Eight homeless people die in New Orleans warehouse fire

[News_Editor]

Eight homeless people die in New Orleans warehouse fire

2010-12-29 00:20:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA (BNO NEWS) -- Eight people were killed on early Tuesday morning when a fire broke out in a tin construction abandoned warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) said the fire broke out at 2827 N. Prieur Street at approximately 1.55 a.m. local time. Firefighters arrived at the scene within five minutes, at around 2 a.m. local time, but the warehouse had already partially collapsed.

The fire was caused by a group of homeless people who lit trash in a barrel to stay warm from the freezing weather. Thirty-seven firefighters were needed to control the 2nd alarm fire, which took about 33 minutes.

Two homeless men were able to narrowly escape the flames and told investigators about how the fire broke out.

When the fire was extinguished, firefighters located the remains of eight people and two dogs throughout the structure. The NOFD is using K-9 teams to canvass the scene.

The State Fire Marshall is assisting with the investigation and the NOFD was also assisted by the American Red Cross, the New Orleans Police Department, the Regional Transit Authority and the Coroner’s Office.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-12-29