Same Horn Section, Wolcott School. What a loss of life this kid was...
THORNTON - Former Thornton resident Ron Levine died in May in a DeKalb house fire.
fire, but his memory will live on thanks to a fire prevention safety fund
established in his honor.
Thornton's Fire Chief James Swan and Ron Levine's father and stepmother,
Bernard and Cindy Levine, both of Thornton, announced details of the fund
Thursday night during a press conference at the Village Hall.
The Ron Levine Fire Prevention Safety Fund was started by the Thornton Fire
Department at the South Holland Trust and Savings Bank, 16178 South Park Ave.,
South Holland, Swan and the Levines said.
The fund was set up in July and the account already has $700 in donations.
Anyone who would like to donate money should send checks or cash to the Thornton Village Fire Department, 115 E. Margaret St., Thornton, or to the fund
in care of the South Holland Trust and Savings Bank, Swan said.
Swan and the Levines decided to announce the fund's establishment during
Fire Prevention Week, which ends Saturday.
Fund raisers also may be held to generate additional money, Swan said. Most
of the money will be used to educate youngsters at Wolcott School about fire
prevention, he said.
According to Swan, a small portion of the money will be used to buy smoke
detectors for Thornton residents who don't have them in their homes and who
can't afford to buy them.
State law mandates that all homes have smoke detectors.
Levine, 22, lived in Thornton for 12 years before moving to DeKalb. He died
of carbon monoxide poisoning due to a DeKalb house fire on May 24, 1993,
Bernard Levine said.
Although the cause of the fire is unknown, Bernard Levine said he believes a
portable, disposable grill started the house fire that took his son's life.
Levine cooked something on it, but failed to dispose of it afterward, he said.
The grill was left under the first floor front porch of the house at 155
Harrison St. and Levine's bedroom was directly under the porch.
Bernard Levine believes the grill may have ignited carpeting and other
combustible materials in the porch, sending thick smoke into the bedroom.
The DeKalb house had working fire detectors. It's uncertain whether the
buzzing smoke alarms or the smoke awakened Levine, but he called 911 for help,
then collapsed about 10 feet from a window he had tried to escape from,
according to his father.
"Ronny died because of a mistake. He made a mistake, and it cost him (his
life). (What) I want part of this fund to do is to educate people not to assume
and not to take for granted and not to make the mistake that Ronny made that
could cost them their life," Bernard Levine said.
Levine was living in DeKalb because he originally attended Northern Illinois
University in DeKalb to study journalism.
Although he switched careers and colleges, deciding to study the culinary
arts at Joliet Junior College, he stayed in the Harrison Street house in DeKalb. He shared the house with seven other young men, some of whom are local
residents, Bernard Levine said.
The others were away for the summer at the time of the fire and Levine was
home alone.
Levine was a graduate of Wolcott School and Thornwood High School. He also
was a member of the track team. He worked in the village's recreation
department as counselor and also at Koch's, the only grocery store in the
village.
fire, but his memory will live on thanks to a fire prevention safety fund
established in his honor.
Thornton's Fire Chief James Swan and Ron Levine's father and stepmother,
Bernard and Cindy Levine, both of Thornton, announced details of the fund
Thursday night during a press conference at the Village Hall.
The Ron Levine Fire Prevention Safety Fund was started by the Thornton Fire
Department at the South Holland Trust and Savings Bank, 16178 South Park Ave.,
South Holland, Swan and the Levines said.
The fund was set up in July and the account already has $700 in donations.
Anyone who would like to donate money should send checks or cash to the Thornton Village Fire Department, 115 E. Margaret St., Thornton, or to the fund
in care of the South Holland Trust and Savings Bank, Swan said.
Swan and the Levines decided to announce the fund's establishment during
Fire Prevention Week, which ends Saturday.
Fund raisers also may be held to generate additional money, Swan said. Most
of the money will be used to educate youngsters at Wolcott School about fire
prevention, he said.
According to Swan, a small portion of the money will be used to buy smoke
detectors for Thornton residents who don't have them in their homes and who
can't afford to buy them.
State law mandates that all homes have smoke detectors.
Levine, 22, lived in Thornton for 12 years before moving to DeKalb. He died
of carbon monoxide poisoning due to a DeKalb house fire on May 24, 1993,
Bernard Levine said.
Although the cause of the fire is unknown, Bernard Levine said he believes a
portable, disposable grill started the house fire that took his son's life.
Levine cooked something on it, but failed to dispose of it afterward, he said.
The grill was left under the first floor front porch of the house at 155
Harrison St. and Levine's bedroom was directly under the porch.
Bernard Levine believes the grill may have ignited carpeting and other
combustible materials in the porch, sending thick smoke into the bedroom.
The DeKalb house had working fire detectors. It's uncertain whether the
buzzing smoke alarms or the smoke awakened Levine, but he called 911 for help,
then collapsed about 10 feet from a window he had tried to escape from,
according to his father.
"Ronny died because of a mistake. He made a mistake, and it cost him (his
life). (What) I want part of this fund to do is to educate people not to assume
and not to take for granted and not to make the mistake that Ronny made that
could cost them their life," Bernard Levine said.
Levine was living in DeKalb because he originally attended Northern Illinois
University in DeKalb to study journalism.
Although he switched careers and colleges, deciding to study the culinary
arts at Joliet Junior College, he stayed in the Harrison Street house in DeKalb. He shared the house with seven other young men, some of whom are local
residents, Bernard Levine said.
The others were away for the summer at the time of the fire and Levine was
home alone.
Levine was a graduate of Wolcott School and Thornwood High School. He also
was a member of the track team. He worked in the village's recreation
department as counselor and also at Koch's, the only grocery store in the
village.
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