South Carolina Ping
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Posted on 10/28/2007 3:47:26 PM PDT by groanup
OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. — Fire ravaged a beach house occupied by more than a dozen college students early Sunday, killing seven and sending several more to a hospital.
Six survivors were released after treatment, including one who jumped from the burning house into a waterway, Mayor Debbie Smith said. Officials had accounted for all of the 13 people believed to be inside the home, Smith said.
"There were three kids sitting on the ground screaming," said newspaper deliverer Tim Burns, who called 911 after seeing a column of smoke rising from the house. "There was one guy hanging out the window, and he jumped in the canal. I know he got out because he was yelling for a girl to follow him."
Burns said he didn't know whether that girl was able to escape.
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
South Carolina Ping
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....very sad about these kids...they had so much of life ahead of them....looks like they were having a house party with the SAEs...given the housing density it was lucky the whole island didn’t go up....wonder what the occasion was?....celebrating the end of mid terms maybe...my wife and I were at Sunset Beach this week (the next island in the chain)and all was calm....thanks for posting the Tri-Delt web site....looks like they are as cute now as they were years ago when I was in school.
The only fire that occurred in my undergrad years was started when some squirrels chewed on some electrical wires, causing a fire in the largest dorm on campus. No students were killed, but four squirrels were found fried.
Unlike old-fashioned beach cottages, many beach houses are quite large. It's not unusual for them to have space for 12-15 people, especially when they're close to the beach and command top rental rates. This summer we stayed in a beach house further north on North Carolina's Outer Banks. We stayed with another family, having 8 people in a 4 bedroom rental house. We weren't the least bit crowded, and there were plenty of houses nearby that were significantly larger. I wouldn't assume crowding was the issue here.
Construction may be a factor in how quickly the fire spread and trapped the victims. This was a multi-story beach house on stilts. Typically these beach houses are of wooden construction with wooden decks wrapping around part of each upper level. The wood is likely quite dry after a summer of North Carolina sun. Add to it large windows (great views) and the house sitting on stilts. This can quickly create a death trap if fire breaks out. The wooden structure and decks are likely to burn readily. Having the structure on stilts increases the oxygen flow to the fire, feeding it from below. Large windows also feed the fire once they start breaking in the heat. Being on stilts, the house may have had a central stairway leading to safety. If it were blocked by fire, smoke, or locked doors, options may have quickly run out for trapped victims.
Fire alarms can only do so much. Youngsters aren't terribly alert at 7am after partying most of the night, even if stone cold sober.
I feel very sad for the families of these young people. It's a terrible way for them to have died.
Prayers for all families and survivors.
Leni
Prayers lifted.
No, of course they weren't. I guess if youthful foolishness were punishable by death, there wouldn't be many of us here - myself included.
I've never seen cops try to sort out college party goers by age. I guess it's not too practical, but at some point the police have an obligation to address the disturbance of the peace.
Thank you for your post. It was very well-thought-out and illustrated very clearly how this tragedy could have happened. I sent it to my friends who have a house in Ocean Isle, because I’m sure they will now be rethinking about fire prevention in their property.
Their kids are young, but I hope when they are teenagers, the parents never let them go down there to party. Research shows that young adult’s brains are not fully mature until age 25, and also that adolescents need a great deal of sleep. Add in alcohol and smoke inhalation, and nothing will wake them.
It’s sobering, isn’t it? I think we’ll also be paying closer attention to fire safety next time we vacation at the beach. I think about egress when I’m on an airplane or in a hotel, but it doesn’t typically cross my mind in a vacation home.
“Very sad story. I would not be surprised if a smoldering cigarette was the source of this fire.”
Could have been the cause; however, about a year or so ago a story online caught my eye because my daughter graduated from Clemson. One of the female students there had a candle lit in the bathroom of her rented townhouse across the street from the campus. The shower curtain caught fire and burned the whole apartment down.
When I first heard about this my heart broke.
I just found out a couple of hours ago that one of the girls was my friends son fiance perished in this fire.
Prayers for these children and their family left behind.
Shy
My brother was involved in a house fire involving a party years ago. He dragged every passed-out drunk out of the house himself while dealing with a freaked out girl. He got everyone out because he was the only one not too wasted to walk. He was considered a hero, despite his 2.2 blood/alcohol level.
Passed-out drunks do not pay any attention to smoke detectors.
You are such a breath of fresh air know-it-all.
Have you considered the possibility that there may not have been working smoke detectors????
It’s a sad situation. I’ve been in places where a bit of fire - stray cigarette, knocked over candle - would have killed some people. Just luck that it didn’t.
FReepmail...
“You are such a breath of fresh air know-it-all. Have you considered the possibility that there may not have been working smoke detectors????”
It has been reported from the very beginning that the house had working smoke detectors.
“Wow. You think this beach house was zoned for 13 people?”
It had five bedrooms.
Some beach house.
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