For final: Read the following scenarios and: 1. Write a story (four to five paragraphs) for a local newspaper using any kind of lead you wish. (Summary lead is ideal) You must weave together information from a number of different sources into one coherent article. Follow Associated Press style. Apartment Fire

Apartment Fire You are interviewing the fire chief, Tim Cockran: Q:​Mr. Cockran, I'm a reporter for The Cityville Herald. I understand you had a house fire early this morning. A:​I suppose you could call it that. We had two fire trucks and eleven men out to an apartment fire. Q:​I see. I'm planning to write a story about the fire for tomorrow's paper; can you tell me what happened? A:​​I'll give you the details I have. We got this call at the fire department just after one. The trucks went to Brinkman's Sporting Goods Store. It also has a second story with an apartment and some storage areas, and the fire was in the apartment. We had to take this lady off a ledge with her two little kids. Then we got up there with a couple of inch-and-a-halfs (hoses), and we had it under control in maybe 20 minutes. I guess that's about it. Q:​Could I have the lady's name, please? A:​That's Melinda West, and the address of the apartment is 945 Severin Street, here in Cityville. I don't know the names of the little kids. Two girls, just babies. Q:​Do you know what caused the fire? A:​No, not completely. We're still poking around, trying to figure out what happened. The fire moved pretty fast. A funny kind of fire. Q:​Funny? A:​Well, don't put this in the paper until we know more, but for a few minutes, it looked like it was going to get away from us-the whole inside of that apartment seemed to be kindling. There must have been some highly combustible material in there, but we're going to have to look at it more carefully. Lucky the fire station is so close to the apartment. I think if we'd been 30 seconds later, we could have lost the whole building. Q:​Chief, I'd like to be able to write about combustible material causing the fire to move fast. A:​That's okay. Don't use that part about it almost getting away from us. Just say we're investigating. Q:​I'll say you said the fire moved fast because there was highly combustible material in the living room. And I'll say you're investigating what you called a funny fire, ok? A:​Sure. Q:​What was the amount of damage? A:​About $40,000. Most of that was to the apartment, except there was water damage in the store underneath. Destroyed the apartment. A total loss. Q:​Was anyone hurt? A:​Mrs. West has a bad gash on her arm, bleeding pretty bad. City Hospitals sewed her up. Q:​Do you know how she got hurt? A:​She said she woke up and smelled smoke and then there was some kind of muffled explosion in the living room. She started to open the door from the bedroom into the living room, but she could see the whole thing was in flames. She went back to the bedroom, got the little kids, and broke out a window of the bathroom, one that leads out to the ledge about 15 feet off the ground. That's where we found her. Q:​She got hurt getting out? A:​Yeah, she got that nasty gash getting the kids through the bathroom window. Her night gown was all covered with blood. Q:​She went out in a nightgown? A:​She was smart. When she saw those flames, she didn't wait for anything. She just grabbed the kids and out she went. By doing that, she probably saved all their lives. It's smart not to wait around inside where the smoke might get you. Q:​How wide is the ledge? A:​About two feet. Q:​Was she in danger of falling? A:​With two babies it wasn't safe! She was up there at least five minutes. We don't know who called 9-1-1. We took her down with a ladder. Wrapped her and the children in blankets. Q:​Was she the only one hurt? A:​Yes. Q:​Was anyone else in the apartment? A:​No. Q:​Where was Mr. West? A:​A good question. Don't quote me, but I'm told he left her six months ago and hasn't been seen since. Q:​Any insurance? A:​I don't know. You better call Charlie Brown about that. It's his building. Q:​Do you know Mrs. West's age? A:​24. You call Brown, owner of the building. He tells you the loss is covered by insurance. You ask how to contact Mrs. West. He says: "At my house. My wife and I took them in last night and they'll stay with us until they get resettled." You ask about Mr. West. Brown says Melinda told him her husband left six months ago but stopped by last week insisting on getting money from her but she refused and he threatened he'd get her. You call Mrs. West, telling her you are sorry to hear about the fire but glad she and the children got out safely. She confirms the details of her escape. She adds this: "I couldn't believe it when I opened the door to the living room - it was just a wall of flames. I didn't see how we were ever going to get out because you had to go through the living room to get to the door. That's when I thought about the bathroom window. I used my arm to smash the window. My children are Patsy, 21 months, and Kaelyn, four months. Mr. West? I don't want to talk about him. . . It took six stitches to sew up my arm. I don't know how I'm going to do my work as a secretary at school, Carver Elementary School. But I can't lose my job. I have to support my children." You call the school, where you speak to principal, who tells you Melinda will not lose her job. She's been working there for more than a year and she's an excellent employee.