State codes, alarms not enough to save 7

Ocean Isle Beach | The beach house, constructed in 1999, met all state building codes and regulations.

Emergency crews were on the scene within two minutes of getting the first 911 call.

And the home's fire alarms did work.

But could more have been done to prevent the Sunday morning fire that killed seven South Carolina college students and sent six more to the hospital?

The home did not have a fire sprinkler system, but no one interviewed would speculate whether having one would have made a difference.

The state building code doesn't require sprinklers in private residences, and Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith said the town has no rule mandating them.

Several coastal mayors and building officials contacted late Sunday said they didn't know how feasible it would be to require sprinklers in new homes.

They cited the potential stress on their water systems and the practicality of adding the requirement after only a single, albeit horrific, incident.

"But realistically I think we're going to be looking at everything because this has happened," said Caswell Beach Mayor Harry Simmons.

That could include additional fire escape options for homes built on pilings, which constitute nearly all new construction along the coast because of flooding concerns.

Response praised

As investigators combed through the charred remains of the beach house on this Brunswick County resort island, Smith praised the response of the town's emergency personnel, who were quickly joined by crews from four neighboring fire departments.

She said police were on the scene two minutes after the first 911 call at 7:01 a.m.

The first fire truck rolled up four minutes later.

Southerly winds helped whip up the blaze but also kept it from jumping to adjacent homes to the north. Eyewitnesses said the blaze moved too fast for rescue crews to help anyone trapped inside.

"When I saw it, you couldn't have gone inside," said Henry Beckham, who said he was one of the first people at the scene. "The flames were twice as high as the house."

Under investigation

Although agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the State Bureau of Investigation were among the investigators combing through the wreckage Sunday afternoon, county and town officials said that wasn't unusual.

Randy Thompson, head of Brunswick County Emergency Management, said local communities often ask the agencies to assist in investigations of major incidents.

"And this is probably one of the more significant incidents that's occurred in Brunswick County," he said.

Thompson added that as of late Sunday afternoon, investigators still hadn't determined where or how the fire had started, although limited damage to the beach house's ground level and to a car still parked in the driveway gave credence to eyewitness reports that it started on the second floor and climbed up the wood-frame house with vinyl siding.

At an afternoon news conference, Smith said the home's fire alarms did go off.

But it isn't known whether they were enough to wake the estimated 13 occupants, at least one of whom jumped into the nearby canal to escape the flames.

Gareth McGrath: 343-2384

gareth.mcgrath@starnewsonline.com