Fire trainee's family sues for her death

BALTIMORE, April 21 (UPI) -- The family of a firefighter trainee killed during a training exercise has sued the city of Baltimore for her suffering and death, court records showed.

The mother and two children of Racheal Wilson, 29, who had been with the fire department three months, allege in their $35 million lawsuit that the exercise was conducted in violation of dozens of federal requirements, The Baltimore Sun reported Wednesday.

In February 2007, Wilson was sent with other cadets into a burning rowhouse in which instructors had set seven fires, although national guidelines allow only one. The cadets weren't properly prepared, nor was an evacuation plan drawn up, the lawsuit alleges. Wilson was given inadequate breathing equipment and clothing that didn't protect her from the extreme heat, the suit maintains, with allegations based on an independent investigation of incident.

Several of Wilson's team members escaped when they realized their lives were in danger and they tried to pull her to safety. She was flown to a trauma center where she was pronounced dead, the Sun reported.

Three training academy supervisors were dismissed after the incident but one was later reinstated. The fire chief, William F. Goodwin, resigned several months after the incident.

City Solicitor George Nilson said the fire department's actions don't meet the suit's allegations of "extraordinary negligence."