Beach House Fire Survivor's Frantic Escape

Plunge From Top-Story Window Into Canal Saved Student's Life From Deadly Blaze

(CBS/AP)  One of the six survivors of a deadly beach house fire in North Carolina leaped to safety by jumping from a window and into a canal. Seven other students vacationing at the house were killed in the blaze early Sunday morning.

"I woke up for some reason," a shaken Tripp Wylie told CBS' The Early Show. "Everything, you know, happened so fast."

Wylie, a University of South Carolina student, said he knew he had to get out. "Thick black smoke started coming in the room, so I closed the door back and went to the window and opened the blinds and just kind of kicked in the screen and looked outside," Wylie said.

When asked if there was any opportunity to help other people in the house, Wylie says, "If there was, I don't even want to know about it. I don't want to second-guess myself. No one would want to think that there was something you could do and then not been doing."

Wylie was the only person on the top floor who survived, jumping out of a window and into the canal, said Ocean Isle Beach fire Chief Robert Yoho.

Among the seven students killed were an aspiring attorney, a high school homecoming queen, fraternity men and sorority women. They were ardent University of South Carolina football fans, out for a good time at a beach house.

More than 1,000 people attended a ceremony to remember the students who died in that weekend fire at a North Carolina beach house, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann.

"It's an awful loss for someone that had a pretty good future in front of her," Terry Walden said of his daughter, Allison, from his Ohio home. "It sounded like they were having a good time. Unfortunately, the fire didn't show any mercy."

Six of those killed attended the University of South Carolina. A seventh went to Clemson. Officials have said many were members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and Delta Delta Delta sorority - and some had gone to high school together in Greenville.
"There are no words to describe what we've been going through," Chip Auman - whose family owns the Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., vacation house - said while visiting his hospitalized daughter. "We are living a nightmare."

Debbie Smith, mayor of the resort community, said Monday that investigators believe the fire was likely accidental and started in the rear of the house, either on or near a deck facing a canal. That side of the home appeared to be the most heavily damaged. Most of the victims were found in the home's five bedrooms.

Investigators quizzed dozens of college students who filled several homes near the site of the disaster.

Rebecca Wood, the president of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity at the University of North Carolina, said police wanted to know if the college students were using a grill or small outdoor fireplace. She told investigators all the grilling was done far from the house.

Police in the beachfront community, which has only about 500 full-time residents, are working with the State Bureau of Investigation and federal officials. Autopsies will take place at the state medical examiner's office in Chapel Hill.

"It may be a few days," spokeswoman Sharon Artis said. "We have not identified any of them yet."

Condolences have been flooding into the Columbia school of 27,000 students, and officials urged them to support each other.

"Please reach out to one another, don't let others suffer in silence," school president Andrew Sorensen told a nighttime gathering of about 1,000 students.

About 90 miles from Columbia in Simpsonville, more than 100 people gathered at an elementary school to pray for the victims.

University officials said names of those who died may not be released until Wednesday, but some relatives and friends of the victims talked Monday about their losses.

Anna Lee Rhea said her older brother, William, was among the dead - a devastating blow to their brother Andrew, who made it out of the house alive.

"Everybody loved him. Everybody really misses him," she said in a brief telephone interview from the family's home in Florence. "You couldn't help but love him."

Anna Lee Rhea said her brother was a huge fan of South Carolina's Gamecocks. The brother of another victim, Justin Anderson, said the same thing about him.

Amanda Palacio, who went to high school with South Carolina freshman Lauren Mahon in Simpsonville, described her best friend as someone who talked fast and was always on the go. "She was a great girl. She still is," Palacio said.

Mahon and Palacio were born just three days apart and Palacio said they were looking forward to celebrating their 19th birthday party together in the spring.

"She was always on the go with something new, saying, 'Let's do this, OK, let's do this,"' Palacio said. "Very spontaneous. Just laid-back. Not a care in the world. Just had it all together."

Mahon had plans to work in real estate law one day, Palacio said.

Cassidy Pendley, 19, was a freshman at the University of South Carolina who played soccer and was a cheerleader at Fort Dorchester High School near Charleston, her boyfriend told WCSC-TV on Monday.

Reid McCollum, quarterback for the rival Summerville high school, met Pendley two years ago when she was junior homecoming queen.

"A lot of people tried to put that in between us but we knew that we both loved each other. We just clicked and just enjoyed spending time with each other," said McCollum, who planned to follow her to the school.

"For them to open up their house to us was just so nice," Wood said. "We gave them hugs and said we would Facebook later. That's the great thing about the online stuff now, friendships could grow without seeing each other. We got along really well."

Wood left around 1:30 a.m., but Alexander said the lights were still on at the doomed beach house as late as 2:30 a.m. He awoke to the sound of sirens a few minutes after 7 a.m.

"Flames were halfway across the channel," Alexander said. "The fire was roaring and cracking. You could already see inside the house."

[rmooreses]

I watched CBS news this morning in the hopes that Harry Smith might give some clue as to why he asked Tripp Wylie such a thoughtless question in his interview with him yesterday morning...no mention of the interview or the comments CBS has recieved. Why have this section???

[shaytoo]

My heart is aching with grief for these families and their classmates. I watched this interview just as I was leaving for work. I was shocked and saddened by Mr.Smith''s question and it has bothered me throughout the day. Even adults who have survived tragedy ask themselves this unanswerable question! How could such a callous question be allowed toward a young person who cannot yet understand that we have so little control over much of what happens in life. I have voiced my shock and dismay with CBS to anyone that would listen today. Any respect that I had for Mr.Smith was completely destroyed with this one interview. I will not be watching again, even to hear an apology.

[shaytoo]

My heart is aching with grief for these families and their classmates. I watched this interview just as I was leaving for work. I was shocked and saddened by Mr.Smith''s question and it has bothered me throughout the day. Even adults who have survived tragedy ask themselves this unanswerable question! How could such a callous question be allowed toward a young person who cannot yet understand that we have so little control over much of what happens in life. I have voiced my shock and dismay with CBS to anyone that would listen today. Any respect that I had for Mr.Smith was completely destroyed with this one interview. I will not be watching again, even to hear an apology.

[rkqhollow]

My wife and I were also appalled by Harry Smith''s question this morning. We have been unable to get it off our minds. We will also be waiting for Mr. Smith''s apology to this young man, the other survivors, the families and the viewers. We are quickly running out of choices for morning "news" programs. No apology, no more CBS news in this house!!!!

[kmcgrin]

What was Harry Smith Thinking?? How could he ask Tripp Wylie now that you are known as the one that jumped out the window was there time to save anyone? Was he trying to say that Tripp started the fire? He may have thought he was coming across as an investigative reporter but he just came across as an insensitive fool. I will watch the Today Show in the mornings.

[letsthink1st]

The question Harry asked was infuriating. "Was there any chance you could have saved someone else?" I don''t know Harry Smith, and I don''t consider him a callous man or a fool. But that was a terrible, and inappropriate question. How dare he ask a grieving boy if he could have been more brave, more of a hero and saved some of his friends. This gentleman goes on national TV to speak for the victims and this is how he is re payed? I know everyone makes mistakes, and I don''t begrudge Mr. Smith that human right, but if there is no apology, I will have a real problem.

[klns-2009]

Harry Smith owes Mr. Wylie, as well as the viewers, an apology for his insensitive interview. And we hope to hear his apology tomorrow morning. We are so upset with his questioning of this young man, that we have decided as a family to change our channel after tomorrow''s broadcast if this issue is not addressed on air. That seems to be the only way to be heard.

[rmooreses]

I was very glad to know that there are a lot of people disgusted with the treatment Mr. Wylie recieved during his interview with Harry Smith this morning. I was sick when I saw the interview and in disbelief. I can''t believe CBS allowed "that question". My heart goes out to all the families that have been injured and injured again because of the insensitivity shown by the media. I believe in free speech also but what does free speech have to do with brutalizing with so called interviews. Shame on CBS, Harry Smith and any media that uses terrorist tactics on innocent people.

[uscstudent1]

Sorry! That should have been high school classmate*

[patinbr]

I am a huge fan of The Early Show and like Harry Smith a lot. I was horrified this morning when that question came out of his mouth. Unbelievable! I don''t think there''s even room for debate on this one. Mr. Smith owes Tripp Wylie (and the viewers) a quick and sincere on-air apology.

The young main is already in enough pain, and to have Harry Smith heap on a large dose of "survivor''s guilt" is just too much. It''s just about as low as I''ve ever seen the media go.

Please, Mr. Smith, learn from your very serious lapse in judgment.

[uscstudent1]

As a student at USC and a high school graduate of one of the victims, I would first like to thank everyone for their support. The outpouring of love and kind words mean a lot to the entire campus community.

As for the poster questioning Tripp''s language, excuse him for not being grammatically correct and saying, "kicked OUT the screen" but as 7 of his friends just died, I think he deserves a break. If you had read the article, witnesses saw him jumping from the window so to imply that he did not and made up his story is not only insensitive but stupid.

As for posters implying the students were drunk and passed out, how can you say such things if you were not in the house? I can sit here and assume that you are heartless and inconsiderate but I do not know you so my assumptions may be wrong. Even if they had been having a good time, does that mean they deserve to die? With the way this fire spread, you would have been lucky to get out no matter what state you were in.

Please think before you post items. Your negative words hurt the community and tarnish the names of our classmates.

Again, on behalf of the Carolina community, thank you for your prayers and support.

[mennowoman]

I''m pretty sure when Harry Smith asked Wylie if there was any way to save the other people in the house, he was expecting the young man to say no. I doubt he was trying to indict Mr. Tripp for being careless or selfish. I think he was trying to reassure the viewers that the young man had done everything he could. He was probably asking that because there were early reports that Wylie had tried to get the others on the top floor to jump out their windows, too. I think he probably expected Wylie to reiterate those events.

[mainemade]

So sad. What appears to be a great group of good kids-gone! The insensitivity of the "stupid" question about helping others is completely ludacris! I have always believed that the only stupid questions are the ones never asked, after this morning I will recant that statement. Harry Smith was was beyond stupid to downright ignorant with that question! This poor young man will have to live with the horrors of that morning and probably survivors guilt on top of that when it all eventually sinks in. Its been too soon, non of the real impact has hit any of these kids yet. There is a reason this young man was the only survivor from the top floor. What that reason is?? Only he will know when the time is right.
God Bless ALL the families involved, the dead and the survivors.
May they all Rest In PEACE!

[mainemade]

So sad. What appears to be a great group of good kids-gone! The insensitivity of the "stupid" question about helping others is completely ludacris! I have always believed that the only stupid questions are the ones never asked, after this morning I will recant that statement. Harry Smith was was beyond stupid to downright ignorant with that question! This poor young man will have to live with the horrors of that morning and probably survivors guilt on top of that when it all eventually sinks in. Its been too soon, non of the real impact has hit any of these kids yet. There is a reason this young man was the only survivor from the top floor. What that reason is?? Only he will know when the time is right.
God Bless ALL the families involved, the dead and the survivors.
May they all Rest In PEACE!

[awbsdad]

I live in SC and have friends chilodren at USC. I was glad they were not there. I did not see the intereview, but, I am sick and tired or media, local or national, asking stupid questions. Like asking a parent whose child has died, "How does this make you feel?" No wonder people don''t like the media any longer.

Howver he put it, he closed the door and kicked the screen. Southerners have a different way of phrasing things, people. Get over it.

This was an unfortunate situation. Tripp got out. He was lucky. So were others. Maybe he heard the fire alarms. That is probably what woke him.

Pray for the families. Pray for these students, the ones who made it and have to live it over and over and the ones who didn''t, who now are in God''s hand.

Also, bombard the media on asking STUPID, HEARTLESS questions.

[msliberry]

Wow--I too, COULDN''T BELIEVE how insensitive Harry Smith''s question was to Mr. Wylie. I''ve thought about it alot. As for the poster who said that the scenario didn''t make sense(kicking in the screen, etc); I think it made total sense. He smelled smoke or heard something, opened the door from his room into the hallway and saw the smoke. He closed the door again and went to the window and kicked out the screen. I''ve pushed screens out of my windows before. This young man is going to suffer enough without people thinking that he "could have done something." He was lucky to get out at all.

[ra2678]

I stood there in disbelief when Harry Smith asked Tripp Wylie "was there any opportunity to help other people?" I drove to work thinking what a negative impact that one question had on this young man. How insensitive can a person be?
This Wylie Tripp has been through a terrible ordeal and that question was out of line. What exactly was the point of having him on the "Early Show"?
My heart goes out to him and his family and all the families of those effected by this tragic accident. Harry Smith needs to read "carefully" what he is
going to ask his guests from now on or you have lost another viewer. Harry Smith does owe this man an apology.

[dmbmsu]

Who thinks up these questions to ask Mr. Wylie? How awful to ask him if there was a chance to help the others. You had best apologize for asking such a ridiculous question. No wander the media gets such a bad reputation. Harry Smith and CBS had better get down on their knees and ask for forgiveness. Shame on you.

[last121868]

"Thick black smoke started coming in the room, so I closed the door back and went to the window and opened the blinds and just kind of kicked in the screen and looked outside," Wylie said.

"closed the door back" What does that mean?
"kicked in the screen" How do you kick IN a screen from INSIDE??

If it doesn''''t make sense...then there''''s something wrong.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ScarletPhD at 12:20 PM : Oct 30, 2007
Scarlet~I was wondering if YOU had ever escaped from a burning house?
May the families and friends of these young people someday find peace.

[candersontex]

My husband and I watched the "interview" until we could no longer stand to watch this young man being attacked and accused of not trying to help his friends. We believe Harry Smith owes an apology not only to Tripp Wylie, but to all of the family and friends involved in this tragedy for even planting the idea that something could be done but wasn''t. My husband is a firefighter and as he watched the video of the blaze, he said there was absolutely no way Mr. Wylie could have helped his friends.