A home fire at 2179 N. Olney St. on the city’s Eastside recently took the lives of six members of the Guerra family.
Last Saturday, the first call came in around 9 a.m. after a motorist saw the fire from I-70. About 40 firefighters and medics arrived minutes later. They found the victims inside the burning home, brought them outside and began administering CPR.
Four children were rushed to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health where they all died. They were Miranda, 14, Esteban, 11, Blanquita, 8, and Fuentes, 6.
The parents, Lionel, 47, and Brandy, 33, were taken to Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital where they died.
“What made it so horrific was the fact that there were six victims. Unfortunately, this is a historic fire. In Indianapolis, we’ve never had a residential fire with one family with six members (perishing) in a fire,” said Battalion Chief Courtney Gordon, a fire marshal for the Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD).
At Recorder press time, the cause of the fire was unknown.
What further makes this incident so tragic is that investigators did not find a working smoke detector in the home.
“If you’re (low-income), putting up a smoke detector is probably not high on your priority list. You’re worrying about someone breaking into your home or how you’re going to pay your light bill,” said Indianapolis resident Andrew Locke.
Aleatha Henderson, captain and director of public education and the Firefighters Survive Alive program for IFD knows this is a reality, but maintains that smoke detectors can save lives.
“It affords you those extra minutes to get out of the house, which are so important because fire doubles every 30 seconds,” said Henderson. “And it’s not the fire, per se, that kills you – it’s the smoke long before the fire ever reaches you.”
She adds that smoke detectors work, but only at the mercy of the homeowner or property owner. Gordon said each residence should have a smoke detector on every level of the home, preferably outside a bedroom. Citizens Energy Group recommends that every home have at least one dual sensor smoke alarm, which include both ionization and photoelectric technology to detect both fast-moving and slow smoldering fires.
Once installed, residents should maintain them by keeping them free of dust and changing the batteries. IFD has a campaign called “Change a Clock, Change a Battery” that reminds people to change their smoke detector batteries when they change their clocks forward and backward for Daylight Saving Time in the spring and Eastern Standard Time in the fall.
“Once a month you also need to go by and push that button and test it to make sure you know the sound and to make sure it works. More importantly you want to make sure every member of your family recognizes that sound when it goes off,” said Gordon.
Families should also develop an escape plan. This includes having two ways out of the home during a fire; designating a meeting place to ensure everyone made it out of the burning home; and urging family members, especially children, to never go back into the home under any circumstances.
Henderson said many of these tips are practiced at the Survive Alive program.
“Since Survive Alive opened in 1995, along with other programs, we’ve seen a 70 percent decrease in the number of child fatalities,” said Henderson.
At the facility, visitors walk through a full-scale model home and view potential safety hazards; and practice an escape plan during a mock fire. They are also taught to “stop, drop and roll” and they familiarize children with firefighters who – when fully outfitted in helmet, coat and breathing apparatus take on the appearance of Darth Vader – might frighten children into hiding during an emergency.
About 10,000 kids visit the Survive Alive house each year. Henderson said more importantly, kids go home and share their new-found fire safety knowledge with their parents.
Despite all the knowledge of having a smoke detector and an escape plan, Henderson said parents must take this issue seriously. She recalls a residential fire where the smoke alarm was going off in a box.
“Another issue we have is people taking the batteries out. I know sometimes people put smoke detectors in the wrong location like too close to a stove. Every time it goes off, it irritates them and they remove the battery. Now you’ve essentially shut your life saving device off,” added Gordon.
IFD also offers a fire safety check list that helps people go around the home and identify potential causes of house fires. The main causes of residential fires are smoking/cigarettes, heating sources and cooking.
“One of the leading causes of fires for children is still lighters and matches. They have to be put away where kids can’t get to them,” said Henderson. “If you use heating devices, get one with an automatic shut off; plug them directly into the wall; and make sure there is at least 3 feet of free space around it. If you have a space heater that’s next to, say, curtains, it doesn’t have to be touching the curtains to start a fire.”
“Financial assistance is still available for those who qualify,” adds Sarah Holsapple, a spokesperson for Citizens Energy Group for residents who are having trouble with their energy bill and are looking to dangerous sources, such as a stove, to heat the home. “Customers can call (317) 924-3311 to see if they qualify. If customers don’t want to wait on the phone, they can fill out a form located in the ‘Contact Us’ section of our website.”
Indianapolis Power and Light also offers bill assistance.
To help fulfill a goal of having a working smoke detector in every home in Marion County and to eliminate the barrier and/or excuse of not having a smoke alarm, residents can pick up a free smoke detector at any fire station. They can also be picked up at the IFD office at the Julia Carson Center, 300 E. Fall Creek Parkway, North Drive, Suite 500.
For more information, call the Indianapolis Fire Department at (317) 327-6006 or visit indy.gov/eGov/City/dps/ifd. Visit Citizens Energy Group at citizensenergygroup.com/SSafety and Indianapolis Power and Light at iplpower.com/Safety_and_Education for additional fire safety tips.
Main causes
of home fires
1. Smoking/cigarettes
2. Heating sources
3. Cooking
Keep your family safe in a fire
• Install a smoke detector
• Keep the device dust free
• Regularly test the alarm
• Develop an escape plan
