Newton man dies in blaze
A fire at an apartment
complex in the 500 block of Heather Lane in southwest Newton left a man in his
20s dead and a woman injured.
The fire was first reported
at 10 p.m. Sunday.
Newton Fire Chief Gary Denny
said Shawn Ormsbee, 26, reportedly went back into the burning apartment complex
and succumbed to the fire. Denny said no one knows at this time why the man
re-entered the building.
Sharon Fisher, 34, reportedly
the girlfriend of the man who was killed, smelled smoke and went out on the
balcony of the apartment.
Her exit was blocked by the
fire, and she jumped from the second-story balcony of the building.
She was taken to Newton
Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.
There reportedly were
children living in the apartment, but Denny said the children had left before
the fire started.
The building was an
eight-apartment complex.
Two units were destroyed by
the fire.
Two units suffered moderate
damage. The other units suffered smoke damage.
Damage was estimated at
$240,000.
All occupants of the
remaining apartments were evacuated.
The Red Cross was on scene
Sunday night.
Officials are investigating
the cause of the fire and did not know yet where the fire started.
ATF, the Wichita Fire Department,
Newton Fire/EMS Department, Newton Police Department are involved in the
investigation of the fire.
The apartment complex is an
older structure, built in the 1950s or '60s, Denny said. It did not have fire
walls.
Once the fire spread from the
first apartment, it went into the adjoining apartment's common stairwell and
attic, which Denny described as a "fire suppression nightmare."
"Once we got a ladder on
the building, we were able to quickly knock it down," he said.
Denny said search-and-rescue
operations were started as soon as possible.
"Our initial information
was that there were potential victims inside," Denny said. "Before we
could start search-and-rescue operations, we had to make sure the environment
was safe for our crews.
"It is unfortunate. Our
hearts go out to the family of the victim. It is unfortunate, and it weighs on
our guys to have this type of incident."
The same apartment complex
had a fire Nov. 18, Denny said.
In that fire, a father had to
toss his children to police officers from a second-story window.
He had to jump from the
window and was injured in the fall.
Denny said it will be unknown
if there are any commonalties between the two fires until after an
investigation is completed.
Denny emphasized the
importance of not entering a burning structure.
"We always try to
educate people. Do not go back inside. Do not try to retrieve pets. Do not try
to retrieve valuables. You are making a life-and-death decision.
"If it is a hazardous
environment, do not go back inside," he said.
Despite the risk, at least
one man at the scene said he tried to enter the apartments looking for people
trapped inside.
Shawn Caraway, who lives at
504 Heather Lane, saw the flames and started kicking down doors until a police
officer pulled him away, he said.
He said the apartments
already were heavily filled with smoke, and the upper apartments were spitting
fire 50 to 100 feet into the air.
"I went inside the
apartment, and it was hot and smoky," he said. "The first apartment I
went in was already on fire and was falling in. The cops rushed in and pulled
me out."
Newton police officers were
the first on the scene.
The Newton Fire/EMS
Department initiated a recall of all personnel, some to work the fire and
others to man Newton's other stations.
Hesston Fire/EMS also
assisted.
