Vet and family need help after fatal fire

Volunteers donating to post fire victims

By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle
June 3, 2007

A Fort Campbell family recovering from a fire on post is being consoled by friends and family as they recover from injuries.

The 1:30 a.m. Tuesday fire in the Lee Village Housing Area took the lives of a 3-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy. An 18-month-old girl was the only family member not injured.

The soldier and father, identified by friends as Spc. Wayne Smallwood of Company A, 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, suffered leg injuries and was treated at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital. His wife is in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

"This is really hard on everybody," said unit Family Readiness Group member Kim Clark. She and others are rallying together to hold car washes and yard sales for the family.

The names of the rest of the Smallwood family weren't released. The Army usually does not identify injured soldiers or family members, even if the incident happens on post, said post spokeswoman Kelly Ann Tyler.

Extended family members are staying with Smallwood's wife in Nashville and with him at the post hospital. The Clarksville-Montgomery County Red Cross chapter is helping the family with financial assistance, lodging, food, clothing, bedding, funeral services and mental health services.

"We are also finding lodging for family members who are coming into the area." said Glenda Brown, a volunteer for the local Red Cross chapter.

Clark said many people have donated furniture such as a couch and bed for the Smallwood family at their new housing quarters but still need a new washer and dryer and neutral, matching home decor. "They've really got a lot of things for their house so right now what they need is money to take care of expenses," Clark said. "Definitely, if people want to donate please give to the Bank of America fund."

Six families lived in the same two-story housing unit where the fire broke out. The unit received heavy fire damage on both the first and second floors. The other families have been temporarily relocated and will move into new quarters.

Lee Village, a housing development that dates to the 1940s, is in the process of being torn down and replaced with new buildings.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Tyler said it was restricted to the interior of the unit. The last fatal fire on post was in 1999 when a 3-year-old child died, post officials said. According to the Fort Campbell fire chief Michael Boyd, there have been two fatal fire deaths on post since 1982.

"There is a standard that the Department of Defense adheres to when we respond to any fires on the post and there will be an investigation, but I don't expect it to be a long, drawn-out investigation," Tyler said. The investigation will be conducted by the Fort Campbell Fire Department, Military Police, Criminal Investigation Division and the Kentucky State Fire Marshal.

About 10,000 family members live in housing on post, according to the most recent Fort Campbell fiscal report.

Every housing unit on post has smoke detectors installed, but it was unclear whether the one in the Smallwood home was working, Tyler said.

Brown said the Fort Campbell community and the family's church has responded to the needs of the families affected by the fire and is gathering donations and supplies.

"The families are really good to rally around and give support to each other," Brown said. "I know that the family whose children were killed that they have a good church family and they are getting support through the church."

No memorials or services have been announced at this time for the deceased family members.

HOW TO HELP

Donations can be made to any Bank of America branch in care of the Smallwood Family Fund.

The Clarksville-Montgomery County Red Cross is also accepting financial donations to help the families displaced by the fire and can be made by calling 645-6401.

The 3rd Brigade Combat Team Family Readiness Group will hold a benefit yard sale at 7 a.m. on June 9 at 7464-B McAuliffe Way (Gardner Hills area by Gate 10). Call 378-3518 to donate items for the sale.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is the family whose house burned down on post and two of their children were killed in the fire. Their youngest child was unharmed, mother severely burned in Vanderbilt currently and father (service member) had smoke inhalation treated at Blanchfield. The request for help from REGT.

The Smallwood family is in need of the following:

- Furniture
- Towels
- Sheets
- Size 14/16 women's clothing and comfortable loose-fitting dresses for near-term wear
- Size 24-month girl's clothing
- Size 6 or 7 toddler shoes (larger sizes may be donated for long-term use)
- Size 5 disposable diapers, sensitive skin baby wipes
- Size 38W, 30L men's pants, XL shirts and men's size 10 shoes

Sgt. Erica Hardy at 626 BSB is the point of contact for all voluntary monetary and assistance donations at 270-798-3183

There is also an account "Smallwood Family fund" set up at the Bank of America in Clarksville