Trapped Residents Rescued as Fire Spreads Rapidly in 3-Story Hotel
A fast-spreading fire temporarily trapped some residents of a three-story hotel even though the fire was discovered early and smoke detectors operated in the halls. Members of the Toledo, Iowa, Volunteer Fire Department rescued all the residents and then extinguished the fire with mutual-aid assistance.
One of the residents of the apartment where the fire originated reported being awakened by a loud pop, like a firecracker going off, in the area of a combination stereo-radio-tape player sitting on the floor. It was flanked by large stacks of records and tapes and was under a wooden table next to a wall paneled with thin, lacquer-finished pressboard.
Left room door open
The young man awoke his friend, who headed for the lobby to have the alarm called in, and went to get some towels to smother the fire. It was too late. Fire was already spreading across the ceiling. When he left the apartment, he left the hall door open but pounded on some doors to awaken other residents.
The caller reporting the alarm from the hotel March 9, 1980, was very calm, and I envisioned a mattress fire that would be quickly handled. That’s when I saw the smoke in the sky from about eight blocks away. I radioed to request mutual aid from the Tama Fire Department, which is 2.3 miles south.
Our main fire station is directly across from the hotel. Arriving at the station, I was informed there were people trapped on the third floor. Four men had arrived ahead of me, and the assistant chief was already in the hotel attempting to evacuate residents. We had four residents on the north side and two on the south leaning out of thirdstory windows. The assistant chief reported he had gotten two out of the third floor by way of the inside stairs before being forced out by smoke and heat.
The hotel is a 75-year-old brick structure situated on a lot sloping away to the west and south, making the west end of the building almost four stories above ground level. The north side adjoins a 12-foot alley and the south has a fenced-in 25-foot-wide yard with gravel parking at the rear of the building.
Building laddered
A 35-foot aluminum three-section ladder from Engine 112 was raised on the south side and a similar ladder from pumper 111 was raised on the north. Both these ladders were initially raised by two-man crews. As additional manpower arrived, a wooden 35-foot ladder from Reserve Tanker 122 was also raised on the south because the rescues on this side appeared to be more urgent due to the spreading fire. A 24-foot ladder from Tanker 121 was raised to the second-floor fire escape platform on the north because the drop-down ladder on this fire escape did not appear to be in very good condition, but the ladder was not used.
The windows on both sides near the west end of the hotel required the ladders to be completely extended and placed at a very steep climbing angle. The uneven terrain made for extreme stress on these ladders.
The two residents on the south side were brought down without incident, although one rail of the center section of the wooden ladder was cracked through five or six rungs from overloading. The north side rescue posed additional problems due to the many utility services entering the building on the alley side. These necessitated lowering the ladder completely between each window where a resident was awaiting rescue.
In his haste to leave, one resident at the north side jumped into the arms of the fire fighter climbing the ladder before the fire fighter was ready. Both of them almost fell but the rescue was completed.
Another person on the north side came down a knotted fire escape rope, although fire fighters were getting ladders ready to raise to his window. One third-floor resident crawled on his hands and knees the length of the hallway to the main stairway to escape when he could have gone down an enclosed rear stairway next door to his room.
Second search conducted
Although we felt all residents were out of the third floor, a second search was made from the outside of each room by ladder while others with SCBA searched inside.
As the rescue operations were progressing and more men were arriving, lines were laid to nearby hydrants. Preconnected lines, a 1 1/2-inch and a 2 1/2-inch, from Engine 112 were operated from the ground into the two south windows of the involved apartment. These lines were manned by only one fire fighter on each, initially. Until hydrant lines could be charged, these lines were supplied by Engine 112’s booster tank.
A crew was sent to the roof to ventilate above the fire. Other 1½-inch lines were taken to the roof and up the inside stair to attack the fire from the inside. A 1 1/2-inch line with a high volume nozzle was the first line in position on the third floor, and a decision was made by the assistant chief in charge to attack with it and the 1 1/2-inch standpipe line. The outside lines were ordered shut down. The fire was nearly blacked out when the the standpipe line failed and had to be shut down. However, extinguishment was completed without further incident.
The Tama Fire Department arrived as the last rescue was started and laid double 2½-inch lines to a hydrant. They also aided in the second search of the top-floor rooms. Their lines were never charged because we felt we were controlling the fire. Since it was freezing weather, we chose not to charge them if they weren’t needed. The Tama fire fighters reported they could see the smoke in the sky all the way from their station.
Smoke ejectors aided in ventilation. The lath and plaster under the wall paneling together with a fire-retardant blown insulation in the attic helped buy time for us. The two outside lines operated early in the battle could not control the fire but did help slow it down to some degree.
Salvage operations
A fabric shop located in the basement of the hotel and operated by the owners of the hotel was cleared of smoke. All of the stock was covered by salvage covers and plastic sheeting, resulting in a very minimal loss to this business.
A use never envisioned by the makers of our 1600-gallon folding tank was found when it was opened in the main lobby of the hotel and served to catch most of the water coming through the ceiling from the fire above. This materially decreased the water going into the fabric store below.
The owners of the hotel—one is a retired captain of our department—considered the building doomed when they arrived early in the fire fighting and while all effort was being directed on rescue.
I feel our success was due in part to our being able to put a large number of men on this fire quickly so that rescue, fire fighting and ventilation could all be undertaken effectively. All rescues were made within 10 minutes and most of the fire knocked down in another 10 minutes or less.
We had terrific cooperation from everyone. One or two residents of the hotel helped pull hose and hook up lines, although they were without protective clothing. We had lots of help from local police and sheriffs deputies, public works men, daytime emergency services volunteers, fire fighters’ wives, retired fire fighters and many others. The Tama Fire Department had about as many men on the fireground as we did. The local public electric utility sent a 55-foot bucket truck, although we had everyone on the ground by the time it arrived. All evacuated hotel residents were taken across the street to the meeting room of our fire station, where they were given hot coffee and blankets. Many of them had escaped without taking time to dress.
Four injured
There were four injuries. One resident was treated for smoke inhalation; one fell on the steps while leaving, injuring his elbow; one fire fighter suffered some minor burns on his hands; and another was taken to the hospital for a knee injury received in a fall on the ice formed by the spray from the hoses.
Examination of the stereo by an expert radio repairman to determine the origin of the fire revealed a filter that had exploded, resulting in the noise probably heard by the young man as he awakened. This was reported to be an oil-filled part, explaining the quick fire build-up. No reason for the probable overheating and subsequent failure of the filter could be determined due to the badly damaged condition of the stereo. A check with the office of the state fire marshal revealed no known problems with this make and model.
Smoke detectors located in the halls operated early and resulted in numerous residents being awakened before police or fire fighters were able to reach their doors.
Our department consists of 25 volunteers covering a population of approximately 4000 in an area of about 75 square miles. We operate two 750-gpm pumpers, two tankers, two brush units and two ambulances out of two stations.
