Ocean Isle Beach house fire
Encyclopedia
The Ocean Isle Beach house fire occurred on October 28, 2007. Shortly before 7:00 AM, EDT, a four alarm fire
severely damaged a three-story beach house on a waterfront lot on Scotland Street in Ocean Isle Beach
, a town located in Brunswick County
, North Carolina
, United States. The house was occupied by 13 college students on a weekend vacation and was owned by the family of one. Seven people were killed, all by smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide
poisoning.
Although smoke alarms were present and had activated within the house, it had no sprinkler system or alarm monitoring system, neither of which were required by building code
s or local laws.
Survivors of the fire said smoke detectors woke them "with only moments to escape."
The following September, many students joined several of the survivors and mothers of fire victims in a trip to Washington DC to advocate additional congressional efforts regarding fire safety and prevention.
. Witnesses heard the smoke alarms sounding as the house became fully involved on the windy morning before the first units of the local Fire Department arrived on scene four minutes after notification. Seeing the smoke, the first responding units immediately called for additional manpower by radio during their approach even before they arrived on scene.
Five students who were on the home's first floor got out. Only one occupant of the second floor, a male, was able to escape. He jumped from a window at the equivalent of a third-story height into a canal located adjacent to the edge of the property. There were some reports that a second male student also escaped through a lower floor window.
Town Fire Chief Robert Yoho stated that who survived and who did not seemed to be almost entirely based upon where they were in the house when awakened by the smoke alarms. "All the survivors came from the first floor, with the exception of one, and that is the one that jumped from the third-story window" he told a reporter from WRAL-TV
.
Even before the fire department arrived, witnesses stated that it would have been impossible to gain entry and rescue anyone persons still inside, although firefighters initially made an unsuccessful attempt to do so. A home video camera recording taken from about a block away showed the house enveloped in flames as the first fire trucks could be heard arriving. Broadcast of the audio of the 911 calls and that home video on television news media and over the Internet
drew International publicity to the fire, as did photos of the devastation and interviews with eyewitnesses and community leaders in the aftermath.
Six of the USC students were killed, as well as the student from Clemson University. Although families of those apparently killed were all notified of the likelihood of the deaths, the bodies were all taken to Chapel Hill, North Carolina
for positive identification. The six survivors were all treated at a local hospital for various minor injuries, and released.
had been staying at other homes close by for a service event of their fraternal organization, and had interacted socially with the occupants of the house that burned earlier in the weekend. Some of these students had witnessed the fire and aftermath.
Upon learning of the disaster Sunday morning, a USC official flew to the scene to assist local authorities, students and families. Meanwhile, at Ocean Isle Beach, church leaders and social workers remained close by all day to offer grief counseling
and other support as might be needed, even as the universities back in South Carolina prepared to do so as well. Other Ocean Isle Beach residents brought food and drinks share with those working on the grim task of removing the victims and others handling duties on-site. Fire Chief Yoho said that counseling and support will also be made available for his firefighters, especially some of the younger ones involved in recovering the victims.
Later Sunday, Andrew Sorensen, President of the University of South Carolina flew back to Columbia
from an out-of state meeting in Washington, D.C., and held a press conference immediately upon arrival. He stated: "all members of the Gamecock Nation are saddened by the loss of six young lives" and he called for remembrance of the student from Clemson University who was killed as well.
Clemson University President James F. Barker issued a statement on Monday regarding the tragedy. "As the Clemson Family mourns the loss of one of our students we reach out to our sister institution, the University of South Carolina, in their loss," he said. "In our state all of us are connected and we feel their loss as they feel our loss. Our deepest sympathies are felt for the families of these seven students. We are working with our students and these grieving families to help them in the difficult days ahead."
Alumni and others affiliated with the Delta Delta Delta
sorority and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity chapters involved as well as their national affiliates and other Greek fraternal groups were also mobilizing support, as were those in various home communities, as the word spread through non-official communications about the identities of those who died and those who had been injured but survived. One of the surviving students was hospitalized again later Sunday night in her hometown for the effects of smoke inhalation
.
Through the Internet, and the Facebook
service, by Sunday night, the news media reported that large volumes of communications and expressions of support and caring for the victims and families had been posted from websites all over the world. This was reported to be continuing as of November 2.
Late Tuesday afternoon, authorities officially identified the seven teenagers killed in the fire: Cassidy Fae Pendley, 18; Lauren Astrid Kristiana Mahon, 18; Justin Michael Anderson, 19; Travis Lane Cale, 19; Allison Walden, 19; William Rhea, 18—all students at the University of South Carolina. Emily Lauren Yelton, 19, was a student at Clemson. ABC News published photos of the seven victims on the front page of its website: ABC News Photos of 7 victims
teams. On October 29, the Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith reported to the news media that she had been told that the initial indications were that the fire had been accidental in origin, and that it probably had started somewhere near the rear of the home or deck at the western side of the house. The next day, ATF spokesman Earl Woodham confirmed that its agents ruled out arson, stating "There is no indication that this fire was deliberately set." The investigation was continuing as October 30.
Ocean Isle Beach Fire Department Chief Robert Yoho said the house might have been burning for as long as 20 minutes before any emergency personnel arrived. The morning of the fire was windy, apparently an aggravating factor in the quickness it spread. Yoho commented: "with the wind, it just basically feeds the fire." USC vice president of student affairs Dennis Pruitt later commented that the fact the house was built on stilts, which allowed air to fuel the flames and that it caught fire after a stretch of dry weather, was "a sad series of coincidences."
Later in the week, North Carolina's Chief Medical Examiner said smoke inhalation
and carbon monoxide poisoning
had killed all seven victims. "There was no evidence of any other injuries," Dr. John Butts told The Associated Press
. It was explained to one parent that "they died in their sleep and not from the burns. He was told that the victims were all on the second floor and that they were all in their beds. In recalling the conversation with another medical examiner in Chapel Hill, the parent told a reporter: "She said it came very fast, that carbon monoxide comes before the smoke. She said they would have only taken just a few breaths of the carbon monoxide."
On November 2, agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
(NCSBI) and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF) concluded their preliminary investigation of the fire scene. That afternoon, Ocean Isle Beach mayor Debbie Smith announced at a scheduled press conference that the investigation had failed to firmly establish the cause of the fire. She said it was determined that the fire started on the back deck of the three-level beach house, but the extensive damage made it impossible to say exactly what sparked the flames. Investigators specifically ruled out a grill and an outdoor fireplace
, known as a chimenea. However, investigators could not rule out that the fire started because smoking materials were improperly discarded, and there have been no reports of any other possible ignition sources, although investigators found absolutely no evidence of arson. A special agent of the NC-BCI told media sources that survivors reported that some of the students had been smoking cigarettes, but that no illegal drugs were at the house. In Columbia, South Carolina
, WIS-TV made a copy of the Preliminary Report by North Carolina Bureau of Criminal Investigations available online.
Across North and South Carolina, and in Ohio, funeral and memorial services were held for those who died. In South Carolina, The State.com website created a memorial audio/slideshow presentation.
Local news media reported that the beach house was torn down the week of November 19. By Thanksgiving Day, all that was left at the scene was an empty, sand-filled lot.
Six of the thirteen students were able to escape the house with minor injuries.
Andrew Rhea, 19, escaped the house but lost his younger brother William in the fire. Another survivor, Tripp Wylie, a 20-year-old University of South Carolina sophomore, said he jumped out of a third-story window into a canal to escape the flames but was unable to get back in to help his friends. Wylie was the only student on the upper level of the house to escape.
-TV Greenville, SC). During the previous week, there had been calls for changes in the building codes to require fire sprinkler system, particularly in larger capacity buildings frequently used by occasional guests, even though many of these are considered single-family dwellings under current regulations. Other suggestion have included monitored electronic fire alarm systems which automatically notify authorities.
Mayor Smith said that she felt discussions and study of codes and standards will be the focus of considerable attention at Ocean Isle Beach in the immediate future. On Sunday, November 4, a memorial service for the seven students who died was held at Ocean Isle Beach Chapel. Hundreds attended. At that time, Mayor Smith stated:
According to an Associated Press
(AP) news story of November 10, the North Carolina Building Code Council was already reviewing a proposal to modify soffit materials for townhouse
s following another fire in Raleigh
on February 22, 2007 caused by an improperly discarded cigarette that ignited pine needles and raced through the soffit and into the attic and destroyed 38 townhomes. (Soffit is the underside of a part of a building, such as an arch or overhang or beam). A draft report stated that current methods of townhouse construction have shown a potential to allow fire to spread along and through the soffit areas and into attic spaces. "In the specific instance of vinyl soffits, the soffit material can melt away and allow an open chase for flames to rapidly spread into the attic space," the draft said.
The AP reported that one member of the International Code Council
, an association which develops the building codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools in most U.S. cities, counties and states, stated that he had "received word that the Ocean Isle Beach fire ... began outside and raced through the soffit and into the attic."
One NC state code council member said it's too early to determine whether they will consider similar proposals for standalone homes, such as the one from the Ocean Isle Beach fire of October 28. "We look at every issue like this," he told The Sun-News of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
. "It's not something we're not going to look at."
The morning of the fire, Tripp Wylie was able to leap from a third story window and land in a canal, barely escaping the smoke and rapidly spreading fire which blocked other exits. Less than 48 hours later, he was interviewed by Matt Lauer
in a live segment broadcast on NBC
's The Today Show from his parents' home. He had known victims Travis Cale, Justin Anderson and Emily Yelton since grammar school, describing them as his best friends. Lauer inquired if Wylie was asking himself why he survived while his friends died. "You try to make sense out of it, which is impossible," Wylie replied. Ten months later, Wylie was still not sure why he survived and his friends did not. "It should not have to come down to luck," he told WIS-TV..
Perdue told WIS-TV. "Seeing so many families devastated just hurt me, having to go see, walk around campus and seeing everybody just devastated, I don't want anybody to feel that."
On September 9, Wylie and Perdue were joined by dozens of college students from South Carolina and North Carolina as they traveled to Washington. In addition to pushing for new legislation, the students said their trip was intended to raise awareness for fire safety and prevention on college campuses, declaring "Every student should know how to react if caught in a blaze like the fire at Ocean Isle Beach."
Multiple-alarm fire
One-alarm, two-alarm, three-alarm fires, or higher, are categories of fires indicating the level of response by local authorities, with an elevated number of alarms indicating increased commitment of resources. The term multiple-alarm is a quick way of indicating that a fire was severe and...
severely damaged a three-story beach house on a waterfront lot on Scotland Street in Ocean Isle Beach
Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
Ocean Isle Beach or simply Ocean Isle is a small seaside town located in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 426 at the 2000 census...
, a town located in Brunswick County
Brunswick County, North Carolina
-External links:*******....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States. The house was occupied by 13 college students on a weekend vacation and was owned by the family of one. Seven people were killed, all by smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
poisoning.
Although smoke alarms were present and had activated within the house, it had no sprinkler system or alarm monitoring system, neither of which were required by building code
Building code
A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. The main purpose of building codes are to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the...
s or local laws.
Survivors of the fire said smoke detectors woke them "with only moments to escape."
The following September, many students joined several of the survivors and mothers of fire victims in a trip to Washington DC to advocate additional congressional efforts regarding fire safety and prevention.
The house and fire
The three-story frame house, which was raised on stilts, with an additional ground floor for parking, was situated on a narrow peninsula adjacent to the Intracoastal WaterwayIntracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals...
. Witnesses heard the smoke alarms sounding as the house became fully involved on the windy morning before the first units of the local Fire Department arrived on scene four minutes after notification. Seeing the smoke, the first responding units immediately called for additional manpower by radio during their approach even before they arrived on scene.
Five students who were on the home's first floor got out. Only one occupant of the second floor, a male, was able to escape. He jumped from a window at the equivalent of a third-story height into a canal located adjacent to the edge of the property. There were some reports that a second male student also escaped through a lower floor window.
Town Fire Chief Robert Yoho stated that who survived and who did not seemed to be almost entirely based upon where they were in the house when awakened by the smoke alarms. "All the survivors came from the first floor, with the exception of one, and that is the one that jumped from the third-story window" he told a reporter from WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV, virtual channel 5 , is a television station in Raleigh, North Carolina. WRAL-TV has been the flagship station of Capitol Broadcasting Company since its inception, and is currently the CBS affiliate for the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Fayetteville area, known collectively as the Triangle...
.
Even before the fire department arrived, witnesses stated that it would have been impossible to gain entry and rescue anyone persons still inside, although firefighters initially made an unsuccessful attempt to do so. A home video camera recording taken from about a block away showed the house enveloped in flames as the first fire trucks could be heard arriving. Broadcast of the audio of the 911 calls and that home video on television news media and over the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
drew International publicity to the fire, as did photos of the devastation and interviews with eyewitnesses and community leaders in the aftermath.
Six of the USC students were killed, as well as the student from Clemson University. Although families of those apparently killed were all notified of the likelihood of the deaths, the bodies were all taken to Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
for positive identification. The six survivors were all treated at a local hospital for various minor injuries, and released.
Officials others respond with support
Ocean Isle Beach officials and citizens responded to the scene expressing both shock over unprecedented tragedy in the small community and offered concern and support to families and to other students. Between 35 and 50 from the University of North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
had been staying at other homes close by for a service event of their fraternal organization, and had interacted socially with the occupants of the house that burned earlier in the weekend. Some of these students had witnessed the fire and aftermath.
Upon learning of the disaster Sunday morning, a USC official flew to the scene to assist local authorities, students and families. Meanwhile, at Ocean Isle Beach, church leaders and social workers remained close by all day to offer grief counseling
Grief counseling
Grief counseling is a form of psychotherapy that aims to help people cope with grief and mourning following the death of loved ones, or with major life changes that trigger feelings of grief ....
and other support as might be needed, even as the universities back in South Carolina prepared to do so as well. Other Ocean Isle Beach residents brought food and drinks share with those working on the grim task of removing the victims and others handling duties on-site. Fire Chief Yoho said that counseling and support will also be made available for his firefighters, especially some of the younger ones involved in recovering the victims.
Later Sunday, Andrew Sorensen, President of the University of South Carolina flew back to Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
from an out-of state meeting in Washington, D.C., and held a press conference immediately upon arrival. He stated: "all members of the Gamecock Nation are saddened by the loss of six young lives" and he called for remembrance of the student from Clemson University who was killed as well.
Clemson University President James F. Barker issued a statement on Monday regarding the tragedy. "As the Clemson Family mourns the loss of one of our students we reach out to our sister institution, the University of South Carolina, in their loss," he said. "In our state all of us are connected and we feel their loss as they feel our loss. Our deepest sympathies are felt for the families of these seven students. We are working with our students and these grieving families to help them in the difficult days ahead."
Alumni and others affiliated with the Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta , also known as Tri Delta, is an international sorority founded on November 27, 1888, the eve of Thanksgiving Day. With over 200,000 initiates, Tri Delta is one of the world's largest NPC sororities.-History:...
sorority and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
fraternity chapters involved as well as their national affiliates and other Greek fraternal groups were also mobilizing support, as were those in various home communities, as the word spread through non-official communications about the identities of those who died and those who had been injured but survived. One of the surviving students was hospitalized again later Sunday night in her hometown for the effects of smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death in victims of indoor fires.Smoke inhalation injury refers to injury due to inhalation or exposure to hot gaseous products of combustion. This can cause serious respiratory complications....
.
Through the Internet, and the Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
service, by Sunday night, the news media reported that large volumes of communications and expressions of support and caring for the victims and families had been posted from websites all over the world. This was reported to be continuing as of November 2.
Late Tuesday afternoon, authorities officially identified the seven teenagers killed in the fire: Cassidy Fae Pendley, 18; Lauren Astrid Kristiana Mahon, 18; Justin Michael Anderson, 19; Travis Lane Cale, 19; Allison Walden, 19; William Rhea, 18—all students at the University of South Carolina. Emily Lauren Yelton, 19, was a student at Clemson. ABC News published photos of the seven victims on the front page of its website: ABC News Photos of 7 victims
Investigation
The cause of the fire was under investigation immediately afterwards by state and federal ATFBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
teams. On October 29, the Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith reported to the news media that she had been told that the initial indications were that the fire had been accidental in origin, and that it probably had started somewhere near the rear of the home or deck at the western side of the house. The next day, ATF spokesman Earl Woodham confirmed that its agents ruled out arson, stating "There is no indication that this fire was deliberately set." The investigation was continuing as October 30.
Ocean Isle Beach Fire Department Chief Robert Yoho said the house might have been burning for as long as 20 minutes before any emergency personnel arrived. The morning of the fire was windy, apparently an aggravating factor in the quickness it spread. Yoho commented: "with the wind, it just basically feeds the fire." USC vice president of student affairs Dennis Pruitt later commented that the fact the house was built on stilts, which allowed air to fuel the flames and that it caught fire after a stretch of dry weather, was "a sad series of coincidences."
Later in the week, North Carolina's Chief Medical Examiner said smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death in victims of indoor fires.Smoke inhalation injury refers to injury due to inhalation or exposure to hot gaseous products of combustion. This can cause serious respiratory complications....
and carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide . Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect...
had killed all seven victims. "There was no evidence of any other injuries," Dr. John Butts told The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. It was explained to one parent that "they died in their sleep and not from the burns. He was told that the victims were all on the second floor and that they were all in their beds. In recalling the conversation with another medical examiner in Chapel Hill, the parent told a reporter: "She said it came very fast, that carbon monoxide comes before the smoke. She said they would have only taken just a few breaths of the carbon monoxide."
On November 2, agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is a state-level law enforcement agency in North Carolina. Within the state, the agency acts as a criminal investigation bureau, similar to the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the federal level. The SBI is a bureau of the North Carolina...
(NCSBI) and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
(ATF) concluded their preliminary investigation of the fire scene. That afternoon, Ocean Isle Beach mayor Debbie Smith announced at a scheduled press conference that the investigation had failed to firmly establish the cause of the fire. She said it was determined that the fire started on the back deck of the three-level beach house, but the extensive damage made it impossible to say exactly what sparked the flames. Investigators specifically ruled out a grill and an outdoor fireplace
Outdoor fireplace
An outdoor fireplace is a place for building fires outside of the home. Similar in construction to an indoor fireplace, an outdoor fireplace is usually added to a stone, brick, or concrete patio. It often consists of a firebox and a chimney. As with indoor fireplaces, an outdoor fireplace...
, known as a chimenea. However, investigators could not rule out that the fire started because smoking materials were improperly discarded, and there have been no reports of any other possible ignition sources, although investigators found absolutely no evidence of arson. A special agent of the NC-BCI told media sources that survivors reported that some of the students had been smoking cigarettes, but that no illegal drugs were at the house. In Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, WIS-TV made a copy of the Preliminary Report by North Carolina Bureau of Criminal Investigations available online.
Local memorials, fire site cleared
At the end of the week, the burned-out house stood visible behind a safety fence. Nearby, an aluminum cross made by three area residents and surrounded by seven small crosses, one for each fire victim, was the centerpiece of an impromptu memorial of flowers and other items such as stuffed animals and personal notes of condolences were placed by residents and neighbors of Ocean Isle Beach and the surrounding community.Across North and South Carolina, and in Ohio, funeral and memorial services were held for those who died. In South Carolina, The State.com website created a memorial audio/slideshow presentation.
Local news media reported that the beach house was torn down the week of November 19. By Thanksgiving Day, all that was left at the scene was an empty, sand-filled lot.
Victims
- Lauren Astrid Mahon, 18 University of South CarolinaUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
- William Robert Rhea, 18 USCUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
- Cassidy Fae Pendley, 18 USCUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
- Alison Christine Walden, 19 USCUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
- Justin Michael Anderson, 19 USCUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
- Travis Lane Cale, 20 USCUniversity of South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
- Emily Lauren Yelton, 19 Clemson UniversityClemson UniversityClemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
Six of the thirteen students were able to escape the house with minor injuries.
Andrew Rhea, 19, escaped the house but lost his younger brother William in the fire. Another survivor, Tripp Wylie, a 20-year-old University of South Carolina sophomore, said he jumped out of a third-story window into a canal to escape the flames but was unable to get back in to help his friends. Wylie was the only student on the upper level of the house to escape.
Future considerations: sprinklers, monitored alarms, building codes
Although smoke alarms were present and had activated, "the residence had no sprinkler nor alarm monitoring system," according to Mayor Debbie Smith at a press conference held by the Town of Ocean Isle Beach on November 2, confirming media reports. (That was later confirmed on November 16 by Dr. Butts, according to a news report of WYFFWYFF
WYFF is the NBC-affiliate television station based in Greenville, South Carolina. It serves a media market which includes Greenville/Spartanburg and Anderson in South Carolina and Asheville/Hendersonville, North Carolina. The market covers large portions of western North Carolina and upstate South...
-TV Greenville, SC). During the previous week, there had been calls for changes in the building codes to require fire sprinkler system, particularly in larger capacity buildings frequently used by occasional guests, even though many of these are considered single-family dwellings under current regulations. Other suggestion have included monitored electronic fire alarm systems which automatically notify authorities.
Mayor Smith said that she felt discussions and study of codes and standards will be the focus of considerable attention at Ocean Isle Beach in the immediate future. On Sunday, November 4, a memorial service for the seven students who died was held at Ocean Isle Beach Chapel. Hundreds attended. At that time, Mayor Smith stated:
- "Our hearts are still with the victims and their families. This is certainly a tragedy we hope we never have to deal with again."
According to an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
(AP) news story of November 10, the North Carolina Building Code Council was already reviewing a proposal to modify soffit materials for townhouse
Townhouse
A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
s following another fire in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
on February 22, 2007 caused by an improperly discarded cigarette that ignited pine needles and raced through the soffit and into the attic and destroyed 38 townhomes. (Soffit is the underside of a part of a building, such as an arch or overhang or beam). A draft report stated that current methods of townhouse construction have shown a potential to allow fire to spread along and through the soffit areas and into attic spaces. "In the specific instance of vinyl soffits, the soffit material can melt away and allow an open chase for flames to rapidly spread into the attic space," the draft said.
The AP reported that one member of the International Code Council
International code council
The International Code Council , a membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention and energy efficiency, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the...
, an association which develops the building codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools in most U.S. cities, counties and states, stated that he had "received word that the Ocean Isle Beach fire ... began outside and raced through the soffit and into the attic."
One NC state code council member said it's too early to determine whether they will consider similar proposals for standalone homes, such as the one from the Ocean Isle Beach fire of October 28. "We look at every issue like this," he told The Sun-News of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...
. "It's not something we're not going to look at."
Survivors, other Carolina students lobby Congress
On September 7, 2008, WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina reported that two of the survivors would be lobbying the U.S. Congress on behalf of two bills aimed at improving fire safety on college campuses nationwide. Ashley Perdue and Tripp Wylie each use the word "luck" to describe their circumstances during the fire which allowed them to survive.The morning of the fire, Tripp Wylie was able to leap from a third story window and land in a canal, barely escaping the smoke and rapidly spreading fire which blocked other exits. Less than 48 hours later, he was interviewed by Matt Lauer
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
in a live segment broadcast on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Today Show from his parents' home. He had known victims Travis Cale, Justin Anderson and Emily Yelton since grammar school, describing them as his best friends. Lauer inquired if Wylie was asking himself why he survived while his friends died. "You try to make sense out of it, which is impossible," Wylie replied. Ten months later, Wylie was still not sure why he survived and his friends did not. "It should not have to come down to luck," he told WIS-TV..
Perdue told WIS-TV. "Seeing so many families devastated just hurt me, having to go see, walk around campus and seeing everybody just devastated, I don't want anybody to feel that."
On September 9, Wylie and Perdue were joined by dozens of college students from South Carolina and North Carolina as they traveled to Washington. In addition to pushing for new legislation, the students said their trip was intended to raise awareness for fire safety and prevention on college campuses, declaring "Every student should know how to react if caught in a blaze like the fire at Ocean Isle Beach."