Rescue Effort
All in all, over 200 firemen and 40 engines were deployed. A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was also deployed to rescue people trapped on the roof, but quickly left after rescuing four people as it was feared that the rotating helicopter blades were making the fire worse. The role of the helicopter was later studied.
With the elevators unusable and the staircases impassable due to the smoke, firefighters had difficulty reaching the upper levels of the building, relying on four rescue ladders to rescue occupants who had opened the windows for fresh air. The flame was finally put out after 20 hours. In total 41 people had died; one firefighter was killed after plunging down an elevator shaft. Another person died several months later, never recovering from a coma resulting of the fire. Another 80 people were injured, including 14 firemen.
Read more about this topic: 1996 Garley Building Fire
Famous quotes containing the words rescue and/or effort:
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