Indiana Fire Chief Reflects Following Fatal Blaze

When a house fire is reported to the Fort Wayne Fire Department, Chief Peter Kelly said the response typically includes three engines, a ladder truck, a rescue unit and two battalion chiefs -- a minimum of 22 firefighters.

So when tragedy strikes, as it did early Tuesday when two people did not survive a blaze in the home at 4114 Robinwood Drive, Kelly understands the anguish that people feel, because he feels the same way.

"In the end, our thoughts are with the family," he said Tuesday afternoon. "It's a sad day. We did everything we could. We wish, we always wish, we could've done more."

According to the Allen County Coroner's Office, Carson W. Tubbs, 20, and Jonette N. Chacon, 19, died of asphyxia due to smoke inhalation. Their deaths have been ruled accidental. Stacey Fleming, a spokeswoman for the Fort Wayne Fire Department, said Tuesday in a news release that a woman woke up to the smell of smoke around 3:37 a.m. and called 911 after she and her daughter evacuated from their residence.

Upon arrival four minutes later, firefighters discovered heavy smoke and fire coming from the two-story structure and were told two more people -- the woman's son and his fiancee -- were still in the house. Firefighters entered the residence and located Tubbs and Chacon; both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators believe there was no working smoke detector in the home at the time of the fire and that the fire likely started near a wall, behind a Christmas tree.

Kelly said, as the investigation continues, initial findings indicate, "for whatever reason, it (the fire) just really took off. It was a fairly small house, so that's probably some of it ... you don't know for sure. No two fires are alike, and there are various factors that come into play."

On Tuesday morning, evidence of the fire's intense heat was obvious: The siding on the house was warped and buckled, and most of the windows were broken out. Small piles of debris lay nearby. The siding on the house to the north was melted, as well. The fire was not ruled contained until 4:09 a.m.

One firefighter was injured in the blaze, sustaining a sprained ankle. He was treated and released from a local hospital, and Kelly said he will likely return to duty in several days.

This is the first fatal fire in the city since Dec. 31, 2010. In that blaze, two children lost their mother when Kelly Tomasi, 43, died several hours after firefighters pulled her from her burning home at 2503 N. Wells St. Tomasi's son and daughter were able to escape the blaze.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service