Thursday October 22, 2009

Fire investigators confirm one person died Thursday night after a fire at the Green Leaf Town Houses in the 200 block of 5th Street SW in Charlottesville. John Fitzgerald Gilmore, 45, was a well-known drummer in the area.

The flames apparently originated in one of the bedrooms of the apartment. Gilmore's father was in the home at the time of the fire, and he's been hospitalized.

Three police officers were injured, and have recovered. One of the officers was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, but has been released. Police say one of the officers heard someone in the crowd say that there was a child inside the home, and being the first responders on the scene, the officers tried to make their way to the second floor, but smoke and flames made it impossible.

Police say it was one of those situations where officers had to make a split second decision.

"Police officers particularly are not trained to fight fires. We're not accustomed to going into burning buildings, but often times that never enters the officers' mind. All they know is someone needs help, and their responsibility is to try and render that assistance, and I think that's what these officers did," says Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo.

Fire officials say they believe the fire originated from a bedroom upstairs, and the fire detectors weren't working properly. Firefighters say at this time the cause is undetermined but do say a cigarette may have been to blame.

Friends of Gilmore say he was an avid smoker. They also say he was a staple of the Charlottesville music scene for years.

"He's sort of legendary really, you'll hear a lot of people say what a phenomenal drummer he was, he was really a genius. I don't use that word lightly at all. He was a musical genius," said former band mate Michael Sokolowski, whose known Gilmore since 1984 and played with him in his band SoKo.

It's just one of the many bands Gilmore played with including a stint with Corey Harris and the Five by Five band. Those that knew him say he loved to play and it showed.

"Anybody that knows about Johnny knows about Johnny's smile and he just is happy and laughing, you know he sees a kid do a fill and he's just beaming and laughing," said Damani Harrison of the Music Resource Center.

Harrison has been friends with Gilmore for about ten years. He says Gilmore spent a lot of time volunteering at the center, helping kids and fixing drums. Doing whatever he could to share his passion.

"Jamming with the kids showing them things, he just, yeah it sucks that he's not going to be here with the kids right now. Yeah it kinda sucks," said Harrison.

"It's a huge loss and really the kind of person he was, he was an amazing human-being. He was the kind of person that would establish a deep friendship with everybody he had a relationship with," said Sukolowski.

Those that knew him say he'll live on through the music he helped to create and the kids he helped to inspire.

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