Right now I am sitting in a hotel in Neosho, trying to catch up on the day's events surrounding the deadly fire in Anderson. In case you don't know, 10 people in a residential care facility died after a fire broke out Monday morning. Missouri Governor Matt Blunt says authorities are treating it as a crime, though no one is willing to confirm at this point that it is, indeed a crime.
KY3 was the first TV crew to go live at the scene on Monday afternoon. The building was still smoldering, family members were still coming to the scene for information, and one by one, television crews from across the area and the country came to cover the story.
It is truly sad. I try to avoid words like "tragedy" because even if it's obvious that it is one, it's not really my place to call it that. But what human being wouldn't? 10 people, 9 of whom were residents--and likely physically or mentally challenged--couldn't survive on their own, much less in a stressful situation like an intense fire. It is sad. If you pray, please do so for the survivors, the town, and the loved ones left behind.
See you on TV in 4 hours.
KY3 was the first TV crew to go live at the scene on Monday afternoon. The building was still smoldering, family members were still coming to the scene for information, and one by one, television crews from across the area and the country came to cover the story.
It is truly sad. I try to avoid words like "tragedy" because even if it's obvious that it is one, it's not really my place to call it that. But what human being wouldn't? 10 people, 9 of whom were residents--and likely physically or mentally challenged--couldn't survive on their own, much less in a stressful situation like an intense fire. It is sad. If you pray, please do so for the survivors, the town, and the loved ones left behind.
See you on TV in 4 hours.
update: to see all of the stories about the fire, go to http://www.ky3.com/news/4766311.html
3 comments:
One of the most distressing points on this story is that there were no sprinklers in place to help contain the fire. Would it have helped save lives? It probably would have but we will never know. Apparently state regulations don't require such things in group homes and perhaps it is time for things to change there.
Max...
It is definitely interesting what is required and what not. When we asked Gov. Blunt about the state requirements, he said he didn't know and told us that we would have to ask the Dept. of Health and Senior Services...at the time when I was covering the event, no one knew much.
I hate covering these types of stories and more often than not send footage over to other media outlets if I happen to be nearby a scene. Photo and Video Equipment are part of my standard gear - I feel naked without it!
If you're eartly to the scene you can usaully cut off an inspector and get an inside scoop (I'm assuming you did that).
You're probably a good person for this type of story as you can compassionately address the underlying and broader impact on the people's lives...If I wathed TV I'd check out the story but as it sits I'll wait to hear what you have to say about it.
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