FAMILY JUMPS TO SAFETY FROM BURNING RESIDENCE

A Cape Girardeau family escaped serious injury early Thursday when the two-story wood-frame duplex they were renting at 2767 Hawthorne Drive caught fire.

Authorities said Lindsey Sample, 39, Tina Sample, 33, and their 16-year-old son, Mike Sample, were forced to jump 12 feet from their second-floor bedroom windows to a concrete surface below to escape the toxic smoke.

All were treated for injuries received while escaping from the house and for smoke inhalation. They were treated and released from Southeast Missouri Hospital later in the morning.

Cape Girardeau firefighters were dispatched to the fire at 1:09 a.m., but Fire Inspector Tom Hinkebein said the fire had smoldered for a considerable time before Lindsey Sample smelled and saw smoke in the upstairs bedroom area after getting up to use the bathroom.

Hinkebein said had it not been for the father discovering the fire, and the fact that both upstairs bedroom doors were closed to the hallway, the fire might have had a more tragic outcome.

Hinkebein said the rental residence did not have any working smoke detectors.

"We believe the fire originated around a small, 9-inch fan that was on the first-floor living room table," said Hinkebein. "The fire spread to the sofa and carpeting, where it smoldered for a considerable amount of time, generating a lot of heat and toxic smoke and soot.

"We found a thick layer of soot on the hallway side of both of the second-floor bedroom doors. If those doors had been open, the toxic smoke and soot would have gone into the bedrooms where the occupants were asleep."

Firefighters said there was heavy smoke and fire damage to the first-floor living room and heavy smoke damage to the first and second floors.

Hinkebein said a working smoke detector in the residence would have alerted the family long before the smoke and heat became too intense and dangerous for them to escape down the stairway. "It would have also permitted them to call the fire department sooner, and possibly reduced the amount of smoke and fire damage that occurred," he said.

Hinkebein said the duplex is owned by Frank Bean Enterprises.

"The structure was built prior to changes in the city building code that now require all new housing to have hard-wired smoke detectors installed," Hinkebein said. "In the case of rental property, it is the shared responsibility of both the tenant and landlord to have a working smoke detector in the residence."

Hinkebein said the fire department has an ongoing program that provides and installs smoke detectors in homes that meet certain income qualifications.

"Starting in October, we're going to begin a new public education program on smoke detectors that will re-emphasize our smoke detector installation program," he said. "If a renter or resident does not now have a working smoke detector, they should contact fire department headquarters, 334-3211, to see if they qualify."

Commenting on the need for working smoke detectors in all residences, Hinkebein said, "I can't understand why a property owner or landlord will spend thousands and thousands of dollars for a home or rental property, but not be willing to spend $10 to $20 for a couple of smoke detectors to protect that investment, and more importantly, the lives of other people."