3 Dead In Houston High-Rise Fire
March 29, 2007
(AP) HOUSTON Fire broke out in a six-story office building Wednesday, killing three people and
injuring at least six as those inside climbed down to safety on ladders, fire officials said.Flames
shot out of the building's top floors and heavy smoke blanketed a nearby 10-lane freeway during the
evening rush hour.
Television footage showed flames breaking through glass and fire personnel guiding people down
ladders. Firefighters found the three bodies on the building's fifth floor, District Fire Chief T.J.
Dowdy said. Office workers in a mid-rise that caught fire Wednesday afternoon said the sprinkler
system in the building did not work and that fire alarms could only be heard in the hallways.
The Houston Fire Department said a working sprinkler system would have prevented the
blaze from spreading.
Several of those forced to evacuate the six-story inferno said that even as the fire raged the
buildingsfire suppression system did not work. According Harris County records the 22 -year-old
office building has a “wet” sprinkler system installed.
“I had two clients and I just told everybody let’s go, let’s get out of here,” one of the 100 office
workers who had to evacuate the building said. “You didn’t hear the alarm until you got into the
hallway.”
One of the woman’s coworkers complained that the sprinkler system in the building did not work.
March 29, 2007
(AP) HOUSTON Fire broke out in a six-story office building Wednesday, killing three people and
injuring at least six as those inside climbed down to safety on ladders, fire officials said.Flames
shot out of the building's top floors and heavy smoke blanketed a nearby 10-lane freeway during the
evening rush hour.
Television footage showed flames breaking through glass and fire personnel guiding people down
ladders. Firefighters found the three bodies on the building's fifth floor, District Fire Chief T.J.
Dowdy said. Office workers in a mid-rise that caught fire Wednesday afternoon said the sprinkler
system in the building did not work and that fire alarms could only be heard in the hallways.
The Houston Fire Department said a working sprinkler system would have prevented the
blaze from spreading.
Several of those forced to evacuate the six-story inferno said that even as the fire raged the
buildingsfire suppression system did not work. According Harris County records the 22 -year-old
office building has a “wet” sprinkler system installed.
“I had two clients and I just told everybody let’s go, let’s get out of here,” one of the 100 office
workers who had to evacuate the building said. “You didn’t hear the alarm until you got into the
hallway.”
One of the woman’s coworkers complained that the sprinkler system in the building did not work.
| PROPERTY INSPECTION TIPS: HELPING TO IDENTIFY THE LIABILITY |
City Shuts Down Pool Where Toddler Drowned
07:33 PM CDT on Monday, August 20, 2007
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
The apartment complex pool where a 2-year-old drowned on Sunday has been closed and
cited for violations of city code, Arlington officials said.
At Castle Pines Apartments, city inspectors found that a lock on the pool gate was broken,
the water didn’t have the correct pH balance and the rate at which the water was filtered
was inadequate.
Josiah Myles was found by the steps in the pool Sunday morning. The Tarrant County
medical examiner ruled that he drowned. Police said the toddler apparently wandered from
an apartment while his father was at work and mother was asleep.
Debbie Lubke, acting assistant director of community services, said a complex
maintenance worker said he “shocked” the pool with chemicals on Friday and placed a
padlock on the gate to keep it closed. She said the complex, however, did not place a
sign on the pool informing residents that it was closed. Ms. Lubke said it appears that
someone broke part of the gate to circumvent the lock and enter the pool area.
The pool passed two previous inspections by the city in July, but the complex was cited
for serious violations this summer. Those included rotting wood, mold, holes in ceilings,
walls and balcony floor, bullet holes in a window, exposed wiring, faulty air conditioners
and standing stagnant water.
07:33 PM CDT on Monday, August 20, 2007
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
The apartment complex pool where a 2-year-old drowned on Sunday has been closed and
cited for violations of city code, Arlington officials said.
At Castle Pines Apartments, city inspectors found that a lock on the pool gate was broken,
the water didn’t have the correct pH balance and the rate at which the water was filtered
was inadequate.
Josiah Myles was found by the steps in the pool Sunday morning. The Tarrant County
medical examiner ruled that he drowned. Police said the toddler apparently wandered from
an apartment while his father was at work and mother was asleep.
Debbie Lubke, acting assistant director of community services, said a complex
maintenance worker said he “shocked” the pool with chemicals on Friday and placed a
padlock on the gate to keep it closed. She said the complex, however, did not place a
sign on the pool informing residents that it was closed. Ms. Lubke said it appears that
someone broke part of the gate to circumvent the lock and enter the pool area.
The pool passed two previous inspections by the city in July, but the complex was cited
for serious violations this summer. Those included rotting wood, mold, holes in ceilings,
walls and balcony floor, bullet holes in a window, exposed wiring, faulty air conditioners
and standing stagnant water.
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