionally set. The other was in a vacant second floor apartment of an adjacent but unattached building.

The Shreveport Fire Department received the first of several 911 calls reporting the fire around 5:30 a.m. When fire crews from the department’s Downtown Central and Milam Street Stations arrived in front of the unnamed apartment complex at Anna Street and Allen Avenue, both of the complexes’ two buildings were pouring smoke and fire and injured residents were lying outside and crying for help. Incident Commander, Assistant Chief Bobby Robinson immediately pulled a second alarm, sending more firefighters and equipment to the scene when faced with the magnitude of providing care for the injured, providing search and rescue of the remaining apartments, and attacking the fire that was now through the roof of one of the buildings.

In order to escape the flames and smoke, eyewitnesses stated that several of the children had jumped from the second flood of the engulfed apartment. A 14-year-old who escaped without serious injury told fire officials that she was forced out of her bedroom window when stairs leading to the first floor were blocked by flames. Three other children were not as fortunate: listed as critical, a 13-year-old female, reported to be an overnight guest of the family, sustained second and third degree burns to more than 75 percent of her body and a 15-year female old who sustained second and third degree burns to her chest and back, hands and arms; a 17-year-old male received a deep avulsion to his forearm and burns to his hands and feet when he jumped through the glass of his second-floor bedroom window. He was listed in stable condition.

Due to an aggressive fire attack, firefighters were able to stop the spread of the fire, which had traveled quickly through the buildings common attics, to other apartments that were not already involved prior to their arrival. The fire was officially listed as under control at 6:10 a.m. No other injuries were reported. Fire investigators and Shreveport Police detectives are working together to determine if the fire is related to a shooting that occurred on July 4, in the same neighborhood. Fire Chief called the action by the arsonist(s) as heartless, heinous and unconscionable, and pledged to use all of the department’s resources to bring those responsible to justice. ###