April 7, 2004

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

Man Dies Trying To Escape Burning Home

Officials cite burglar bars blocked exit . . .

A Shreveport man died last night in a house fire in the 3000 block of Skelly Street in the Martin Luther King neighborhood. Fire Department officials said that 30 year old Quincy Foster appears to have been overcome by smoke as he tried to escape the fire through a burglar bar clad window. Firefighters found Foster in a front bedroom not breathing and without a pulse. He was rushed to LSU Health Science Center where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The exact cause of death will not be known until the Coroner’s Office conducts their investigation.

Firefighters responded to the early morning call at 2:10 a.m. and arrived to find the single story, wood-frame home pouring smoke. Once inside firefighters located Foster and extinguished the fire that was mainly confined to the kitchen area of the residence, though heavy, black smoke carried throughout the home. According to firefighters inside, there were obvious signs in and around the window of the room where Foster was located that he had tried desperately to escape. Officials believe that Foster may have been sleeping in another room in the back of the home and woke to the fire. Because of the heavy smoke conditions, Foster may have been disoriented and wondered into the front bedroom where he was found, thinking he was headed to the front door that would have provided the best chance of exit.

Fire investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire and whether or not the home had working smoke detectors. That report is expected later this afternoon. Fire officials strongly caution against using burglar bars on homes. The Fire Department makes the following recommendations regarding burglar bars that time and time again have proved to be death-traps and take more lives than they save:

1. Remove the bars

2. If you have the old style "fixed" bars and do not want to remove: Retrofit the bars to be operable from the inside with a push button, foot pedal or other device

3. Remove padlocks from bars that had operable portions

4. Leave keys in the double-key dead bolts on others

5. Install a security system in place of the bars

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