Total of 32 believed dead in Quebec fire
Source: AP
Crews on Saturday recovered just two more bodies on the third day of an excruciating search through the charred remains of a Quebec retirement home, now covered in ice as thick as two feet. A total of 32 people are believed to have been killed in the massive fire, but just 10 bodies have been found.
The cause of Thursday's blaze in the small town of L'Isle-Verte remains under investigation. There were media reports that the fire began in the room of a resident who was smoking a cigarette, but police said that was just one possibility among many.
"It could be a cigarette, it could be a small heater, it could be an electrical problem," Police Lt. Michel Brunet said at a news conference. "We have to be sure at 100 percent."
"We're going to take the time we need," he added.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Total-of-32-believed-dead-in-Quebec-fire-5171497.php
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the information is still sketchy, the tragedy is not so much how the fire started, but how quickly it spread and how few could be rescued.
Most people have no idea how fast a fire can spread. Hollywood does a huge disservice by showing burning buildings as things you have time to get out of, or maybe even go back inside to rescue something or someone. Many years ago I taped a half hour show about fire, how quickly it can spread, how rapidly it grows to a point where it cannot be fought by a person without serious equipment, about flash-over ("Most people who have seen flasher are dead."
, just how deadly fire can be. It left me with great respect for fire and a low-grade anger over how it's misrepresented in popular entertainment.
If you can bear to watch the videos, Google The Station Nightclub Fire. There was a videographer there who captured it all, but the main thing is that in approximately 90 seconds from the first flame it was no longer survivable. If you didn't get out in the first 90 seconds you were dead. I recently read an entire book on that fire, and the very criminal aspect of it was that exits had been blocked, and the main way in and out was a bottleneck.
Anyway, this fire in Quebec is a terrible tragedy.
about should the federal government here in Canada mandate sprinkler systems in all retirement facilities because of the extra time it takes elderly people to get out. Currently I believe there is a law where new buildings must have them but older buildings are exempt. People want the older buildings retrofitted. Apparently this particular facility was well run, had regular drills where everyone was able to exit in the allotted time etc. The facility had built a brand new addition recently that did have a sprinkler system as per law. That addition is the only part of the entire building that is still standing, and is where most of the survivors lived. The extra time a sprinkler system can add to escape time can most definitely mean the difference between life and death.
I agree that what they show in movies and tv is unrealistic. It's why I installed extra smoke detectors all around my house, despite already having several installed in my new home as per code. I don't ever want to be in the position of it being too late when I realize what is happening. I remember that nightclub fire and that video. It was really horrible. I watched the newsfeed live when it happened. I was horrified that it spread so fast most didn't have a chance. I think the worst story I heard about this particular fire in Quebec is one son who tried to save his mother from her balcony but his ladder was too short and he watched her die. omg, I can't imagine.
