By DAN SPRINGER – La Crosse Tribune

A public housing duplex where fire that took the life of a 6-year-old boy Sunday had all the required fire prevention and warning equipment, La Crosse fire and housing authority officials said Monday.

Angelo “Lolo” Nakel Poppe died after he was rescued from a second-story bedroom at 2830 Huber Court about 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
La Crosse fire officials said Poppe died from smoke inhalation and that the fire was likely caused by Poppe playing with a cigarette lighter.

Division Chief Jeff Brohmer, head of fire inspection and arson for the La Crosse Fire Department, said the building, which is operated by the La Crosse Housing Authority, met all code requirements and had just undergone an annual inspection by housing authority staff.

That inspection, which was done Thursday, showed no problems, said Don Anthony, maintenance engineer for the housing authority.

“When we do our annual inspection, we come in and have someone check housekeeping to make sure it’s been kept up,” Anthony said. “While we’re in there, we check the life safety equipment, make sure the exits aren’t blocked, there aren’t materials around the gas fire appliances, the smoke detector is in working order, and we check the ground fault interrupters.”

While the building did not have a fire extinguisher or sprinkler system, Brohmer said state or city fire codes don’t require them.

A new state law requires buildings with 11 or more units to have a working sprinkler system. And, in 2011 that requirement will fall to new buildings with three or more units, Brohmer said.

A working sprinkler system would have likely saved Poppe’s life because it would have drastically reduced the smoke that likely caused Poppe’s death, said Brohmer, who stressed it was uncommon for sprinkler systems to have been installed in buildings of this type when it was built.

Fire officials Monday mourned Poppe’s death and said it should serve as a tragic reminder to all parents to do everything possible to avoid similar deaths.

“This department has been very proactive in educating parents about the dangers in their homes and urging them to do everything possible to protect their children,” said fire Capt. John Helfrich. “Today we have to be a little proactive and try harder to get that message out.” In the past two decades, the La Crosse Fire Department has started a number of programs to spread the word about fire safety.

Each year, La Crosse firefighters meet with area second grade, fifth grade and high school students to discuss fire prevention ideas that can then be taken home to parents.

Children are often sent home with information to share with their parents and second-grade students get a fire prevention checklist to complete, Helfrich said.

Recently, the department has worked with Gundersen Lutheran to allow fire officials to meet with first-time parents to discuss ways to prevent fires. But, in 1990, the department started the most intensive approach to reach young people most likely to start fires, Brohmer said.

To read the full article click here.