BUFFALO, N.Y. — Emergency dispatch audio from a house fire on Huntington Avenue paints a picture of incredible loss with firefighters desperately trying to save a trapped family early Monday morning.
The call, which came in around 3:30 a.m. to 911 dispatchers, started as a three-story structure fire "with a report of people trapped inside."
Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo said the two-alarm blaze is believed to have started on the second floor and spread to the attic.
"Looks like the third floor was some sort of living quarters possibly there were two air conditioning units up there," Renaldo said.
Renaldo praised the efforts of firefighters who responded quickly to the scene.
"We've got one person hanging out a window, we're laddering, getting them off right now," said a firefighter from truck seven over the radio; one of the first crews to arrive. With three more people believed trapped inside, the decision to go in and find them was relayed back to dispatch by a fire captain.
As the dispatch audio progressed, it was learned that the original phone call about the fire came from inside the home.
"Be advised. 911 played the tape over. They said there are people in the attic of the structure," the dispatcher said.
A firefighter had worked his way to the top of the stairs on the second floor, and signaled back in muffled tones, "multiple victims, bringing a victim out."
The fire captain shortly after added, "we're still possibly missing two more. We gotta keep searching!"
Despite the best efforts to save everyone including the use of CPR, the fire ultimately claimed the lives of three victims.
They were later identified as Dr. Jonathan Daniels, 53, and two of his three daughters Jensen Daniels, 23, and Jordan Daniels, 27. Firefighters were able to rescue the girls' mother and Dr. Daniels' wife, Janessa Daniels, 53, from the second floor of the home.
Commissioner Renaldo said she was taken to ECMC to be treated for smoke inhalation. The couple's third daughter was not home at the time of the fire.
Dr. Daniels served as associate director of admissions in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo and was a pediatrician at Urban Family Practice.
In a statement Monday night, the University at Buffalo said:
"The entire University at Buffalo community is shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of our colleague, Dr. Jonathan Daniels, who served as associate director of admissions in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and his daughters, Jordan and Jensen. Jordan received her MBA degree from the UB School of Management in May. We offer our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Daniels’ wife, Janessa Givens Daniels, who serves as UB’s senior associate director of financial aid, and their daughter Jillian, a 2020 UB graduate, and we wish Janessa a full and quick recovery from injuries suffered in the fire."
The university also said it would be providing counseling services to faculty, staff, and students affected by the tragedy.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the Daniels family. You can view the fundraiser by clicking here.