The victim turned, saw the doors had closed, and was going back to prop them open. It was reported that the roof on the east end of the warehouse had collapsed into the fire at approximately the same time the parapet wall collapsed. The Captain on Engine 3 also received minor injuries from the falling bricks The falling bricks broke a line on the propane tank, igniting the propane gas, which was shooting a stream of fire directly over the downed fire fighter, making his removal extremely difficult. The fire fighter was removed from the brick debris and transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death as listed on the death certificate was multiple crushing injuries.
Flames break through the roof of the warehouse where the fatality occurred.
The warehouse was constructed around the turn of the century of heavy wooden beams and was subject to age and deterioration. The heavy wooden beams had deteriorated over the years, and the mortar between the bricks had lost adhesive qualities. The exterior brick parapet walls were anchored by steel tie rods into the wooden beams, which would possibly indicate structural instability. As trusses began to fail, the weight of the roof shifted or collapsed, allowing movement of the parapet walls, and thus an imminent collapse. A parapet wall is defined as the continuation of an exterior wall above the roof level.