Multiple Eyewitness Accounts Confirm:

Casa de Vallejo Fire Alarm Failed to Sound

The following is based on an interview with Casa de Vallejo resident Gary Zelasky and the eyewitness accounts of many other residents. Casa de Vallejo management has not returned our calls for comment.

By Marc Garman

9/12/08

Gary Zelasky didn't expect to be crawling in a smoke filled hallway on the sixth floor of the Casa de Vallejo senior residence shortly after 3AM on Friday, August 15. “The only reason I woke up is because someone slammed on my door” says Zelasky who put a wet towel over his face and crawled along the hallway hitting doors and trying to awaken other residents. The large fire alarm bells on the wall remained absolutely silent as the fire, already in an advanced state, continued to grow. Some residents were awakened by the sound of oxygen bottles detonating from the heat. Zelasky and other residents have made very clear that oxygen was in use in the room on the sixth floor where the fire started. With no sprinklers in the rooms, the oxygen enriched environment accelerated the blaze significantly. According to eyewitnesses, the fire alarm remained mute even after fire alarm pull handles were engaged.

“When I opened up my door the smoke was so intense it just burled in and set my alarm off in the room.” said Zelasky describing his surprise at the thick and hot smoke that filled the hall. Fire doors on the rooms were sealed so well that independent smoke alarms in individual rooms did not sound until it was too late for some. “I didn't hear anybody else's alarm go off in their individual room because their door would be shut.” Zelasky fled to the stairway to get air, but attempted to return for his friend John Argente. “I went back in because I knew John Argente—a good friend of ours was in there. I knew he wouldn't leave without me so I'm not gonna leave without him. So, I put the towel back around (my face) and went back in.” Zelasky tried in vain to save Argente. “The smoke in the hallway was so intense...I just figured I was dead.” Argente died of the injuries he sustained in the fire as did resident Harold Fortune.”I feel bad about losing Harold.” says Zelasky “the overhead collapsed on him.”

Zelasky resided in unit 615—across the hall and two doors down from where the devastating fire started. He and dozens of other residents have confirmed that the fire alarm in Casa de Vallejo never sounded. Multiple eyewitnesses have also indicated that workers were engaged in some sort of work on the fire alarm system in the days before the fire. Not one single resident interviewed on or off the record has indicated that they heard any fire alarm sound. Not one single resident has indicated that they were informed of possible trouble with the fire alarm. Was the management of Casa de Vallejo aware of trouble with the fire alarm? And if so, Why were no additional precautions taken?

Fire Chief Russ Sherman has stated that “Before final determination can be made we must double check our findings and finish interviewing all the witnesses.” Sherman also indicated that the sprinkler system on the sixth floor utilizes independent sprinkler heads that activate in the presence of heat or flame. Smoke in the hallway would not have been enough to activate them. Whether they actually functioned or not is yet to be revealed.

The police and fire personnel who responded to the Casa de Vallejo fire that early Friday morning had to get residents out. Because the fire alarm did not sound, they had the added challenge of waking residents and alerting them to the fire first. Precious time was lost because of this. Were lives lost?

According to Zelasky, a Frito Lay delivery man braved the killing smoke and silent darkness to wake residents in the moments before safety personnel arrived. At some point a feeble public address system announced “Residents please vacate the Casa de. We are on fire. This is not a drill.” Zelasky never witnessed a fire drill in the eleven months he lived at the Casa de Vallejo. Apparently, the policy of manning the front desk 24/7 had been done away with at some point as well.

As the investigation into this fire continues, and more facts surface, the question of responsibility and liability will have to be asked. This question seems to have some people very nervous.

When asked if this disaster could have been avoided Gary Zelasky paused, took a breath, looked me in the eye and replied “ABSOLUTELY”