On November 13, 1997, an early morning fire in a large apartment building in Bremerton, WA,
caused the death of four elderly residents and forced the evacuation of an additional 150 residents.
Estimated property damage was in excess of $7.5 million.
The fire, determined to be accidental, started in an unoccupied apartment (Apartment 316) and
spread rapidly, trapping many residents. At least 21 people had to be rescued by firefighters using ground
ladders. The construction features of the non-sprinkled building contributed to the fire spread. The blaze
quickly involved the exterior walkway in the courtyard from the apartment door, communicated upward
via pipe chases and utility shafts, and extended from the exterior rear window of the apartment of origin.
Once in the attic, the inadequate and poorly constructed fire walls allowed rapid horizontal fire spread.
Fire units arrived in less than a minute and a half and all efforts were concentrated on rescue for
the first 20 minutes of response. Firefighters were hampered by lack of hydrants within the complex, lack
of access to the apartment entrances, and lack of sufficient area in which to operate. Three full alarms
and three strike teams were needed to control the fire, which was declared at 0745. Residents were
relocated via city buses to a nearby church. In addition to the efforts of many local fire departments,
various agencies of the Bremerton City government and private relief groups worked together to
coordinate logistical support in the suppression, operation, and relocation and relief efforts. The Federal
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Task Force assisted Bremerton fire officials in
determining the origin and cause of the fire.
The apartment building was constructed in 1971 without sprinkler and central alarm systems. (A
retrofit ordinance requiring sprinklers was not in effect at the time of the fire.) City fire officials had
written the building owners at least twice requesting that they install improvements in built-in fire
protection, including fire sprinklers.
This fire provided the impetus for the city to initiate an amendment to its building code to require
sprinkler protection for such occupancies. The fire department has begun a risk prioritization program in
which occupancies are classified as to height, occupancy load, specialty use, square footage, and unique
access or egress problems. Moreover, a bill has been reintroduced in the Washington State legislature to
require sprinkler retrofits for multiple occupancy buildings, in part due to the publicity from this fire.
Next » Incident Narrative
Save to del.icio.us
