Posted on 07/01/2012 3:47:12 AM PDT by grundle
He’ll never forgive himself.
The sole survivor of a Westchester blaze that killed his entire family — a police-captain father, mother and two sisters — accidentally sparked the inferno last month when he flicked a cigarette on dried-up mulch, officials revealed yesterday.
“The young man was in shock,” Carmel Police Lt. Brian Karst said about Thomas Sullivan Jr., 20.
“For somebody who was in shock, he was very honest and forthright with us.”
Sullivan smoked twice on May 1 — between 8 and 10 p.m. — right next to the front porch of his home in Carmel, Putnam County, fire investigators explained.
Smoldering ash from one of the cigarettes landed on the dried-out mulch and burned for hours — growing when late-night winds began to pick up.
“It lied in an area, burned and rolled for a while and took off,” said Dan Tompkins, captain of the Putnam County Fire Investigation Unit.
The fire intensified at about 2 a.m. and engulfed the home on quiet Wyndham Lane in minutes, officials said.
Four months of dry weather and the home’s lightweight construction — vinyl, wood and plastic — accelerated the flames, officials said.
“There’s a fire in the house!” yelled Thomas Sullivan, 48 — a former NYPD cop who worked in The Bronx — when the blaze began consuming the two-story home.
Thomas Jr. was awakened by his father’s screams. He managed to crawl down the stairs and out the garage door as the inferno spread upstairs and filled the house with smoke.
But the yellow colonial collapsed moments later — burying the elder Sullivan, his wife, Donna, 48, a nurse, and high-school students Meaghan, 18, and Mairead, 13.
Four dogs also died in the inferno, including Mairead’s two pets.
He was warned. I don't understand why so many smokers who are knowledgeable and thorough about fire safety in every other way pretend that a cigarette doesn't count as a fire, and smokers who would never litter otherwise are okay with tossing their cigarette butts on the ground.
‘Cause they’re stupid.
Their fault for making him smoke outside?
They may want to finish the investigation and be sure, otherwise Thomas may consider suicide.
insurance
I’m going to say that there is a chance that this guy simply isn’t telling the truth.
Fires can happen accidentally.Authorities may investigate this further but if they find no evidence of gasoline,etc they'll probably accept it as an accident.The fact that the kid barely escaped himself seems to direct suspicion away from him.Incredibly careless? Yah. Arsonist? Probably not.
Mulch kills....Outlaw mulch and only criminals will have mulch.
Sheesh
I believe mulch is more a generic term in this case......Probly weeks of leaves and dried up kindeling material that coulds smolder for hours and when the conditions were right ...POOF
How many forestfires are caused by aholes flipping butts out of cars that now no longer have ash trays.
That is a practice worthy of a 1000 dollar fine if caught,IF!
General carelessness. My daughter left one of her pet reptile’s sun lamps on and sitting atop an oak dresser while she cleaned its cage. Work completed, she hurriedly left for the weekend. I awoke at O’dark hundred that night to the delicious aroma of bar-b-que. Found the lamp slowly burning its way down through a smoldering dresser top glowing like a charcoal briquette. Another 1/2 inch, and it would have burned clear through.
You lie!
“stir the ashes, then drown again.” A 1960s Ad Council commercial on how to put out a campfire. I still remember the goofy VO and instructions.
I know it’s incredibly tragic and stoopid, but apparently, they took the hot ashes out of the fireplace because the girls were concerned that Santa would not be able to get down the chimney. I am not sure they regularly used the fireplace. Alcohol was probably involved.
And who witnessed his claims that he barely escaped?
His behavior is in such stark contrast to the boyfriend's. Faced with the same situation I would like to believe I would either get the girls out, or die trying.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.