The Fire
Sambor made the recommendation to "let the fire burn", and Fire Commissioner William C. Richmond agreed. They didn't turn on the fire hose until after 45 minutes had passed. At that point, the fire began to destroy the entire block. Some MOVE members tried to leave the home after the fire but turned back. Eleven MOVE members were killed. The only two that survived the bomb were an adult woman, Ramona Africa, and a thirteen-year old boy, Birdie Africa.
"I firmly believe that more people got out than Birdie and Ramona [and didn't survive] - that's one thing that still nags at me. I believe that someone, someday, will deliver a deathbed confession about what really happened." -William Brown, Head of the MOVE Commission |