St. Tammany Fire Protection District No.1 Responds to a Fatal Fire

At 9:15 pm on December 23, 2010 St. Tammany Fire Protection District No.1 personnel responded to the report of a Cardiac Arrest at 4122 St. Louis Street in Slidell. Engine 17 arrived on scene within 3 minutes and discovered a dead cat laying several feet inside of the entrance to the house. Upon entering the structure to investigate further, firefighters found the occupant of the home deceased in the hallway and discovered that a fire had occurred in the residence and had self-extinguished prior to the occupant being found by a family member who called 911.

Captain Roy Smith Jr. requested a fire investigator be called to the scene. Fire Prevention Officer Mike Thiel responded and contacted the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office upon confirmation of a room and contents fire with a fatality. Within one hour of being contacted, two Louisiana State Fire Marshal Investigators arrived on scene to assist Fire District No. 1 with the investigation. FPO Thiel coordinated with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Deputy on scene and also requested that a Detective and the Crime Lab be contacted to assist with the investigation.

The victim was identified by family members as the owner of the house Mr. Charles Ordes II.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation and while there is no preliminary cause at this time; all indications are that the fire is accidental in nature. There were no working smoke alarms in the home.

St. Tammany Fire Protection District No.1’s Fire Chief Larry Hess expresses his department’s sadness as to this tragic loss of life.

Hess further noted that including the fire on St. Louis Street Fire District No.1 firefighters have responded to two additional significant fires. The first was at 130 Chamale Drive at approximately 1:00 AM on the 23rd and the second at approximately 8:40 AM on Thursday, 24 December at the Executive House Apartments at 10th Street and Gause.

There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters during the Chamale or Executive House fires.

All three fires remain under investigation by the Fire Prevention Bureau of St. Tammany Fire District No. 1.

For more information about St. Tammany Fire Protection District #1 visit us at www.SlidellFire.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Captain Van Joffrion
PIO / Fire Prevention Officer
vjoffrion@SlidellFire.org
Cell (985) 201-5566

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