A Fire and a Hard Place

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6MOREHOUSE USA TODAY

March 18, 2010

A FIRE AND A HARD PLACE

BY MEKII KAUAPIRURA

GRAND RAPIDS, MI-Just a few weeks ago, a disastrous fire struck the apartment building of Maple & Elm right here in Grand Rapids. None were killed. None were injured. But it could’ve been much worse had the kids of Janet Reynolds never called 911. It became one of the most talked-about events in American history.

It all started on the afternoon of February 24, 2010 at 3:15 p.m. Mrs. Reynolds told her three kids , Tyler, Wendy, and Jacob, to be safe and keep the apartment clean while she was at the grocery store. Everything was OK, as they sat watching an episode of Arthur. Ironically, this was the episode where a fire hit Arthur’s school. The turkey that Janet had placed in the oven had started to burn. Soon smoke began to fill the air, and it never let up.

The kids began to notice an odd smell in the apartment. They found out there was a fire in the kitchen! A sobbing Tyler called 911 about the uncontrollable flames. The Grand Rapids Fire Department, GRFD for short, were on their way. A reporter from The Detroit News heard the call and it spread virally throughout the state of Michigan, and soon the country. People all over Michigan were glued to their TV sets after hearing about the fire, while others who lived their lives in the state gathered around the now-crowded apartment building as the GRFD arrived. People who lived in the building were startled as well, but it was the burning apartment that caught their attention.

Mrs. Reynolds walked out of her car with anger and horror. Her kids were facing certain death , but the GRFD stopped the commotion. The apartment was now filled with explosions and by now, America had heard of this pit of fury. In a matter of 11 minutes and 24 seconds, firefighters had saved the kids and put out the fire which had now covered almost the entire apartment. Spectators roared in approval at the cleverness of the kids, the...