Sep. 3--A young Buffalo woman and man died in a house fire Sunday morning despite several attempts to save them -- by neighbors who broke through a window with their bare hands and firefighters who ran into the inferno.
The victims were identified by family members as Stacey Edwards, 20, who graduated from South Park High School in June with dreams of joining the Army, and her 19-yearold boyfriend, known as Justin. Fire officials had not released identities as of late Sunday.
The two were pronounced dead after the bodies were found inside Edwards' grandmother's home at 107 Thomas St., in the city's Seneca-Babcock neighborhood.
Two firefighters, who entered the burning home in an attempt to save them, were treated in Erie County Medical Center for injuries that were described as not life-threatening.
Timothy McLaughlin of Engine 32 fell through a collapsed floor and suffered a back injury.
James Wrest of Engine 3 suffered burns to his arms, wrists and neck when he climbed through the window of the burning house.
"There was just way too much fire in that room," Fire Commissioner Michael J. Lombardo said. "The place just lit up, and he had to get out of there. . . ."
"This is just demoralizing for the entire crew," he said of the tragedy. "They don't like to be defeated, and they want to save every life."
Edwards is the second person from her graduating class at South Park High School to die this summer. Classmate Matthew Neary, 18, drowned Aug. 26 when he fell into the Buffalo River from the South Park lift bridge.
Edwards and Neary were friends, and she had just attended his funeral, family members say.
Her grandmother, Kathleen Grabowski, believes that a scented candle burning inside her home may have triggered the fire.
"She used to burn a candle at night whenever she would go to sleep," Grabowski said of her granddaughter. "[Saturday] night, I went into the room to make sure the candle was out, and I didn't see it so I went to bed."
Fire investigators declined to comment on what caused the fire, only saying that they are still investigating.
When the fire erupted, there were four people inside the 2zstory, wood-frame house.
Edwards and her boyfriend were inside a first-floor bedroom, where they had been living the past few days. Grabowski and her son, Michael, were sleeping on couches in the firstfloor living room.
Michael awoke to the smell of smoke and tried to get into the bedroom, where his niece and her boyfriend had been sleeping.
"He couldn't get into the room because the smoke was so bad, so he went outside to the bedroom window and ripped the screen out," recalled Grabowski, standing outside her burned-out home shortly after the fire was extinguished.
"He tried breaking the window, and he tried to grab them, but he just couldn't," said the grandmother, wiping tears from her face. "The smoke was so bad."
Smoke hindered effort
Neighbors James Murphy and John Schwartz were among five men who tried to break the side window and rescue the couple. Schwartz suffered cuts to is hands from smashing the window.
"I ran over there and I tried to break the windows out," recalled neighbor James Murphy.
"I tried to grab [Justin], but the smoke was so thick. We were yelling for them to come to the window, but they didn't respond. It was so black and thick."
Fire officials were called at 8:13 a.m. for a report of smoke, but when firefighters arrived two minutes later they saw heavy flames shooting out from the first floor of the house.
Engine 3 was first to arrive on the scene, followed by Engine 32 and Ladder 5.
Firefighter James Wrest climbed into the window and began searching for the couple in the heavy smoke.
"When we got there, the building was fully involved," recalled Fire Capt. Louis Angrisano. "He tried to rescue him, but he was only able to get him to the edge of the window. . . . He was probably already deceased."
While Wrest was pulling the man near the window, the fire intensified, sending flames ripping through the room.
"He was able to get [the man] partially out of the window, but the fire and heat were just way too much for him," said Deputy Fire Commissioner Garnell M. Smith. "He did a valiant effort trying to rescue him, but the heat and heavy fire just got to be [too much]."
Firefighters were also forced to the leave the building because the rear walls started buckling outward, said Lombardo.
Meanwhile, fellow firefighters were trying to extinguish the fire, which had engulfed all three floors of the home.
Rushing to the fire were James and Dawn Edwards, the parents of Stacey Edwards, who were overcome by grief. They collapsed on a nearby lawn as a firefighter tried to console them.
Firefighters credited
More than a dozen of Stacey's family members were also there, sobbing and hugging each other at the scene.
Stacey Edwards was a member of the Junior ROTC program at South Park and had ambitions of joining the Army.
She also served as an altar server at SS. Rita & Patrick Catholic Church on Fillmore Avenue.
"It's just a terrible loss," said her grandmother, her voice cracking with emotion. "That girl meant everything to me. She was my first grandchild."
"Those firefighters did everything to save her," she said. "I'll miss her smile, her laugh, just everything."
Edwards worked briefly at Tim Hortons on William Street, but neighbors said she was better known for selling flowers at local bars and restaurants.
Family members are trying to set up a public fund to help them with her burial costs.
She had been going out with her boyfriend for a couple of weeks, and her family members said they didn't know much about him.
Crisis team planned
Buffalo Public School spokesman Stefan Mychajliw described Edwards as an active student, who was a member of several clubs, including the Buffalo Select Chorus, a choir of 25 singers from nine of the city's public high schools.
"She was a great kid," said Mychajliw, who also knew her from growing up in that neighborhood. "Administrators and techers just loved [Edwards]. She'll be missed and everyone is taking this very hard."
A crisis team will be sent to the school on the first day of classes Wednesday.
"It's a terribly tragedy to lose two students within one week," said Mychajliw, referring to Neary's death as well. "Anything these students need, we'll make every effort to help them."
Meanwhile, a candlelight vigil is being organized by family members and friends of the victims for 7 p.m. Thursday outside 107 Thomas.
vthomas@buffnews.com
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