Fire Chief: ‘The Code Red was called,’ remembering the fatal Fairview Fire
What started as a routine house fire call quickly turned into a tragic night the Macon-Bibb Fire Department will never forget.
“The code red was called,” recalled Macon-Bibb Fire Chief Marvin Riggins during a news conference last week.
The alarm signaled last Wednesday and the fire department immediately knew something went horribly wrong.
“They fought this fire for well over an hour,” explained Chief Riggins.
Firefighters responded to a call around 6:00 p.m. to a fire at a home on Fairview Drive. When they arrived at the scene, they saw people already outside of the home. Crews still went inside to try and put out the fire. That’s when the night took a turn for the worse.
“What had occurred was, there was a collapse of the upper level of the structure. It caused five firefighters to fall down into the basement area,” said Riggins.
Lt. Randy Parker was the first firefighter to fall.
“Lieutenant Parker was entrapped more than 30 minutes. He was in a very horrific environment,” explained Riggins.
Despite efforts to save him, Lt. Parker died. Five other firefighters were also injured in the fire.
Captain Ferrell Cromer, Corporal Adam Michie, and Battalion Chief Steven Stafford were taken to a burn center in Augusta. Privates Ben Bollinger and Matt Couey were sent to the Medical Center, Navicent Health and released shortly after.
Michie and Cromer were released from the burn center on Friday. Cromer is already back on regular duty. Officials from the burn center say Stafford is still at the hospital and in good condition.
There’s still no word about a final investigation report, but Chief Riggins says preliminary discussion leads them to believe the fire started outside of the home.
The Georgia Fire Marshall’s Office and ATF are still working on a complete report.
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