Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Family escapes condo fire
Three units badly damaged; cause uncertain
BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SPRINGDALE — Tandra Smoot was asleep when her 16-year-old daughter stirred her, warning: “Mama, the house is on fire! We've gotta get out!”
Mrs. Smoot, her daughter and two grandchildren, ages 5 and 7, escaped from their burning condominium at 12 Woodcrest Court unharmed Tuesday evening.
Mrs. Smoot sat in a lawn chair, watching firefighters work, while neighbors comforted her.
The blaze started at the Smoots' residence, then spread to two neighboring condominiums in The Knolls development, said Springdale Assistant Fire Chief Dan Shroyer. It was unclear whether anyone was at home in the neighboring units at the time of the fire, he said. The cause remained under investigation.
Mrs. Smoot, whose husband also lives at the residence, said the family had insurance to replace their destroyed property, and the American Red Cross was offering to provide emergency assistance if needed.
The Smoots' neighbor, Marcia Powers, was eating dinner when she looked out her window and saw flames, then heard a window pop. She called 911, then “everyone in my family started going around, knocking on doors.”
“All I could think of were those three kids (in the Smoots' residence). It scared me to death,” she said.
Her husband, Jesse Powers, said he tried to put out the flames with a garden hose, but couldn't get any water pressure.
Firefighters were dispatched at 6:15 p.m. and had the flames extinguished in less than an hour.
The fire left gaping holes where the roofs of the three condominiums once stood. The roofs' staggered heights were supposed to help prevent flames from spreading, Mr. Shroyer said.
The blaze apparently started in an upstairs bedroom of Mrs. Smoot's home, then traveled through adjoining closets and along ceilings to spread to the other condos, Mr. Shroyer said.
The lower stories of the townhouse-style condos sustained less damage because the fire was largely contained to the upper floors, Mr. Shroyer said.
Firefighters tried to cover furniture and other valuables on those lower floors with tarps and salvage covers to protect them from smoke and water damage.
No monetary estimate on the amount of damage was available Tuesday.
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