Care home fire leaves resident dead, firefighter missing

护理院火灾致居民死亡消防员失踪

作者:The Associated Press     来源:New York, NY     阅读模式:只看译文

A fire swept through a suburban New York assisted living home and caused a partial collapse early Tuesday, killing one resident and touching off a grim search for a firefighter last heard from when he was trapped in the flames, officials said. Late in the day, officials were still listing the unidentified firefighter as missing after bringing in a search crew with a rescue dog. But hope for his survival faded as the crew was seen backing off so firefighters could continue to hose down the smoldering wreckage throughout the afternoon. Two other firefighters and multiple other residents were sent to hospitals. A second resident thought for several hours to be missing was later found unharmed, officials said. Flames gutted the Evergreen Court Home for Adults in the Rockland County community of Spring Valley, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of New York City, that its operator said housed 112 residents. One resident died after being taken to a hospital, said Rockland County Fire coordinator Chris Kear. The person’s name was not immediately released. “This was a devastating loss,” Kear said at a news briefing. All the survivors had been accounted for and will be placed in a new home, Evergreen said in a statement. “This is an unspeakable tragedy at Evergreen Court Home and our hearts and prayers go out to all individuals and families who have been impacted," the statement read. Rescuers searched through rubble for a firefighter who issued a mayday call from the third floor, Kear said. Other firefighters rushed to try to help their colleague, but the flames were too intense. “The extent of the fire, the volume of fire, the conditions, were just too unbearable where firefighters went in it, and they just could not locate the firefighter, and they had to back out,” he said at a later news conference. Authorities initially said they believed a resident the missing firefighter was trying to rescue was unaccounted for, as well. They said that person was later found but provided no details. Two other firefighters were taken to hospitals. One was released, while the other was expected to stay overnight for treatment for smoke inhalation, Kear said. Officials believe about 20 residents were taken to hospitals, some with serious injuries, Kear said. Other residents were taken by bus to another facility, state Trooper Steven Nevel said. U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones said he was horrified to learn of the fire in his hometown of Spring Valley. “I am deeply saddened by the death of a resident of the Evergreen facility, and I am praying that the firefighter who bravely risked his life to save dozens of individuals trapped inside will be found safe and alive,” the first-term Democrat said in a statement. About 125 firefighters from many agencies worked to get the fire under control. Investigators worked to determine the cause of the fire. Because of the extensive damage, “It's going to take quite a while to get to the root cause,” Kear said. At one point, video showed the second floor collapsing as the fire burned. Kear said a whole portion of the building ultimately fell down.

官员们说,周二凌晨,一场大火席卷了纽约郊区的一个辅助生活住宅,并造成部分坍塌,一名居民死亡,并引发了对一名消防队员的严酷搜寻,当时他被困在火海中,最后一次得到了他的消息。
当天晚些时候,官员们带着一只搜救犬派出搜救队后,仍将这名身份不明的消防员列为失踪人员。但是当看到船员们后退,消防员们可以在整个下午继续用软管冲洗闷烧的残骸时,他生还的希望就变得渺茫了。
另外两名消防员和多名居民被送往医院。官员们说,另一名被认为失踪了几个小时的居民后来被发现安然无恙。
大火烧毁了位于纽约市以北30英里(48公里)的Rockland县Spring Valley社区的长青法院成人之家,据其运营商称,这里住着112名居民。
一名居民在被送往医院后死亡,罗克兰郡消防协调员克里斯·基尔说。此人的姓名没有立即公布。
“这是一场毁灭性的损失,”基尔在新闻发布会上说。
常青公司在一份声明中说,所有幸存者都已被清点,并将被安置在一个新家。
声明中写道:“这是一场发生在长青苑家园的难以言喻的悲剧,我们向所有受到影响的个人和家庭表达我们的心和祈祷。”
救援人员在瓦砾中搜寻一名从三楼发出求救信号的消防员,Kear说。其他消防队员赶到试图帮助他们的同事,但是火焰太强烈了。
他在随后的新闻发布会上说:“火势之大,火势之大,火势之恶劣,让消防员无法忍受,他们无法找到消防员,只好撤退。”
当局最初表示,他们认为失踪的消防队员试图营救的一名居民也下落不明。他们说,那个人后来被找到了,但没有提供细节。
另外两名消防员被送往医院。其中一人被释放,而另一人因吸入浓烟预计将留一夜接受治疗,Kear说。
官员们相信大约20名居民被送往医院,有些人伤势严重,Kear说。
州警史蒂文·内维尔说,其他居民被公共汽车带到另一个设施。
美国众议员蒙代尔·琼斯说,得知家乡春谷发生火灾,他感到惊恐。
这位第一任期的民主党人在一份声明中说:“我对长青核电站一名居民的死亡深感悲痛,我祈祷那位勇敢地冒着生命危险救出数十名被困者的消防员能够安全地活着。”
来自多个机构的大约125名消防员努力控制火势。调查人员努力确定起火原因。
由于大面积的破坏,“要找到根本原因还需要一段时间,”Kear说。
视频显示,大火燃烧时,二楼一度坍塌。基尔说,大楼的整个部分最终倒塌了。