The Nation - News from Nov. 1, 1985

The radical group MOVE made two desperate attempts to help four children escape their burning rowhouse, a 13-year-old survivor told an investigative panel in Philadelphia. Michael (Birdie Africa) Moses Ward said the first escape attempt began after police dropped a bomb on the roof May 13 but stopped when “the cops started shooting.” The second attempt came “when the fire got real heavy and we smell(ed) all that smoke and we couldn’t breathe. That’s when we started yelling, ‘The kids coming out.’ ” Michael escaped, but burning debris apparently trapped the others.