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SPECIAL REPORT
News, Major Incidents, Hot Topics |
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How Two Heroes Died, Probe of tragedy,
details chaos that cost firefighters their lives
By Lou Michel – Buffalo
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In the chaos of what turned out to be a false report of
people trapped inside a burning That was all Buffalo Firefighter Jonathan S. Croom needed
to hear. He bolted inside the front door of the Super Speedy Deli just as two
firefighters, overwhelmed by smoke and heat, were able to escape the inferno. Croom never got out alive, and neither did Lt. Charles W.
"Chip" McCarthy Jr., who sent the mayday call from the basement of
the deli. Those fateful moments are among the details in a 28-page
report that provides previously unknown information about the difficulties
that firefighters faced in the three-alarm blaze that was reported at 3:51
a.m. "What is clear is Firefighter Croom quickly
ascertained the general area that Lt. McCarthy had been calling from and then
selflessly attempted a rescue operation," according to preliminary
results from the Fire Department's recently completed internal investigation
of the blaze that killed Croom and McCarthy. While the cause of the fire remains under investigation
six months later, the departmental report obtained by The Buffalo News
contains other details about the tragic morning, including the belief by
firefighters that only one of their partners was missing and trapped. It took
more than an hour and a half — because of the chaos and similar sounding
names — for firefighters to realize that they were looking for not one
missing comrade, but two. However, the blaze was so intense that firefighters were
unable to enter the building's basement to save anyone. Searching for "civilians' The reconstructed scene unfolds this way: • McCarthy had been searching the first floor of the deli
to make sure there were no firefighters still inside because the basement
fire was spreading and had made conditions in the deli untenable. • When the lieutenant reached the back of the store by a
wall of fully stocked coolers, the weight of the units and the unchecked fire
below caused the floor to collapse and McCarthy to fall into the basement. • McCarthy's radioed his mayday at about 4:23 a.m. • Croom heard McCarthy shouting for help as he was
standing in front of the deli and, apparently following the cries for
assistance, fell through the same collapsed section of floor, landing feet
away from McCarthy. • It did not become clear that two firefighters were missing
until 6:10 a.m., though concerns over the whereabouts of Croom, working an
overtime shift with Ladder 7, were first recorded at 5:10 a.m. A mistaken
sighting of him elsewhere at the fire scene and a mix-up involving another
firefighter with a similar sounding last name prolonged the belief that he
was safe. • About 10 minutes after McCarthy's mayday call, an
emergency head count was conducted at about 4:32 a.m., and it was determined
that McCarthy, of Rescue 1, was missing. • Repeated attempts to reach McCarthy were thwarted
because of the fierce fire, heavy smoke and deteriorating condition of the
building, a rambling 2½-story wood and brick structure with a cigarette
warehouse in the basement, an apartment behind the deli and two apartments on
the second floor, one of which was occupied. Well before the mayday call, searches of the second floor
and the rear apartment turned up no victims there. Early on, other
firefighters found an exterior door on the east side of the building, opened
it and headed down a flight of stairs, where they encountered a heavy, locked
steel door leading to the basement. Prompted by the initial reports of passers-by claiming to
have heard people screaming for help from the basement, firefighters had
tried to break down the door, which was framed in brick. Unaware of collapse Despite repeated efforts to take down the door,
firefighters could not make substantial progress, and that allowed the fire
to build. At 4:07 a.m., McCarthy and Croom entered the deli for a
quick two-man "reconnaissance" to try to find an alternative
interior entrance to the basement. McCarthy found a rear door inside the deli, believed to
lead to the basement, and he and Croom left the deli. Croom rejoined crew
members of Ladder 7. The lieutenant remained convinced that people were trapped
in the basement. According to the report: "Civilians are still thought to be trapped as Lt.
McCarthy reported to the IC [incident commander] that during his previous
entry, he could hear people calling out and banging on pipes. "It is likely that Lt. McCarthy had mistaken noises
firefighters [operating on the back side of the wall coolers] were making as
those of trapped civilians. IC later affirmed that Lt. McCarthy was adamant
that he heard people calling out during his earlier reconnaissance. Compounding the dire situation was a report of
"spongy" floor conditions from firefighters working at the back of
the commercial coolers. "This critical information was never relayed to the
IC," the report says. At 4:15 a.m., firefighters retreated from trying to open
the reinforced side door to the basement and at 4:17 a.m. the incident
commander radioed to dispatch, "We're pulling our companies out of the
first floor. ... They are having great difficulty making entry to the basement
because of a steel door." Additional efforts were made, but without success, and at
4:20 a.m., McCarthy and other fire officials conferred in front of the
building about conditions inside. At 4:21 a.m., McCarthy, ahead of two other firefighters
from Rescue 1, entered the deli to make sure that no firefighters were
inside. "Lt. McCarthy apparently follows the now abandoned
[1¾-inch fire hose] previously stretched into the delicatessen to the rear
... of the store. One of the remaining firefighters follows the line well
behind Lt. McCarthy, unaware of the search pattern the lieutenant followed.
Store shelving that creates aisles blocks the view of this firefighter as he
scans with the TIC [thermal imaging camera] and calls out to verify that all
other firefighters have exited the delicatessen. "The other firefighter searches the middle aisle
after crossing the front counter. His view of the rear of the store is also
obscured by shelving as he proceeds down the aisle. Extremely dense smoke
conditions make visual contact between firefighters impossible." After merchandise fell on the firefighter with the camera,
he headed out of the store. The other firefighter, in the middle aisle, heard
calls for help from someone he believed was in the basement, according to the
report. "Neither firefighter is aware that a catastrophic
floor collapse has occurred, bringing down the first floor under and adjacent
to the rear wall coolers," the report says. At 4:23 a.m., the incident commander asked, "Was that
a mayday transmission?" McCarthy's mayday transmission was heard at the scene but
failed to reach the Fire Department radio repeater because his portable radio
was on "direct" mode, which means that it transmitted mostly among
other portable radios on site. "Urgent pleas for help' Hearing the mayday call, Croom put on his air mask and
headed toward the deli's front entrance, passing the two Rescue 1
firefighters leaving the building. He stopped briefly and got a hand tool and
then went inside. "Firefighter Croom entered the structure by himself
in response to urgent pleas for help. It is unknown if he spoke directly to
his officer or any other firefighter before entering the delicatessen,"
the report says. "Confusion and mass movement of personnel compromised
communication. Therefore, it cannot be determined if Firefighter Croom
informed others of his intended actions or not." Part of the confusion was blamed on the fact that it was
not known who issued the mayday call and that a rear section of the deli's
floor had collapsed. In the meantime, the fire was burning uncontrolled, and a
third alarm was requested. Rising temperatures made a rescue effort
unfeasible, and at 4:47 a.m., the commander ordered firefighters to evacuate. A firefighter inside the deli had, in fact, fallen through
another hole in the floor but was able to pull himself
out. "Incident commander has determined that any further
rescue operation will endanger more firefighters. At this point the IC had
decided that a rescue is no longer feasible, and that recovery is now the
main goal. It is still thought that Lt. McCarthy is the only missing
member." At 8:04 a.m., it was determined that there was 6 feet of
water in the basement and that pumps were needed to drain it. At 9:18 a.m., the commander received word from the on-duty
battalion chief: "... Be advised we have eyes on the two, we have eyes
on our two." At 9:32 a.m., the battalion chief stated: "Command,
we have hands on, I say again we have hands on two
firefighters." At 9:40 a.m., Croom's remains, draped in an American flag,
were removed to a waiting ambulance. Three minutes later, McCarthy's body,
also covered in an American flag, was removed. "All members stand by to honor their fallen
brothers," the report states. Hundreds of firefighters, on and off duty, stood at
attention and saluted. Document:
NIOSH Preliminary Investigative Report |