Neighbor: Garvey Road Home 'Torn Apart' By Fire
Neighbors say family of four is safe after escaping burning house.
Garvey Road resident David Murphy smelled smoke when he arrived home at midnight Friday, but did not think much of it.
"I thought maybe I dropped a cigarette in my car," he said.
But a couple hours later, around 2:30 a.m., when Murphy, 61, saw dozens of emergency response officials crowd his street, he realized something was wrong. His next-door neighbor's home at 19 Garvey Road was on fire.
"I went downstairs and I saw out the window the deck was in flames," neighbor Cindy Collins, 47, said.
Collins said she also smelled smoke around 8 p.m. Thursday but went to bed. When she saw the flames at about 2:30 a.m., she woke her husband, who immediately ran outside, grabbed his hose and began fighting the fire along with the owner of 19 Garvey Road.
"It was scary to see," Collins said.
Collins said a family of four, including two toddlers, occupied the house and that while the whole family was home at the time of the fire, they were all safely outside by the time Collins saw the fire and called police. The family has one dog, which Collins said was also safe.
Several neighbors called the police, who neighbor Patty Spiliotopoulos, 35, said responded rather quickly to the scene. Spiliotopallos said she also woke up around 2:30 a.m. after her dog began to bark because of the fire vehicles on her road.
"The amount of people who were here to help was really, really astonishing," she said, noting that she was especially impressed that the firefighters volunteered their time. "For people who don't have to come out in the middle of the night, it was amazing."
Murphy was also surprised by the number of emergency vehicles on the road.
"You would have thought a plane crashed," he said.
Spiliotopoulos tried to help the family as well.
"I just ran out there to do whatever I could," she said. "I was concerned about the babies and the people who live there more than anything, to make sure they had a place to go."
Spiliotopoulos said the family is now staying with relatives while insurance agents assess the damage of the home. She walked through the house with one of the owners after the fire was put out.
"The central floor is torn apart," she said.
Murphy said he never saw flames but that smoke was coming from the attic while the firefighters were on the scene. Spiliotopoulos also said she could see smoke in the windows of the home from her house accross the street.
On Friday, a bright orange sign labeling the home an "unsafe structure" was posted on the doorway. A smoky smell lingered over the home and a melted roof could be seen on the side of the house. The street was quiet Friday morning, but Murphy said that is typical of the neighborhood and was the case even while the fire was likely growing inside the home for at least a couple of hours before the flames.
"The neighborhood smelled like smoke, but you couldn't see it," he said.
Nicole Loewrigkeit
5:59 pm on Friday, July 13, 2012
Thank you to all the volunteer fireman especially CO.3. And a special thanks to Ronnie Peragallo Louie Sanchez, Jim Petreccac, and William Englehart. What an amazing job they all did. They came really fast and saved our home, and There was minimal damage. They were very professional and had a very caring manner. We would also like to thank our neighbors,friends and family who came to help console us. We are so greatful for all the support and kindness you have shared with us in our time of need. Thank You again, Love The Loewrigkeit Family
Nicole Loewrigkeit
6:10 pm on Friday, July 13, 2012
Also, we want to say a special Thanks to Rob and Cindy Collins for all you did. We will never forget!
Love,
The Loewrigkeit Family
Nose Wayne
10:59 pm on Friday, July 13, 2012
Nicole,so many times the VOLUNTEERS are taken for granted.Glad to see damage was minimal.So many people think this town has a PAID fire department.After everything has settled ,you should put what you said here in a letter to the editor in the Wayne Today about how quick,professional and caring these firemen were. So often they are taken for granted and look for no recognition. Glad you and your family (and the dog) all made it out ok and nobody was hurt.
Joe videodummy
5:18 pm on Saturday, July 14, 2012
Fema reports there are 5000 residential attic fires annually. Attic's usually don't have smoke alarms or heat sensors because they are unoccupied spaces. As a result, fires or smoke can go undetected for hours by the occupants dwelling below, but are usually visible or detected by outsiders.
This causes a very dangerous situation for firefighter's because attic fires tend to spread with an array of fuel sorces like open wood beams, storage items, and free circulation of outside air.
Typical Ionization smoke detectors are the most commonly used, and most effective and inexpensive detector sold. They require only a small amount of smoke to trigger the alarm, allowing the most time to react to the fire or smell of smoke. They work well in attics.
Photoelectric smoke detectors use a beam of light to detect a presence of smoke. This type is most effective against smoldering fires, but is not recommended in attic's or where there are flammable materials, not materials that tend to smolder.
Another type of smoke detector is a heat-detector model that senses smoke in area's that that the temperature is subject to drastic changes through-out the day or night. Such an area would be a garage, barn, or unheated out-building, garden shed etc.
Contact your local fire/building offical to find out the best installation to maximize your protection.
Remember that fires can start hours before being detected, and resonse doesn't begin until the alarm is sounded.
Nose Wayne
5:29 pm on Saturday, July 14, 2012
DUMMY,WHY are you posting false information AGAIN!!! The fire didn't start nor did it effect the attic area!!! NOSE what your talking about before you post FALSE INFORMATION AGAIN!!!! STRIKE TWO!!!! Don't take my word for it ,LOOK at the picture and read the post DUMMY!!!!
NotRealName
4:58 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012
The article does say that smoke was coming from the attic. Joe made an important point that most people don't think about keeping smoke detectors in their attic. I come from a fireman's family so I have one but it doesn't hurt to remind people how important smoke detectors with fully charged batteries are. Folks check your smoke detectors to make sure they are working.
Nose Wayne
10:08 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012
Name,Smoke detectors should be installed on EVERY level of your home, including the basement and attic.Carbon Monoxide detectors should be installed on every level that has a bedroom on it. You should also have a Fire Extinguisher in the kitchen either mounted or in a place where everyone knows where it is in case of fire CHANGE YOUR CLOCK,CHANGE YOUR BATTERIES!!!!.Joe did give out great information, but in the last two posts, he gave out FALSE information that would send rumors flying all around town, Just NOSE what you are talking about before you post something. Thanks for listening!!!!