March 3, 2005

PRESS RELEASE

To: NEWSROOM

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Assistant To The Fire Chief

March 3 - Fairmont Apartment Fires Investigation Continues

Fires now believed to be intentionally set . . .

Shreveport Fire Department investigators are continuing their investigation of three separate fire calls to the Fairmont Apartment high-rise, located downtown at 726 Cotton Street. The first call reporting smoke on the 10 floor of the multistoried building came in at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. When firefighters arrived they found light to medium smoke on the 10 floor coming from a telephone junction box. About 50 residents of floors 9, 10 and 11 were evacuated to the lobby. The fire in the box was extinguished and after firefighters removed smoke from the floors, residence were allowed to return to their apartments.

Later that night, a second call reporting a telephone junction box smoking, now on the 8 floor, came in to 911 operators around 2:00 a.m. by the apartment’s night watchman. The fire department was called back before responding and advised that they were not needed on that incident – the watchman had taken care of any problem. Later that morning at 7:25 a.m. the fire department was once again called by the apartment complex for the report of smoke coming from the telephone junction box on the 8 floor. This time they responded and found some of the covering on the electrical wiring in the junction box smoking.

In each incident no injuries were reported and fire investigators now believe after conferring with Bell South representatives that each of the three incidents were not a result of electrical wiring as first thought but of someone intentionally setting some of the materials in the boxes on fire. As the investigation continues, more details will be forthcoming. ###