Fire destroys Pearl House of Peace
By Justin Schneider, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer
ANDERSON — An Anderson housing cooperative was destroyed Friday after officials say a resident used gasoline to light a wood stove.
Anderson Fire Department Battalion Chief Jerry Quire said the resident was injured in the fire at Pearl House of Peace, 1429 Pearl St. His name and condition were not known Friday evening.
“Evidently what happened was that he was trying to light a wood stove or something to that effect and used the wrong type of liquid,” Quire said. “He tried to put gasoline on it and it flashed back on him.”
The fire spread quickly and by the time firefighters arrived, Quire said, the two-story wood frame structure was fully involved. Heavy smoke was showing from the roof line and appeared to originate in the back of the house.
“We made entry from the back and the structure was compromised due to heavy fire,” Quire said. “That threw us from an offensive posture into a defensive posture.”
Given the weakened structure of the house, firefighters could not gain roof access. The firefighting effort was further complicated by frozen hydrants. By the time the fire was extinguished around 3:30 p.m., Quire said, firefighters had succeeded in protecting houses in close proximity to the north and south.
“You have a game plan coming in and sometimes you have to call an audible,” Quire said. “Our guys did a great job in protecting those other houses. We wrote off one and protected two.”
Quire said the house was not insured and estimated losses at $35,000 for the listed owner, Ken Kocinski.
Firefighter and instructor Gary Cochran received treatment for frostbite and minor smoke inhalation.
According to the constitution of the Pearl House of Peace posted on its Web site, it is “a quasi communal and prototype affordable housing cooperative community of Mercy International Ministry’s for mentally, emotionally and economically disadvantaged people and their families.”
The seven residents of Pearl House were evacuated quickly and City of Anderson Transportation System (CATS) buses were called in to protect them from the cold.
“The Red Cross has made arrangements for sheltering,” said Frank Dick, Anderson Emergency Management director. “We have seven displaced, including one injured.”
In operation since May 2006, Pearl House is run by Mercy International Ministry.
“We’re not a co-op, not a shelter,” Angela Micelli Suarez, executive director of Mercy International Ministry, told The Herald Bulletin. “We work together so that everyone benefits. We suffer and grow together — we’re a family.”
(broken link removed)
By Justin Schneider, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer
ANDERSON — An Anderson housing cooperative was destroyed Friday after officials say a resident used gasoline to light a wood stove.
Anderson Fire Department Battalion Chief Jerry Quire said the resident was injured in the fire at Pearl House of Peace, 1429 Pearl St. His name and condition were not known Friday evening.
“Evidently what happened was that he was trying to light a wood stove or something to that effect and used the wrong type of liquid,” Quire said. “He tried to put gasoline on it and it flashed back on him.”
The fire spread quickly and by the time firefighters arrived, Quire said, the two-story wood frame structure was fully involved. Heavy smoke was showing from the roof line and appeared to originate in the back of the house.
“We made entry from the back and the structure was compromised due to heavy fire,” Quire said. “That threw us from an offensive posture into a defensive posture.”
Given the weakened structure of the house, firefighters could not gain roof access. The firefighting effort was further complicated by frozen hydrants. By the time the fire was extinguished around 3:30 p.m., Quire said, firefighters had succeeded in protecting houses in close proximity to the north and south.
“You have a game plan coming in and sometimes you have to call an audible,” Quire said. “Our guys did a great job in protecting those other houses. We wrote off one and protected two.”
Quire said the house was not insured and estimated losses at $35,000 for the listed owner, Ken Kocinski.
Firefighter and instructor Gary Cochran received treatment for frostbite and minor smoke inhalation.
According to the constitution of the Pearl House of Peace posted on its Web site, it is “a quasi communal and prototype affordable housing cooperative community of Mercy International Ministry’s for mentally, emotionally and economically disadvantaged people and their families.”
The seven residents of Pearl House were evacuated quickly and City of Anderson Transportation System (CATS) buses were called in to protect them from the cold.
“The Red Cross has made arrangements for sheltering,” said Frank Dick, Anderson Emergency Management director. “We have seven displaced, including one injured.”
In operation since May 2006, Pearl House is run by Mercy International Ministry.
“We’re not a co-op, not a shelter,” Angela Micelli Suarez, executive director of Mercy International Ministry, told The Herald Bulletin. “We work together so that everyone benefits. We suffer and grow together — we’re a family.”
(broken link removed)
