Wednesday, January 14, 2004
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Wednesday, January 14, 2004 |
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Mother dies, 3 families escape PTC condo fire By JOHN MUNFORD Hours after an early-morning blaze destroyed her family’s condo and killed a 32-year-old Peachtree City woman, Heather Martz calmly described how she was alerted to the fire. Awakened by the cries of Sydney, her 20-month-old daughter, Martz hopped out of bed to console the youngster. On her way, she noticed smoke was wafting into their condo. A further check by husband Eric revealed the fire, and 3-year-old daughter Kiera was roused so the family could evacuate. Hours later, Heather Martz tearfully expressed appreciation for Peachtree City’s firefighters. “They rescued our wedding album and our baby albums, our pictures,” she said. “... Everything else can be replaced,” Heather Martz added. Firefighters Kevin Baggett and Ryan Brady also rescued the Martz family’s cat, Tiger, who they spotted when entering the condo to battle the fire. A neighbor took care of the cat overnight. The Martzes were one of three families who safely evacuated; the other two were alerted by functioning smoke alarms, said Peachtree City Fire Chief Stony Lohr. The fire originated in another condo in the Martzes’s building, killing Kristina Bunch, 32. Bunch was apparently awakened by the smoke, said Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine. But the noxious fumes quickly disabled her soon after she began trying to escape, he said. “She collapsed just short of the door,” Oxendine said. The fire started in Bunch’s condo, officials said. Investigators were unable to find evidence of a working smoke detector in Bunch’s residence. Even a 10-second warning might have helped save Bunch’s life, Oxendine added. Bunch’s 4-year-old son was not at home at the time of the fire, as he was spending the night at his father’s house, officials said. The fire may have started when Bunch fell asleep on a sofa, perhaps while smoking, Oxendine said. When firefighters arrived on the scene after 3 a.m., flames were showing from windows and the attic area, Lohr said. The American Red Cross assisted families who were displaced by the fire. The building was so heavily damaged that it will have to be demolished, Lohr added. The fire spread to all five attached condos in the attic area, which ran across the top of all five condos because it was not built with fire walls, Lohr said. Fire walls are typically used to help contain the area of a fire, Lohr explained.
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