Mayor: 6 Dead in N.C. Beach Fire

[Ghost in the Machine]

Mayor: 6 Dead in N.C. Beach Fire
Published: 10/28/07, 3:25 PM EDT
By ESTES THOMPSON

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. (AP) - Fire swept through a beach house believed occupied by college students early Sunday, killing six and sending several more to a hospital, authorities said.

Mayor Debbie Smith said one person remains missing. The fire also sent six people to the hospital, although they were all released after treatment.

Witnesses said the home had been filled with college students, many of whom appeared to be from the University of South Carolina.

The fire struck the house on Scotland Street sometime before 7 a.m. and burned completely through the first and second floors, leaving only part of the frame standing.

"We ran down the street to get away," said Nick Cain, a student at the University of North Carolina who was staying at a house about 100 feet away. "The ash and the smoke were coming down on us. We were just trying to get away."

The waterfront house was built on stilts, and firefighters had to climb a ladder to reach the first living floor.

http://www.att.net/s/editorial.dll?bfromind=2728&eeid=5492593&_sitecat=1522&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=0&ck=&ch=ne

[zabet]

1. Wow...

We had been there since last Wednesday
until late Saturday evening. (at O.I.B.)

Horrible. :cry:

[piesRsquare]

2. Is this some kind of East Coast/West Coast competition thing? n/t

[NorthernSpy]

4. oh, pull in your horns, little snail...

:argh:

[supernova]

3. Kitchen fire?

How sad. And it's such a beautiful area too.

:-(

It must be one of those really big vacation houses that sleeps 18 or 20. My family did that several years ago.

[Lex]

5. Terrible. Can't remember anything like that at the coast

of NC in a long while.