fire story, class draft

Today in class we had a "news conference" with Prof. Reisner acting as a fire chief, then a neighbor, about a house fire. Then we had to do a story on it. This is what I wrote in class, the rest of which is to be completed for Monday.


HOLLYWOOD, Fla.- A house fire killed a woman and two children last night around 11:30 p.m.

Firefighters pronounced Cynthia Johnsen, 31, along with her son Edward, 7, and daughter Jessica, 5, dead on the scene in their Hollywood home by around 11:40 last night.

A neighbor called 911 after hearing screams and seeing smoke and flames from 4200 McKinley St. “I ran across the street and heard her open the door and tried to run in after her, but the smoke was too intense,” said neighbor Fred Smythe, 55, of house number 4205.

The fire is under investigation, but police believe the pool pump short-circuited and ignited a stack of wood and palm fronds nearby.

“The house was totally involved by the time we got there,” said Hollywood Fire Chief Jon Daly. “It took a lot of equipment and a lot of firefighters to get it under control.”

The children were found huddled together in their bedroom closet holding their pet dog and pet cat. The mother was found just inside the front door, apparently trying to get inside to her kids.

“It appears the family didn’t have a plan of what to do in case of a fire. The bodies were burned quite substantially,” said Fire Chief Daly.

The sides of the houses on either side were scorched.

Fire Captain Paul Hanson, a firefighter of 18 years, broke down after carrying out the children’s bodies. “He was leaning against the fire truck, sobbing,” said Fire Chief Daly.

Samuel Johnsen, the father, is currently at Memorial Regional Hospital on suicide watch after apparently trying to shoot himself after learning the news of his family.