This Fire Shows Need of Education In Use of the Party Wall Balcony
A fire which emphasizes the contention of the author of the article on the "Horizontal Fire Exit.” in this week’s issue that the public should be educated in the use of this type of fire escape, and is referred to by him on page 484. is that which occurred in the building at 618-20 Fifth Avenue. New York City, recently. The lower floors were pretty well involved, cutting off escape by the stairs for those on the fourth floor. A photographer, who was in his dark room, hearing excited voices rushed out and this, in his own words, is what happened: "I came out and found my girls and those employed by Curtis Bell on the same floor, hurrying to the rear fire-escape. They all got out there, probably fifteen of them, when they discovered there were no ladders going either up or down. They could not stay there as the smoke was very dense. It seemed worse in the back than in the front.”
If the occupants of this “party wall balcony” had taken a few steps and opened the window in the adjoining building to which the balcony extended, they could have stepped to safety with no trouble at all. But not one of them knew anything about the uses of the fire escape and thought they were trapped without means of exit.
If you are a current subscriber,login hereto access this content.
If you would like to become a subscriber, please visit ushere.
