Warehouse of humanitarian aids destroyed by fire

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http://www.boston.com/dailynews/182/nation/Fire_guts_shops_destroys_medic:.shtml

Fire guts shops, destroys medical supplies intended for humanitarian missions

By Associated Press, 7/1/2001 23:22

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) A warehouse fire Sunday destroyed $3.5 million in medical supplies bound for humanitarian missions around the world, officials said.

''It's a total loss,'' Fire Chief Edward P. Plaugher said. ''We can't save much of anything.''

The supplies represented half of the surplus medicine and medical equipment collected by CrossLink International. The nonprofit organization runs medical missions and supplies mission hospitals as well as free clinics in this country and abroad.

Barry Byer, president of CrossLink's board of directors, said items ranging from crutches to incubators were lost.

''I'm devastated,'' Byer said. ''This loss is absolutely enormous to us.''

No one was inside the warehouse, which also housed several shops, when the fire began. Three firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion, and a fourth suffered a slight head injury while battling the blaze.

Officials expected to begin investigating the fire's cause Monday.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001


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