Wow. Glad to know that you are both ok. Was it one of the other Blair buildings?

Wow! What a way to wake up.

Jason, yes, it was Blair East--right next to the Giant supermarket. We watched the drama unfold from our bedroom window, which sits almost directly across from the 11th floor apartment where the blaze and the bulk of the damage occurred. Very, very scary--and tragic, as Matt notes.

Glad to hear you're ok. How frightening... and sad.

I'm pissed personally. I also live in Blair Plaza and I understand that the fire alarm failed to go off in Blair East. We currently don't know the cause of the fire... and we don't know whether the fatalities occurred in the apartment in question (although i would assume so)... but the fact that the alarm didn't go off is frightening.

On a side note... perhaps those people who park in fire lanes and driving lanes should be towed. Those lazy people make it harder for emergency vehicles to move about the parking lot.

That's terrible news. I'm glad you and Keri are okay.

Thanks for checking in, everyone. We were both struck by the professionalism of the firefighters, who very quickly it seemed brought overwhelming force to bear to bring it under control. They really do *fight* the fire. Very impressive, but very scary.

We were thinking - and, frankly, concerned - about you guys. Very good to hear that everything's alright. That business about non-working smoke alarms is bad news!

Thanks, Dave. Everybody around here has suddenly become very interested in fire safety.

The reports I read suggest an 'improperly disposed' cigarette as the culprit. Two people died, an elderly coupled. The husband owned a car dealership in PG County.