Hoarders: How firefighters battle 'Collyer conditions'

[x635 4,066]

Quote

“Floor-to-ceiling” trash and debris made the job Thursday of containing a blaze at 5 Waldron Ave. in Central Nyack very difficult and dangerous for firefighters, chief Mike Healy said.

 

 

 

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/2016/12/16/hoarders-how-firefighters-battle-collyer-conditions/95514714/

[lt411 145]

Had many "Collyer's mansion " apt. fires over the years. I remember one in particular in an illegal basement apt. in the Bronx. The Deputy Chief assigned my  squad company the task of doing a "secondary search" in that basement apartment. The bedroom was particularly stacked with debris/junk everywhere, and the queen size bed had 3-4 ft of clothes/junk piled on it. Ironically we had drilled earlier in the night tour on the proper way to do a thorough secondary search. As my guys moved the debris off the bed, we found a body - a rather obese male in his 30's with his throat slit open from ear to ear. The murdered victim was on the wrong end of a drug deal gone bad. Needless to say the Battalion chief and the Deputy chief were very happy that we had done a "good secondary". Nothing worse that the fire marshals or the detectives finding a DOA after the fire units have left the scene. If you are going to do a job, "do it right".  

[SECTMB 612]

You can't judge a book by its cover. Went to very nice home, EMS call, well kept property, house looked fine, BMW in the driveway, lady owner was a buyer for a major department store, impeccably dressed, go inside, nightmare on Elm Street.  Thank god it was an EMS call and not a fire.