Friday, December 11, 2009

Phoenixville resident dies from injuries in fire

Please pray for the victim and his family.

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PHOENIXVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA - December 11, 2009 (WPVI) -- Rescue workers in Chester County have rushed one person to the hospital, after firefighters pulled him out of his burning house.

The fire started around 2:30 Friday morning in a home on the 300-block of Washington Avenue in Phoenixville.

Firefighters arrived to find flames and smoke pouring out of the three-story twin.

When crews were told a man was trapped on the third floor, they fought through the flames to rescue him. Officials tell Action News he later died as a result of his injuries.

Read the rest of the article here:

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7165156

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe this was The Street's residence. Does anyone know which family member died?

Dave Gautreau and Family said...

Let this be a reminder that we all need to consistantly check our smoke detector batteries. The other day my wife said our attic detector was "chirping". I changed the battery and decided to replace batteries in the other two. These small devices and the small price of batteries can prevent a lifetime of heartache. I hope everyone has a warm and happy holiday season.

Karen said...

Man dies in house fire
Saturday, December 12, 2009

By Dennis J. Wright, dwright@pottsmerc.com

PHOENIXVILLE — A 24-year-old Phoenixville man died Friday after being rescued from the third floor of his home in an early morning blaze.

Ronald Louis Streets III, of 365 Washington Ave., died as a result of injuries suffered during the two-alarm blaze, according to fire officials.

Fire Chief Jim Gable said Streets was trapped on the third floor of his house amid heavy smoke and flames before firefighters got him out.

Gable said that firefighters arrived at the scene just before 2 a.m., and flames and heavy smoke were seen at the rear of the three-story twin building and throughout the entire first floor.

"Additional alarm assignments were requested and firefighters went into the residence with multiple handlines," Gable said.

"We attacked with hose lines from the front of the building and pushing it towards the back of the building. We had firefighters working the back of the building as well. The entire residence was gutted, and the neighboring homes at 363 and 367 Washington Ave. were damaged," the fire chief said.

Firefighters performed an extensive overhaul of the building and had the fire under control by 5 a.m., Gable said.

"Along with the fire, we were dealing with a light wind, and it was very cold," he said. "The water was freezing on the roadway. Borough workers were salting the road and sidewalks.

"We had a lot of good firefighters working on this fire. We don't have a lot of fatalities as far as fires go. They did a good job getting the fire out while working in the conditions this morning."

One firefighter was injured at the scene when he slipped on ice, Gable said.

The cause of the fire was not determined Friday, but fire officials were on the scene conducting their investigation throughout the day. Gable said it appeared the fire started at the rear of the building. Neighbors said the kitchen was located in that area.

Gable said the entire building has been boarded up.

"The entire residence is an estimated $260,000 loss," he said. "This fire is under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police and Chester County Fire Marshals Office."

Fire officials cleared the scene by 8:30 a.m.

Assisting at the scene were the Phoenixville Fire Department, Kimberton Fire Company, Valley Forge Fire Company, Spring City Liberty SteamFire Company, Humane Fire Department of Royersford, Mont Clare Fire Company, Oaks Fire Department, Pennsylvania Fire Marshal's Office, Chester County Fire Marshal's Office, and Phoenixville Detectives.

URL: http://www.pottsmerc.com/articles/2009/12/12/news/srv0000007060177.prt

Anonymous said...

Piggybacking to what Dave said, Not only make sure you have smoke detectors with fresh batteries, but also test them and check the date they were manufactured. Some are good for 7 years and others may be good for 10 years. Another good point when buying them, don't go cheap as cheaper is not always the best. Kidde makes a very great detecotr that not only give audible alerts, but also verbal alerts as to the reason for activation so there is no confusion as to why it is going off. They are more expensive, but a price can not be put on saftey of your family and friends. This same detector doubles as a Co detector as well. It is a model KN-COSM-B. The PFD offers them free for Elderly and low income homes with installation being done by them as well for Phoenixville Borough Residents. Contact them for more.

Stay safe over the holidays and my thoughts to the family/friends involved.

Anonymous said...

Get the detectors hard wired.

Anonymous said...

Anon 0940,

That is another option, but if power goes out they do not work. You can get ones that are both, but then people rely on the hard wire to work all the time and forget the batteries as well.

Anonymous said...

Get a sprinkler system installed to be on the safe side