One person is dead following a fire at a duplex in south Emporia early this morning.
At 1:39 a.m., the Emporia Fire Department was notified of a fire at 603 Valley Drive. The house was occupied by five people, two of whom were trapped inside, according to a press release by the Emporia Fire Department.
Upon arrival, firefighters saw flames coming from a second-story window of the house, which was occupied by Auspision LLC, a provider of residential and day service affiliated with Hetlinger Developmental Services.
Emporia Police Officers Kelly Davis and Tanner Monhollon rescued one person from the second floor. A third officer, Kevin Shireman, entered the building to help clear it. Three people had already escaped from the house. The fifth person was found dead on the second floor after firefighters entered the building to conduct a search and extinguish the fire.
The name of the dead person is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. A search was done of the other house of the duplex — 601 Valley Drive. No one was at home at the time of the fire.
The person Davis and Monhollon removed from the home was taken to Newman Regional Health by the Emporia Fire Department/Lyon County EMS. Davis and Monhollon were not injured. Three people who were in the building were treated at the scene and at least two of them were taken to Newman by private vehicle. Names of the residents were not available because the victims are protected by federal privacy laws, according to the Emporia Fire Department.
An investigator with the state Fire Marshal’s office has been called in to help with the investigation at the request of the Emporia Fire Department.
smith_ron (anonymous) says...
What a tragedy.
You know, I read this story on the Wichita Eagle's online edition. Gazette, what took you so long?
January 15, 2008 at 4:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jan (anonymous) says...
I know what u mean smith_ron, i had to read about it on KVOE.COM
January 15, 2008 at 6:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hogan77 (anonymous) says...
What compassion the gazette writers have. They can't even say the victim, they have to say "the dead person". LOVELY!
January 15, 2008 at 9:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slipandslide (anonymous) says...
this is a sad story
January 15, 2008 at 10:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ks_farmboy (anonymous) says...
thank god for the two police officers. it could have been much worse.
January 16, 2008 at 6:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JohnDoe (anonymous) says...
Probably not the most sensitive choice of words. However, there were also victims involved who did NOT die in the fire. The word choice makes it clear as to which victim is being referred to and the reason the name is withheld. Concise writing in my opinion. This is a tragedy but we have to accept the facts.
A BIG Thank You to Officers Davis, Monhollon, Shireman and the Emporia Fire Department!
January 16, 2008 at 11:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
disgruntledcitizen (anonymous) says...
I'm wondering if this house had smoke detectors in it or if there is any agency that monitors these types of residencies to make sure they are up to code or not.
January 16, 2008 at 3:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hogan77 (anonymous) says...
John, I am sure there were more tactful words that could have been used in this article. Perhaps something along the lines of "the deceased", instead of "the dead person"? If it would have been one of my relatives, I probably would have been mortified...
January 16, 2008 at 8:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
suzyseg (anonymous) says...
There are agencies that provide oversight.
I can open the paper everyday and see that somebodies home/building has caught fire-and they didn't have any disabilities. I have worked with folks with disabilities for over 25 years. I know of only one fire besides this one.
The tragedy isn't in when the paper reported it, or the language they used isn't what we want to hear.
The tragedy is that these idividuals have to compensate for their limitations everyday-and in a disaster of any kind, they may not fully understand what is happening,how to respond, or how to get out of it. But they have monthly drills and have had more preparation than most of us. Do you have monthly fire drills? Do you have fire extinguishers in your homes? Do you have exit plans?
My heart goes out to them because this doesn't make sense....because they have lost a friend.....because they are a bit vulnerable to begin with.....but yet they already have survived so much in life.....I know those who survived this tragedy will overcome the trauma.
Have you done your part? Have you looked a person in the eye who may be a bit different and said hello? Have you donated to the cause-your time, money, or other resources? If your neighbor has a disability, would you know their name in event they have an emergency -would you offer them a safe place to turn to if they need to get help?
If not, I don't think you need to comment on this tragedy.
January 18, 2008 at 3:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CRYSTALJO (anonymous) says...
CHECK THIS OUT....THIS MAN IS A HERO
http://www.ktka.com/news/2008/jan/18/...
January 18, 2008 at 6:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slipandslide (anonymous) says...
i hope Robert recovers well, he did a great thing!!
January 18, 2008 at 9:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
smith_ron (anonymous) says...
The Kansas City Star and The Wichita Eagle both reported this morning that a second person has died as a result of this tragic fire.
Does The Gazette aware that its readers have to shop somewhere else to get the current news?
By the way, I am a subscriber.
January 22, 2008 at 12:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )