LUPD Sgt. Walter Whitt, who was the first to smell smoke in the Landings building and helped evacuate the building, talks with fire crews the night of the fire.
It was a warm late summer Monday evening with thunderstorms rolling in. Sgt. Walter Whitt and Officer Billy Shular were checking on several alarms in the Longwood Landings apartments off Main Street, a few days before most students were scheduled to return.
Suddenly they noticed the faint smell of smoke, and the two officers were off and running. The alarms were tripped after a lightning strike hit and ignited an HVAC unit on the top of the building that’s home to the Longwood bookstore, and above it, three floors of Longwood student apartments.
Flames soon were spreading along the roof. Whitt and Shular headed straight into the building and up the stairs toward the smoke, pounding on doors to make sure every last student was out safely.
On Nov. 9, Whitt and Shular officially were recognized for their bravery in a ceremony where they were awarded the Medal of Valor from the Longwood Police Department. Also recognized were four Farmville police officers who assisted in responding to the fire.
“Officer Shular and Sgt. Whitt put the students’ safety ahead of their own, running upstairs toward the fire to evacuate the building before fire crews arrived,” said Longwood Police Chief Col. Bob Beach. “Their actions took an incredible amount of courage.”
The Medal of Valor is given to Longwood Police Department members who perform “an act of gallantry and valor above and beyond the call of duty, at imminent personal hazard to life and with knowledge of the risk.”
Area firefighters converged almost immediately and poured water on the flames, confining the fire to an attic area and top floor, though there was water damage throughout the building.
Within minutes, the Longwood community was rallying, with residence life staff immediately working to find temporary housing for displaced students. President W . Taylor Reveley IV came to the scene to offer support, and Longwood faculty and staff who heard the sirens and news came as well, to reassure students and even offer guest beds and couches.
“Longwood did, really, what Longwood always does,” said Dr. Tim Pierson, vice president for student affairs, “and that’s pull together in a crunch. It was so gratifying to see the outpouring of support from faculty, staff and other students who showed up the night of the fire offering to help.”
Some quick-thinking tarp action helped protect many of the textbooks waiting for pick-up in the bookstore below, and the bookstore itself re-opened in time to serve returning students for the semester.
All 30 apartments in the Northeast building in the Landings were damaged, temporarily displacing 101 students, who were provided alternate Longwood housing. Students were scheduled to start moving back into their apartments Nov. 11.
Leave a Comment