Two firefighters killed in York fire identified; two others injured after collapse
Two firefighters died and two others were injured after the collapse of the former Weaver Organ and Piano building Thursday afternoon, according to city officials.
Ivan Flanscha, 50, was pronounced dead at York Hospital, according to the York County Coroner's Office. Flanscha, a Red Lion resident, was a veteran of the city fire department and had been named firefighter of year for 2004.
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Zachary Anthony was also pronounced dead at the hosital, York Mayor Michael Helfrich said at a news conference shortly before 9:30 p.m. Thursday.
Watch, a procession for a fallen firefighter (story continues below):
Two of the others transported to York Hospital were talking and were expected to be OK, and Fred DeSantis, president of the York Professional Firefighters Association.
DeSantis spoke from the hospital earlier in the evening, where firefighters and family had gathered.
He said firefighters were in the midst of an investigation when the nearly 150-year-old York building collapsed, trapping them. All four are from the city fire department.
Rescue crews were called to the scene of Wednesday's fire at the former factory for several individuals trapped inside.
On Thursday morning, firefighters had been attempting to root out any hot spots, and officials had planned to comb through the wreckage in hopes of determining what caused the fire.
The report of trapped people later in the day was called out as a "mass casualty" incident and "mayday" over the 911 radio system. The Advanced Technical Rescue team was dispatched, according to the county 911 log.
Parts of the building that had been standing earlier Thursday had collapsed. Some already had fallen the previous day during the fire.
See the difference after the fire (story continues below):
At the scene, police officers at the corner of Wallace and North Broad Street told a woman who lives nearby that she could not cross the yellow tape because "it’s a crime scene."
A resident who lives on Walnut Street said she was told to evacuate, but she didn't know why.
Eleven York firefighters have died in the line of duty, according to the City of York website.
The last death was in 1971.
More:'We were rooting for them': Weaver fire destroyed more than just another building in York
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From the scene
On Wednesday, workers had been in the building earlier in the day, working to renovate it for use as apartments, fire officials said.
Charles Beaverson works for RD Sanders Plumbing & Heating, which was contracted to handle the plumbing for the project to convert the big, brick building into 42 modern apartments.
Beaverson said that about 11 a.m. Wednesday during the snow storm, the owner dismissed all the trades workers in the building.
"That's the first job site I was at where they wanted us to leave on account of bad weather," he said at the site Thursday.
Story continues after photo gallery.
York City Deputy Fire Chief Chad Deardorff also was at the site Thursday morning as crews worked to douse hot spots. "We're ultimately going to have to get heavy equipment in to start knocking some of this down, pulling pieces apart to get to the deep-seeded fires and the pockets of fire underneath the collapse zone."
More than 100 firefighters had responded to the fire Wednesday. One who had been taken to an area hospital with an ankle injury had been treated and was home Thursday morning, Deardorff said.
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He said the building's sprinkler and smoke alarm systems were in the process of installation, but were not on-line, adding that is typical for a building under construction.
"It's not uncommon," he said. "They weren't anywhere close to being occupied."
Matt Steinkamp, who owns the building, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
Shelter
Emergency responders asked Stillmeadow Church of the Nazarene to open its York city campus as a shelter for people displaced from the Walnut Street area.
There were two families there early Thursday evening, and the church offered them snacks.
“Just trying to do what we would want somebody do for us, which is what Jesus said,” said Kent Vandervort, the church’s urban ministry pastor. “Do unto others as you’d have done unto yourself.”
Story continues after the video below from the shelter.
Nkemjika Ozoude was at the shelter with her children.
Their home lost power during Wednesday’s fire. It was cold, so she layered blankets on her children. The power came back early, and on Thursday, she thought everything was over.
“I was like, 'maybe everything was all right now; there’s no need to panic again',” she said.
She decided to go get groceries. Then she heard a collapse.
She went over to see what was going on. She saw people coming out on stretchers.
Later, emergency responders directed her to the shelter.
“Honestly, I don’t know what is going on,” Ozoude said. “I don’t know from here where we go to, or what will be the end of it.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.