24 hours have passed since yesterday's disastrous fire on Prince Street. Tonight all the smoke is gone but the fallout over the Fire Department's response is just beginning. We can confirm that 5 families, accounting for over 30 people, were displaced. Today the Deputy Fire Chief called the response unacceptable and told us communication problems caused the delay in response. We returned to Prince Street today and revisited the families we spoke to yesterday.
Keith Swift Reporting,
You are looking at the devastation left from yesterday's fire on Prince Street. Seeing the destruction, it's hard to imagine that four houses stood here - 5 families lived here. Its now all just piles upon piles of rubble - burnt zinc, carts, what we suspect were appliances, mattress springs, and these kids found this bicycle. Only pieces are left and today those families returned to Prince Street to literally pick them up. One of those residents is Everal Neal.
Everal Neal, Fire Victim
"Its going rough right now Swift and I am telling you like I don't expect things to jump overnight and happen but I expect the general public to watch what is happening with this fire here and give us a little assistance. All the big people in high and low places because these are difficult times and things are rough and everything I lost. I would wish they would just take consideration and find it out. That is it right there because things are difficult right now having kids going to high school. It is difficult."
Arilee (Arilea) Scott and her sister Helga Barrow were neighbors and they both lost everything. Arilee says the hours since the fire have taken a toll on her health.
Arilee Scott, Fire Victim
"Right now my sister went to get me some medication so I can sleep because really I haven't slept yet neither. I haven't slept because I don't know, I just can't sleep and I find that I can't sleep and I just want to walk, just continue walk."
Keith Swift,
Are these the things you were able to save?
Arilee Scott,
"Most of them are from my sister which she took out of the house upstairs she is picking up. I really didn't save nothing really."
Keith Swift,
Has it hit you yet?
Arilee Scott,
"Yeah I think so, maybe that is why the pressure is going up. It annoys me a lot. It has already sinked in right now."
Arilee's sister Helga lived at 52 Prince Street. Her name, H. Barrow, is still on her house but she can hardly call what is left a home.
Helga Barrow, Fire Victim
"I lost everything, every every single thing. Only the clothes on my back as I told you and my bag because I still had my bag on me."
The story isn't much better for Feliciano Barkley.
Feliciano Barkley, Fire Victim
"We are just trying to clean up our little spot and thing because we will need to do a little renovation and thing back so. I have to try work on that and do what we could do because as you can see nothing is happening. This is the last of it for right here."
But did the Fire Department do all it could do? Helga Barrow says she tried multiple times to reach the Fire Department
.
Helga Barrow,
"I took out my phone right away from out of my pocket and I dialed 90. That didn't get no response, no ring tone, no thing from 90. Then I called 911 and the rang rang rang until it stopped ringing. I came outside because I was sort of frantic I should say. I came out side and I went and I stood over there by number 33 Prince Street and my mind told me to call the operator. So I called 113 and I asked her to do me a favor and please call the fire service and tell them that number 50 Prince Street is on fire. By this time the fire was still at number 50 Prince Street and the operator told me okay.
When I ran back downstairs, I called 113 again. The operator told me they had already called the fire service already. I don't know, about 20 to 25 minutes must have elapsed, I don't know how long because I kind of lost track of time. I said okay then and I hung up and then I called back. I said to give me the number and she gave me the number. I wrote it down on a book that I had in my bag here. I called the number. The guy that answered the phone said they had already gotten the report. Well me I used some explicit words and I said, 'so where the if you already got the report.'"
Barrow says deputy fire chief Ted Smith arrived on the scene and it was another ten minutes before a fire engine actually arrived. The deputy fire chief today says there were communication problems yesterday.
Ted Smith, Deputy Fire Chief
"The response time was poor so I wouldn't rate that good because of the communication problem but the deployment on the ground, after arrival, I rate them very good. We did a good job when we arrived on the ground based on the extent of fire damage. But as I said, the response was poor. We had some communication problems that need to be addressed. We will be conducting an internal investigation to assess what transpired. That is unacceptable in our department."
Keith Swift,
When you say communication problems what are you referring to?
Ted Smith,
"The call was received at 15:35. The trucks they were not at the station at the time. They were out. We have radio systems so it is not difficult to reach the truck. However somewhere down the line that broke down where the truck did not receive, or the people on the truck did not receive the communication that there was a fire eventhough numerous attempts were made to contact the truck. Somebody had to be physically sent from that station, from our headquarters."
Keith Swift,
Can you tell us where was the truck?
Ted Smith,
"The truck was out doing community service. We were out doing some community service at the Girl's Home on St. Thomas Street so it wasn't too far from the station for someone to go out. By foot it would be difficult but in a vehicle, no."
But Helga Barrow isn't blaming anyone.
Helga Barrow,
"Life does go on. Life does go on and where there is life, there is a way and that is the way how I look at it right now."
All the families have found temporary housing. Area Representative Mark Espat has already pledged to assist at least two families with building new homes.
