Running into a burning building

Sometimes, a home sprinkler system will extinguish a fire. Other times, it's there to simply provide more time for emergency personnel to arrive.

Residents of structures without a sprinkler system are usually left to Lady Luck, hoping somebody arrives in time to prevent a small fire from turning into a large disaster. On the night of Dec. 7, 2015, the residents of Cheney's Reno Nugget apartments got lucky.

Cheney Police Department Sgt. Chad Eastep was just three blocks away when he received the 3:15 a.m. call that smoke was coming from a second-floor apartment at the Third Street complex's southern building. Within a few seconds, Eastep was on site and out of his car where he witnessed fleeing residents pointing to the source of the smoke and yelling they didn't know if "she" was in there or not.

What happened next for Eastep was as much about adrenalin-fueled reaction as it was years of training - probably more of the former than the latter.

"How many people run into a burning building?" Eastep asked during a Feb. 29 interview. His response hinged on one big factor.

"She might be in there," Eastep said of apartment 18's occupant.

With the clock ticking, Eastep opened the trunk, grabbed the vehicle's small fire extinguisher and ran towards the building and up the stairs to the second floor landing. Passing into the smoke, he entered the unit tucked into the corner of the building down a small, narrow hallway.

Eastep said that while it was pretty hazy, he could see aspects of the apartment, and what grabbed his attention was the room's northern wall - which was fully engulfed by flames. He leveled his fire extinguisher at the blaze and began applying its contents - which immediately blew back in his face from the force of hitting the wall.

Eastep continued applying the extinguisher to the fire as flakes of whatever chemicals were burning, paint, drywall, couch fabric together with those in his extinguisher, splattered him. Eventually this, along with the smoke and heat, were too much, and he exited the apartment, still not sure if the occupant was safely out.

"Mostly it was smoke, but I saw a red glow so I unloaded the rest in its direction," Eastep said.

As his extinguisher emptied, he heard voices outside saying "she's out," so he retreated from the building, hacking and coughing. By now, Cheney Fire Department's No. 1 attack engine and its four-man crew were on scene, as were other police officers. Eastep said he ran into Officer Dave Bailey outside, telling him "I don't know if that was the smartest thing I ever did."

Cheney Battalion Chief Ken Johnson might disagree. As other crewmembers were deploying hose, Johnson grabbed a water can and ascended the stairs to the second floor.

Dropping to his hands and knees at the apartment door, he began applying the contents of his can into the room while relaying information about the fire to the crew. As he did so, Johnson said it was hard keeping the fire down, and the whole room was teetering on the verge of flashing into a larger conflagration.

"I was thinking, 'wow, if Chad hadn't been here this easily could've extended into other units, into the attic and become a fatality fire,'" he said in a March 12 interview.

Eventually Cheney firefighters ran hose upstairs and extinguished the remaining blaze. Johnson said they are uncertain of the fire's cause, but believe it was either a wall heater or an electrical outlet.

Access to the apartment was limited, and if the fire had left the unit it could've blocked exit from the second-floor. It also could have blown out a window in the back of the unit facing the building to the north, potentially setting it on fire and blocking an exit.

"That's why he (Eastep) deserves some recognition," Johnson said. "He definitely slowed down the fire and that was critical in this situation."

Back on the ground, Eastep said he talked with the woman who lived in the apartment to make sure she was OK. After he was through, he and the other officers left the scene to allow firefighters to mop up.

Later that morning, Johnson called Cheney Police Chief John Hensley and told him the significance of Eastep's actions. Eastep said he thought he would simply receive a letter of commendation, but was awarded the National Chiefs of Police Association's Medal of Valor, presented at the City Council's Feb. 23 meeting.

"I was surprised, but it's a cool deal," Eastep said. "To me, I'm just doing my job. That's why the city pays me."

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.