JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a least a dozen people were killed in a residential tower fire in London early Wednesday, many started to question how safe high-rise buildings are in Jacksonville.
High-rise fires are few and far between in the city, but Jacksonville's most memorable and tragic high-rise fire took place in 1963, when 500 people were trapped inside the Roosevelt Hotel and 22 people died, including a firefighter.
The Navy helped with the rescue by using helicopters to pull people off the roof.
A fire at the Cathedral Towers Retirement Community downtown in 1994 trapped dozens of elderly men and women in their units.
A desperate 911 caller at the time begged the operator to get help to the 18th floor.
Operator: Ma'am, what's your number?
Caller: 1803. My room is full of smoke.
Operator: OK ma'am, we will get up to you. I need you to get down on the floor.
Caller: I am on the floor, and I got towels.
Operator: You got towels around the door?
Caller: Yes, the smoke is awful … Oh, God, I don't want to go this way.
No one died in that fire, but 18 people were sent to the hospital.
A representative at the complex told News4Jax on Wednesday that the complex is inspected yearly, and residents, like Bill Mehring, said they feel safe.
Mehring said there are small fires every now and then.
“The sprinkler system is so amazing,” he said. “It starts right away. And when the firemen come, it's about 10 or 15 minutes, and they leave.”
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Chief Kurt Wilson said those annual inspections and required sprinkler systems have helped make deadly fires rare, despite the addition of more high-rises to the city's skyline.
“I am confident we can handle a high-rise fire in Duval county,” Wilson said. “Anything is possible. What we do is we are extremely proactive in our Fire Marshal's Office. We inspect every commercial building annually. That includes high-rises, high-rise apartments and buildings.”
In the London fire Wednesday, there were reports that residents were told to put towels under the doors to block smoke as they waited for rescue.
Wilson said that is one method of protection that might be safer than going into stairwells in a concrete building.
He said rescuers decide on a case-by-case basis how best to respond.