- Start with a summary news lead.
- Include other key facts in inverted pyramid form.
- Describe rest of events in chronological order
- End with kicker: a surprise twist or strong ending quote.
1. Victims: names, ages addresses, any other relevant personal information. Double-check all spellings.
2. Extent of injuries/ cause of death. Indentify hospitals where the injured where taken.
3. Type of building: home, trailer, warehouse, ect. If it's a commercial building, what do they make or do there?
4. Location.
5. Time: where the fire started, how long firefighters fought the blaze.
6. How the fire was discovered or reported.
7. Cause of the fire, according to informed authorities. Avoid any speculation by victims or bystanders.
8. Number of firefighters required to put out the fire.
9. Estimated cost of damage.
10. Extent of insurance coverage.
11. Acts of heroism or dramatic recues. Who? By Whom? Emphisze this aspect of the story.
12. Weather, expecially if wind, rain or heat played a role in fire's behavior or firefighters' efforts.
13. Effect of the fire on evacuees - those driven from their homes or forced out of work.
14. Plans to relocate victims or rebuild structures .
15. Arrests or citations made by police. Is arson suspected?
16. Anecdotes and descriptions from firefighters, eyewitnessess, victims, building owners or neighbors.
17. Any other unusual aspects of the fire: did it shut down traffic? Create power outages? Have there been previous fires at this site, or other similar fires lately that reflect a pattern worth investigation?