Good friend of mine lost her life in a Hotel fire at Cairo Heliopolis near the airport.
I think it was the Sheraton, and she was part of an exec 1-11 crew staying there.
She was trapped in her room by the fire, and when she was found she was overcome by smoke....not the actual fire.
Another F/O of a B707 Saudi based, got trapped in his house when it caught fire and again, it was smoke that got him. Other crew tried to throw breeze blocks through the window to release him and the bricks just bounced off the reinforced plastic windows, and after that all the guys unscrewed the window frames to allow a quick and easy exit if necessary. Scary. I personally was in Manila in the Sheraton during a richter 7.1 earthquake which collapsed the Hyatt in Bagio killing a lot of people, and when I tried to get out onto the balcony the door was locked and signposted "This door is locked for your safety" When I grapped my maglight which I always carry in my briefcase and ran into the corridor, all the emergency lights had failed and people could not find the emergency exits until I switched the flashlight on and we exited the hotel. Our Captain and F/O were on the 11th floor and had to make their way down the stairs with the hotel shaking.
Ever since all these incidents I request the lowest floor of the Hotel and check all the doors and the nearest exits and ALWAYS carry a flashlight in my briefcase where I can find it quickly. These are only my own personal experiences fellas, so multiply it with all your own and it's a dangerous world out there. I really urge you to check out the exits and at the first sign of trouble wet towels to put over your face to keep smoke off as long as possible, and check the balcony doors first thing.
[ 20 August 2001: Message edited by: Taildragger ]