Young hero warns residents but fire kills 3 North Vancouver women
'I'm not superman or anything but … I feel really good,' says 11-year-old Dustan
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 7, 2008 | 6:02 PM PT
CBC News
An 11-year-old boy is being called a hero for running through a burning North Vancouver building Tuesday night, warning residents of a fire that eventually killed three elderly women.
A fire broke out at about 9:45 p.m. in a 19th Street apartment block on Tuesday night. (CBC) Const. Mike McLaughlin of the North Vancouver RCMP said the fire likely began around 9:45 p.m. PT on the first floor of the three-storey wood frame apartment building at 155 East 19th St. near Lonsdale Avenue.
The bodies of two of the women were found together in the front lobby of the building. The body of the third woman was found in her third-floor apartment, said McLaughlin.
Police identified the third woman as Ilse Wilhelmine Dragossy, 84. The identities of the two women found in the front lobby have not been released because their next of kin has not been notified.
Despite reports of an explosion, there was no evidence the fire was caused by propane or oxygen tanks, McLaughlin said Wednesday morning.
But the fire was being treated as "suspicious until proven otherwise," and the RCMP arson unit was investigating, he said.
Young boy a hero, says father
The father of Dustan Roach-Matthews said he's proud that his son helped alert others by running through the burning building.
The two were cleaning up a storage locker when the boy heard a beeping sound and went off to investigate, Brian Matthews told CBC News Wednesday morning.
Dustan Roach-Matthews, 11, ran through the burning apartment building to let residents know about the fire. (CBC) When his son returned, he told his father the building was on fire, and then ran off to alert the other residents of the building. The father returned to their second-floor apartment for the family's cat and ended up having to jump off the balcony as flames filled the hallway.
"I ran down the hallway of the first floor, yelling fire at everybody's doors. [I] ran up on the second floor, yelling fire and ran up the third floor and ran all the way back," Dustan said.
"He did a great job 'cause I was ignoring it. I thought it's another toaster alarm. He came back and said, 'Dad, there's a fire!' So, we immediately got out of the building," the father said.
"I'm not Superman or anything but … I feel really good [about what I did]," Dustan added.
Residents told CBC News that many of them first treated the fire as a false alarm before eventually fleeing the burning building.
Matthews said the scene inside the building was chaotic as residents tried to get out. Smoke filled the hallways and it was not clear where it was coming from, making it difficult for residents to know which way to flee.
RCMP said the fact that the building didn't have enough smoke alarms and sprinklers contributed to the tragedy. Although flames quickly spread through the wood frame building, there was no indication the building was not up to code, police said.
Neighbour woken by explosion
Norm Witzell, who lives across the back lane from the building, said he was woken up by what sounded like an explosion followed by screaming.
Three people died in the fire. Others were rescued from balconies. (CBC) When he looked out his window, he saw the balcony of the first-floor apartment in flames and fire shooting out the windows and doors.
He said he suspected the blast he heard was the sound of the balcony doors being blown out. Other residents have speculated it may have been the oxygen tank of an elderly resident.
A man and a young boy were trying to re-enter the apartment by a side door, he told CBC Radio on Wednesday morning.
"By the time firefighters arrived, three apartments were already engulfed in flames," McLaughlin said.
Intense flames halt efforts
Residents praised the efforts of firefighters from the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver, who rescued six people from balconies as the flames engulfed the apartments.
"Their efforts certainly prevented the spread of the fire and likely saved lives," McLaughlin said.
"However, nobody could save three people who were trapped inside the building."
Amir Kumarsi, who jumped from his first-floor balcony to get out, said firefighters couldn't get to one woman because the flames were too intense.
"They were trying to get the water going, but there was too much fire to do anything," said Kumarsi.
Officials don't yet know how much damage was done to the building, but three rear apartments were charred as firefighters finished up.
RCMP said it would be number of days before residents would be able to return to the building.
With files from the Canadian Press
