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Chaos reigned in the moments before a volunteer fireman died Tuesday morning.
Jeff Sammons, 21, was killed in the line of duty at the blaze that destroyed the Farmer's Exchange Tavern in Larwill.
Three other South Whitley firemen were injured fighting the fire.
At a press conference Tuesday, Larwill Fire Chief Brad Gebert gave sketchy details of the fire.
Gebert said flames were coming through the roof from the kitchen area in the back of the building when fire crews arrived at the scene.
Two Larwill firemen went into the back while four South Whitley firemen went in the front door.
According to Gebert, the manuever was standard for what he said "looked like a normal fire."
Less than 20 minutes after they arrived at the fire, "things started happening," said Gebert.
Gebert said that a "flashover" occurred. He describes a flash-over, "Flames come up above your head, and it starts getting real hot real quick. There's not much you can do."
According to Gebert, the four men were together 15 feet inside the door in the bar area. They had been fighting the fire through a cut-out space, shooting water into the kitchen. "They were making headway on it," Gebert said.
Gebert said one of the survivors said that, "They got real excited and tried to get back out because it go so hot so quick. It was chaos in there. They were all trying to hurry for the door."
In the confusion of trying to escape a room filled with tables and chairs, Sammon's mask may have gotten knocked off and left him unable to see. "All four had their masks on, but they were running into things trying to find their way out," Gebert said.
One of the firemen also said that something came down from the ceiling and blew across them. adding to the confusion inside the blaze. Gebert said it may have been the false ceiling from the tavern's main room.
One firefighter got out of the building and said there were two others down inside. Gebert said Preston Bolinger and three other firefighters went into the building and rescued Danny Kessie. While EMS crews worked on Kessie, the firemen realized Sammons was missing.
According to Gebert, it took crews 10 minutes to find Sammons and pull him out.
EMS crews worked on Sammons at the scene, but were unable to revive him. An autopsy will determine the exact cause of death, but Gebert said Sammons died from either heat or smoke inhalation.
The fire destroyed the Farmer's Exchange on Ind. 5. Eleven units responded to the call, and there were 80-90 firemen at the scene.
Sammons, a native of South Whitley, was a member of the fire company for only one month. Gebert said Sammons went through extensive training to become a fireman.
The three seriously injured firemen were taken to the burn unit of St. Joseph's Medical Center, Fort Wayne.
Dan Porter, 35, was listed in serious condition with second- and third-degree burns over 50 percent to 60 percent of his body.
Doug Kessie, 27, experienced flash burns and smoke inhalation. He was released from the hospital yesterday.
Bolinger, 48, lost part of his ear, was burned in the ears and neck, and has some temporary hearing loss. He was also released from the burn unit yesterday.
The owner of the tavern said they closed at 10:30 p.m. Monday and left the building around 11 p.m. Larwill Fire Department received the call at 12:43 a.m.
It took the 11 crews more than an hour and a half to get the blaze under control.
Representatives from the State Fire Marshal's Office are investigating the cause of the fire. The Lake County arson dog will be brought in as part of the standard investigation.
The firefighters held a debriefing last night to talk about what happened. Gebert said they would have counselors available to help the men deal with their grief. "We are all like brothers," Gebert said. "They would do anything for us, and we would do anything for them."
