By Andrea Penick
KALAMAZOO, Mich.— Two men are in custody on suspicion of arson after an Oakwood neighborhood fire erupted at 2 a.m. yesterday, injuring two children and killing one.
The three children were taken to Bronson Memorial Hospital arriving at 3:12 am. Tiffany Blanchard, 3-years-old, was pronounced dead at 3:57 a.m. after suffering severe smoke inhalation.
Tory Blanchard, five, and their brother Terry Blanchard, six, suffered minor injuries. The two boys were released from the hospital at 10 a.m.
The 1275 Monroe St. fire was called in at 2:10 a.m., the fire department arrived at approximately 2:15 a.m. By then, the building was almost fully engulfed in flames.
Seven of the 10 tenants escaped the building with no injuries, but the three children had been trapped on the second floor. Firefighters Samuel Walshe of Company 4 and James O’Brian of Company 2 rescued the children from the building.
It is reported that the building was under violation because no smoke detectors were found, according to Patricia Clarksen, Deputy Chief of the Kalamazoo Fire Department.
According to the fire department, Damages to the nearly destroyed building are estimated at $250,000.
The two suspects of the fire are in custody after witnesses claim to have seen the suspects running from the building, according to police. Vincent DeNofrio, 33, from Matawan, was seen with canister in hand, along with a juvenile, 16, also from Matawan, according to the police records of witnesses statements.
Regina Santarpio, Lt. of Kalamazoo Police Department stated, “There is a nexus between Marie Blanchard, Vincent DeNofrio and the fire.”
Through investigations, police suspect that DeNofrio was the estranged boyfriend of Marie Blanchard, a resident of the building and suspected target of the arson.
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3 comments:
Really good! The only suggestion I would make is to put the fact that that a child was killed a little sooner in the lead. (At least before mentioning that 2 others were injured?)
I don't know about you, but I sorta scrambling to post comments, which explains why I am leaving 2 for one post!
Anyhow, you had a lot of good points in our discussion today. I especially liked when you said that everyone has biases, because it's part of being human. After all, journalists aren't opinionless robots..and I think that being objective is probably one of the hardest tasks a journalist has.
I agree with Toni that you should mention that a child was killed first. That would really grab people's attention, especially if they knew she was just 3.
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