Sunday, November 1, marks the end of Daylight Savings Time for 2009 and, with that occurrence, the Department would like to remind everyone to use this opportunity to check and replace the batteries in all residential smoke detectors. Be sure to test the alarm for overall operational readiness, as most detectors generally need outright replacement every ten years. The threat of a home fire taking your life is virtually cut in half by ensuring that a working smoke detector is present in your residence.

Tuesday afternoon, November 3, just before 1 PM, an office manager at the Chelsea Courtyards apartments located at 2260 University Boulevard North notified the maintenance worker on duty that a report of a fire in apartment #20 had been issued; in retrospect, an epic understatement. Heavy smoke and flames were visible, completely engulfing the south-eastern corner of the two story, 26 unit building, with several occupants hanging out of their apartment windows from the second floor, frantically waving and screaming for help. The first two units on scene, Engines 19 and 27, not only promptly issued a second alarm but immediately set about helping everyone out of the building, using ladders to reach those individuals on the second floor. With the life safety objective accomplished (including the rescue of two cats) and more units arriving on scene, the aforementioned Engine companies began to work their way up the stairway that separated the structure into two equally sized buildings. Following the call for a third alarm by Command, leading to well over 60 firefighters at the scene, the ladder pipes of 28 and 1 went into action protecting exposures to the rear of the impinged area and directly dousing the heaviest flames. Calling the fire under control in less than 30 minutes, crews ascended to the second floor with handlines to knock down hot spots and soon made a tragic discovery: a fatality in the apartment believed to be the point of origin of the fire. With far more than a dozen people displaced, Red Cross arrived at the scene to provide appropriate support while various investigative agencies, such as the State Fire Marshal's Office, began the arduous task of piecing together the information needed in order to determine the cause of the fire. No serious injuries were reported at the incident that caused over $ 1 million in damages, however, 2 civilians and one firefighter were transported to area hospitals, all with minor injuries.