June 16, 2006

RICHARD PRYOR'S GHOST


At least he didn't set his face on fire, like Richard Pryor




Man accused of smoking crack blamed for housing complex fire


WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — A man accused of smoking crack cocaine over an open flame is being blamed for a fire at a high-rise public housing complex that left 155 people homeless, authorities said.


Quentin B. Bruce, 59, was arrested Wednesday and charged with 13 felony counts of first-degree reckless endangering. He was released after posting $26,000 secured bail. It was not immediately clear whether Bruce had an attorney.


Investigators said Bruce and another resident at Crestview Apartments, owned by the Wilmington Housing Authority, were smoking crack over an open flame on May 30 in the area where the blaze started. "We don't know how long the fire was going," said fire spokesman Capt. Michael Schaal. "But the use of illegal substances and alcohol probably impaired his reactions."


The fire, which was ruled accidental, injured 22 people, including six firefighters. Bruce told The ( Wilmington ) News Journal on the day of the fire that he had no idea what started the blaze, but that he tried to extinguish the flames with buckets of water.





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