NEW ORLEANS – Around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the New Orleans Fire Department received a 911 call reporting the smell of smoke in the area of Dumaine and Galvez Streets.
A single engine company was dispatched to investigate smoke in the area at 3:34pm. The responding company notified dispatch of a working fire in the 2400 block of Dumaine St. and requested a full one-alarm response at 3:38pm.
Upon arrival firefighters were confronted with two abandoned dwellings already heavily involved and an occupied single-family dwelling to the immediate right at extreme risk of exposure.
The size of the fire and the risk of exposure to multiple dwellings in the area prompted the request for second and third alarms at 3:42 p.m. and 3:48 p.m. respectfully.
NOFD firefighters were able to determine that the original fire building was an abandoned single-family dwelling at 2430 Dumaine St. That property was burned to the ground.
The exposed property to the immediate left, an abandoned shotgun double at 2422-24 Dumaine St., was severely damaged and is currently at risk of full collapse.
The exposure to the immediate right, an occupied single-family home at 2434 Dumaine St., received extensive fire damage and is also at risk of possible collapse.
There was a total of five vehicle consumed in this fire and two dwellings on the opposite side of the street received radiant heat damage.
Properties one house over on both the left and right suffered moderate smoke and water damage as firefighters attempted to stop the fire from continuing to spread.
The elderly female resident at 2434 Dumaine St. escaped unharmed but lost both her home and car in this incident.
The NOFD also received notification that a six-year-old female was transported to an area hospital with burns to her neck, degree unknown.
Eighteen NOFD units carrying forty-three Fire Operations personnel were used to bring this incident under control at 5:19pm.
There were no firefighter injuries reported and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
The New Orleans Police Department, New Orleans Emergency Medical Services and Entergy all assisted in the mitigation of this incident. A single NOFD company will remain on the scene as a “fire watch” until it’s determined that there is no risk of rekindle.
