The initial knockout information included flames showing and that there were victims trapped on the second floor.
First units arrived on the scene in about three minutes and were told that all victims were out of the house (Most had gone home for the weekend). One of the boys that lived in the house had been given a rope ladder by his parents a few months before. He thought at the time that the gift was "stupid". He now credits the rope ladder with saving his life.
Initial dispatch included two engines and one 100 foot tower from Headquarters, along with two additional units from substations. The incident commander called for a second alarm which gave him another engine and a Quint. Off- duty personnel were also called in.
Eventually, 28 Firefighters and 7 apparatus responded to the incident.
First arriving crews were greeted with flames coming through the roof and heavy smoke pushing out most windows.
After determining that all occupants were accounted for, operations shifted to an exterior only attack. The fire was subdued after about 30 minutes.
Total fire flow at peak of operations was equal to nearly 2000 Gallons Per Minute (gpm).
