fires in the United States. To this day, it remains San Mateo County's single largest unsolved multiple homicide.
Firefighters rescued 11 people from throughout the small single story residential structure on Fordham Street that day under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions, ultimately saving 11 year old Devon and 37 year old Kenneth McKean, both who sustained burns and smoke inhalation.
Despite the firefighters' heroic efforts, nine people died, five of whom were children. Among the dead, Jamaece Mosely, a child; Darcy Dixon, 4; Donte Price, 11; Angelika Rahiman, 6; Sonya McNack, 20; mother of Jamaece; Anthony Taylor, 9; Knita Rivers, 22; Bonnie
Thompson, 40, mother of Kanita; and Alma Campbell, 59.
Also injured with burns and respiratory problems were Teresa Cotton, 28; and grandmother Verna Mae McKean, 78; who both had managed to escape the burning home before the firefighters arrival.
Three firefighters were injured fighting the fire, or performing rescues, one with smoke inhalation and two others with neck burns. In total seven people were injured, two significantly requiring rescue and nine perished in the fire.
On Saturday, April 29, 2017, members of the McKean and extended family along with neighbors and friends will hold a memorial service and celebration of life at the small home. Located at 2582 Fordham Street.
Working with the family, the Fire District will sponsor a free neighborhood smoke detector give away and installation event, scheduled for June 17, 2017. This event will be intended to
remember and memorializing this tragic event, where a lack of working smoke detectors played a roll along with non-releasable burgler bars in alerting family members to the fire and their ability to escape from the fire.
Immediately after the fire, the District surveyed both East Palo Alto and Menlo Park locating hundreds of homes with non-releasable window bars, double keyed entry door locks and no working smoke detectors. "With a lot of help from the community, donors
and volunteers, we retrofitted hundreds of homes making them safer," Chief Schapelhouman said.
Twenty years later, only a handful of firefighters, who were actually at the Fordham Fire, still work for the Fire District, most have retired. Firefighters Mike Shaffer, Anthony Morales, Rod Brovelli, Rex Ianson, Matt Pruitt, George Miller, Jeff Schreiber, John Shoffa and Harold Schapelhouman represent the remainder of a shrinking group of employees that year by year grows ever smaller.
