National Fire Protection Agency

The fire investigations unit for the nonprofit NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) released findings today for the February 1999 fire that killed three firefighters at the Precious Faith Chapel in Lake Worth, Texas.

Major findings from the report included lack of a proper building/incident size-up and lack of compatible accountability systems among departments that responded to the scene.

A summary of the report findings, as well as a select number of other investigative reports, can be found on the Internet at www.nfpa.org.

The fire started in an adjacent storage shed and quickly spread to the northeast corner of the church. Only the pastor was in the church at the time, but he was evacuated. Both the Lake Worth and Samson Park fire departments responded initially, and mutual aid came from four other departments, including River Oaks.

Two firefighters who died were from River Oaks, and the third was from Samson Park. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Within minutes after the firefighters began to battle the blaze, lightweight wood trusses comprising the roof structure collapsed. One firefighter fell from the roof and another hung by his fingertips before being rescued. Both suffered only minor injuries.

An initial accountability check indicated that there were two firefighters missing inside the structure, and they were subsequently rescued. However, three additional firefighters were unaccounted for when a second accountability check was performed. By that time, the fire had overcome the building, making a rescue impossible.

According to NFPA’s report, the absence of an established rapid intervention crew at the time of the collapse, lack of use of Personal Alert Safety Systems (a device that signals others that a firefighter is trapped), and lack of subdivision in the attic may have also been contributing factors.

"With lightweight constructed buildings it’s important to be aware of the type of construction and the rapid manner in which it fails under fire conditions," said Robert Duval, senior fire investigator for NFPA. "This structure failed within minutes of the fire department’s arrival, while initial fireground operations were still underway."

NFPA’s fire investigations department documents some of the most significant fire incidents throughout the world. The objective of these investigations is to determine what lessons can be learned from the incidents.

Information then is made available to the fire safety community and is used in developing and updating codes and standards.