Manchester Apartment Fire Hurts 7

NORTH MANCHESTER - Seven people, including five children, were injured in an apartment fire Monday night in North Manchester.

One child, 7-year-old Latasha Williams, was rescued from the blaze by firefighters arriving on the scene. She was in a back bedroom of the apartment and was located by Mike Brubaker of Pleasant Township Fire Department. Assisting in the rescue were firefighters Aaron Bolinger, Brian Hammons, Randy Ruppert and Cary Walters.

Williams, who reportedly suffered from smoke inhalation, was admitted to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, in serious condition and has since been upgraded to fair condition, according Jack Fetrow, director of public safety in North Manchester. Fetrow said Williams was conscious and alert when she was found and she remained conscious throughout her medical treatment, "which is good to hear."

In a press release, Fetrow said the North Manchester Public Safety Dispatch Center simultaneously dispatched North Manchester, Chester Township and Pleasant Township fire departments to the 8:25 p.m. fire call at the apartment above The High Five Sporting Goods Store at 112 E. Main St.

In a telephone interview this morning, Fetrow said, "The cooperation and initial response of all three departments enabled us to make a very quick and efficient rescue." He labeled the fire team response and rescue as "textbook" and said the training undertaken by all those involved paid off. The crews were assisted in the rescue operation by the NMFD's recently purchased thermal imaging cameras.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, heavy smoke was reported coming from an upstairs apartment. The first-in search crews knocked down the initial fire and continued to search the residence until the 7-year-old was located.

There reportedly was a total of seven people in the apartment at the time the fire broke out. A 5-year-old and a 4-month-old were admitted to Wabash County Hospital for observation and two 2-year-olds, a 20-year-old and a 27-year-old were treated at the scene. No names of the others injured were available and Fetrow said it has not yet been determined what the relationship was among all those in the apartment.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. A damage estimate was not determined and apartments in an adjoining building, which were divided from the burning apartment by a fire wall, sustained smoke damage. Those apartments are accessed by a common stairwell, Fetrow said, and are above Hire Gifts & Electronics.