This is a Todd Sherman video shot at 165th & Dixie Highway in Markham, Illinois. No further details at the moment.
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Reported backdraft in Maryland: The Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department says this picture by FF/PM Joseph A. Gegor was taken minutes before an explosion blew firefighters more than 15-feet from the front door. No one was injured in what is being described as a backdraft. Click the image for more photos and details.
Three alarms equals 10 firefighters: In East Liverpool, Ohio one firefighter was hurt when the floor gave way during a house fire. He was just one of two firefighters on the first engine. Three alarms were sounded bringing a total of ten firefighters to the scene. Click here for the story and click here for a little history from FirefighterCloseCalls.com on East Liverpool’s staffing issues.
- “Spontaneous combustion” and “freak accident” may not be the best explanations for an explosion in Vineland, New Jersey at a high school pep rally bonfire on Wednesday. But those terms were used by a police official after the blast that could be heard seven-miles away sent pallets flying and injured a firefighter. The fire department admits to using diesel fuel and another accelerant to start the fire. And the many pictures taken by APP.com’s Craig Matthews show just that. Click the image to read more.
Dozens of cats die in house fire: The fire had burned itself out by the time the pet sitter arrived to find smoke in the Fairfax County, Virginia home. Click here.
Captain delivers Santa and winds up in the hospital: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Captain Ken Barton was seriously injured as he fell about 12 feet from Truck 2. Reports indicate it happened as the ladder was being bedded following its use to pluck Santa off the roof of a building and deliver home to the waiting crowd below. Click here for more.
Cameras rolling before fire engines arrive at gas explosion: One house was destroyed and another damaged in Bushnell, Illinois. Check out the early video.
Steelers’ owner’s defense saves the day: A runaway fire engine in Florida hits the property of a prominent citizen. Click here for details.
Dave has screwed this story up twice, but it still is interesting: In my haste to head out of town early Thanksgiving morning I twice misidentified exactly where this story is unfolding (but I was still very pleased with my headline). It is a legal battle in Heath, Ohio over whether businesses can be forced to have a key box for fire department entry. Read the arguments.
Two from the Geezer: Firegeezer has video and details from a minivan rollover in Louisiana that killed five and injured 10. Bill also has a very interesting story about an IAFF local in Mt. Vernon, Illinois as the members work to save the department’s 1939 Diamond T.
The future of firefighting?: Not quite robots, but the idea is the same. Let the machine take the heat and apply the wet stuff. Two videos for you.
Crash and fire: Some Baltimore County action Saturday evening courtesy of Michael “FirePix1075″ Schwartzberg. It happened on Liberty Road at Kelox Road just down the street from the STATter911.com boyhood home (I believe there is an historical marker). In fact it is quite possible my initials may be on the retaining wall seen in the video, as my friends and I were playing around it when the concrete was being poured. But I digress. One person was trapped with a total of five people hurt. Details can be found on the Pikesville VFC website.
Reported backdraft at Maryland house fire. Prince George’s County firefighters mounting an interior attack were uninjured. Explosion blows firefighters more than 15 feet.
18 comments- The pictures on this page are by PGFD Firefighter/Medic Joseph A. Gegor of Paramedic 846. They are described as conditions on arrival.
Firefighters in Prince George’s County, Maryland say a backdraft occurred during a house fire Sunday evening in the Woodmore section of the county. Despite firefighters operating inside the home at the time of the explosion, no one was injured.
The fire was reported just before 9:00 PM at 2304 Prima Way. According to information provided by Prince George’s County Fire/ EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady, there was fire showing from the garage when the first crews arrived. The large, two-story, single-family home had residential sprinklers.
As the firefighters began an interior attack, started ventilation and mounted a search for occupants, the fire was extending to the second floor and attic. About eight minutes into the incident an explosion occurred. It was described by the incident commander, Kentland VFD Chief Tony Kelleher, as a “backdraft”.
Here is an excerpt from Brady’s release early this morning:
Firefighters standing at the front door of the house were blown 15-20 feet into the front yard, firefighters performing exterior ventilation reported their helmets being blown off, windows were blown out and Volunteer Chief Kelleher described a “fire-ball” that blew out of the attic area on the opposite side of where the fire had originated.
Not immediately knowing the status of all firefighters, Incident Command requested additional resources to the scene and ordered the evacuation of all personnel from the house. Paramedics tended to two firefighters that were blown into the front yard and a personnel accountability check was performed with all personnel being accounted for.
No firefighters required hospitalization. The three people who live in the house were not home when the fire broke out.
According to Brady, the unsprinklered garage and attic areas are the only portions of the home that had significant fire damage. Damage to the home is estimated at $250,000.
Side A aftermath photo by PGFD's Mark Brady.
Dozens of cats die in Virginia fire. Blaze at home of Fairfax County couple involved with cat rescue group.
2 commentsBy Lindsey Mastis, WUSA9.com:
Dozens of cats and the family’s birds perished in a house fire in Fairfax County, Virginia on Saturday afternoon. Mark Emlet and Kristen Tunstall foster many of the cats for Fancy Cats Rescue Team.
Emlet says there were 64 cats in the home located in the Centreville area. The couple left Saturday morning on vacation. At about 3:00 PM, a pet sitter arrived and found the first floor full of smoke. She called 911, and firefighters arrived a few minutes later.
Dan Schmidt, Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department spokesman, says the fire extinguished on its own. According to Schmidt eight cats survived the fire. Others are still unaccounted for. Fairfax County Animal Control removed the dead cats and birds from the home.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
UPDATED – Firefighter takes tumble after Santa arrives. Lancaster, Pennsylvania captain loses footing at Christmas Tree lighting ceremony and winds up in the hospital.
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More from FirefighterCloseCalls.com
As you can see above Santa exited City of Lancaster’s Truck 2 just fine last night. That was not the case with Captain Ken Barton. Captain Barton is in the hospital with five broken ribs, a cracked thoracic vertebrae and a minor head injury. The captain told LancasterOnline.com’s Stephen Kopfinger that he’s in “an excruciating amount of pain”.
Lancaster revived a tradition last night when, for the first time in 14-years, Santa made his entrance on the roof top of the former Watt & Shand department store. It was the job of Truck 2 to pluck Santa off the roof and bring him down to the stage. In the video below you will see the fire department did that expertly (we don’t know for sure if that is Captain Barton at the controls).
What happened next is why the captain is in the hospital. Here is an excerpt from LancasterOnline.com:
Barton, speaking from his bed at Lancaster General Hospital, said he wasn’t familiar with where the platform was on the new truck, which caused him to misstep and fall. The next thing he knew, “I woke up in the ambulance,” he said.
Santa Claus had already been delivered to the Marriott and firefighters were “bedding the ladder and securing equipment” when Barton fell, according to a fellow firefighter, who did not wish to be identified. The firefighter said Barton was dismounting from the aerial part of the ladder truck and onto the turntable when the accident happened.
The reports indicate Captain Barton fell about 12 feet.
The captain is the president of IAFF Local 319 and the accident happened on his 51st birthday.
Truck 2 is described on the union website as a 2008 Crimson/Spartan Gladiator 100′ quint that was put in service in August of this year.
Pre-arrival video of gas explosion in Bushnell, Illinois. Blast levels house. Fire extends to exposure.
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Click the image to watch the early video from Bushnell, Illinois.
This is from Wednesday. FireCritic.com also posted this story.
In the image above the fire is spreading to the home on Side D. The exposure on Side B suffered melted siding. Click here for pictures of the aftermath.
Here are details from an article by the AP:
“Thanks to all our friends and family for all that they’ve done for us.”
Words cannot express how Bradley Thompson and his wife Megan feel after they lost everything they own when their home exploded Wednesday afternoon.
Bradley was home when he started smelling natural gas. At first he shrugged it off, because contractors were doing work right outside and the smell wasn’t so strong, but things took a turn for the worse. He said the smell got stronger, a gurgling sound was coming from his kitchen sink, and he started to get a headache.
“I decided to take the puppies and go to the garage where the odor wouldn’t be as strong,” Thompson said.
Not too long after he had reached his garage, his home exploded.
“There was an incredible force, and thankfully I was able to escape when the garage door was blown open,” he said.
“A very loud explosion.”
That’s what Bushnell fire chief and neighbor Brent Glisan heard Wednesday afternoon. Glisan lives right behind the Thompsons. He said the entire house was engulfed in a fireball and debris and household items scattered all over the lawn. The fire was so intense, it spread to a neighboring home, gutting it and damaged another. The
The town was also on alert after gas was detected in several homes, prompting an evacuation. Contractors working on a water main, cut a gas line, causing it to leak. That triggered the explosion.
Residents who lived near the Thompsons were given the all clear to return home. A representative from Bushnell’s municipal department was not available for comment. But Fire Chief Brent Glisan tells us the incident is under investigation by the Illinois commerce commission.
Explosion at bonfire sends pallets flying & injures firefighter. Fuel used by FFs to light fire behind blast that rattled Vineland, New Jersey. Pictures capture incident.
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All photos by APP.com's Craig Matthews. Click image for many more pictures.
Vineland Fire Department’s Jeff Kraus was slightly hurt on Wednesday from an exploding bonfire. Investigators now say the blast that shook the area was caused by vapors from the fuel used to ignite the fire. An earlier article at APP.com described the fire preparations:
Firefighters prepared the bonfire with at least 15 gallons of diesel fuel, according to officials with Fire Company No. 5, and then later added another accelerant to the pile.
Here is the latest from DailyJournal.com:
The bonfire explosion at Vineland High School’s pep rally Wednesday is being labeled a “freak accident,” according to investigators.
The blast that ejected a flaming pile of pallets into the sky was likely caused by damp weather conditions that “compacted” vapors from fuel applied to ignite the bonfire, according to Sgt. Tim McLaughlin of the Vineland Police Department.
Seconds after the pallets were lit, there was a explosion similar to “spontaneous combustion,” said McLaughlin, explaining the orange mushroom cloud of fire and debris and the deafening boom felt miles away from the site.
It appears vapors accumulated in the bottom of a crater dug to contain the bonfire in the field between Johnstone Elementary School and VHS South, said Kenneth Tomasso, Cumberland County Prosecutor’s chief of detectives.
Instead of dissipating, the fuel fumes were held close to the ground by high humidity and the density of the air, Tomasso said. When the bonfire was lit at 6:30 p.m., a heavy fog cloaked the field.
Firefighters doused the pallets with diesel and another accelerant to get the fire going.
Diesel fuel has high sulfur content, Tomasso said, explaining the scent is similar to gunpowder, which several investigators said they could smell immediately following the blast.
Vineland fire Capt. Robert Scarpa said Wednesday night the fire department would look into the incident.
“We will complete what the fire department calls a post-incident analysis,” he said. “Any corrective action, if warranted, will be taken.”
The ‘customer’s’ view: A fascinating look at a Thanksgiving Day fire. Man rolls video and narrates as his house burns. VIDEOS NOW REMOVED.
12 commentsSorry, these videos were removed from YouTube.
This is one of the more interesting videos I have seen in some time. From listening to the comments, reading what I can on the rigs and comparing pictures, this appears to be a fire in Schererville, Indiana.
The man behind the lens is the man whose home is burning. He narrates the events. This is the description with Part 1, above:
The old ‘79 vette went for a Thanksgiving Day spin around the block. About 10 minutes after we parked it in the garage, the smoke alarms went off in the garage hallway. Opening the door to the garage, I discovered a wall of smoke billowing inside. Called 911, opened the garage from the outside, and found the Vette in flames. Fortunately we got the Audi TT parked next to it out without a scratch.
We were a bit harsh on the fire department response time in the video. Standing there watching your house burn makes minutes feel like days. We are, however, grateful for the help and efficient work provided by the local firefighters. While the losses were significant, things could certainly have been much worse.
Runaway fire engine clearly is not a Steelers fan. But the defense held. The story about the one that got away in Palm Beach.
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That's Station 2 on the right and the Rooney estate on the left. Rather than bring John Madden out of retirement to diagram this one for us, just click the image for the Google Maps Street View.
The North Fire Station (Station 2) in the Town of Palm Beach, Florida sits among some pretty pricey real estate and wealthy residents. So when Engine 2 decided to take a driverless spin Wednesday morning the chance was likely it would hit something noteworthy. It did.
Across the street is the estate owned by the co-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tim Rooney. This season the Rooney family team is not considered to have quite the defensive Steel Curtain that was evident with its 2008 Super Bowl champs, but that is not the case with Tim Rooney’s home. Ben Roethlisberger would likely have had fewer concussions with the protection that’s in place around 160 Wells Road. Here’s the what David Rogers at PalmBeachDailyNews.com wrote:
On Thursday, compressed shrubs showed where the truck hit the approximately 4-foot-tall, thick wall around the property at 160 Wells Road. No damage to the wall was apparent.
As for the fire engine, the Town’s website describes the rig as a 2001 Pierce Enforcer, 1250 GPM Pumper (the newspaper doesn’t verify that was the unit involved in the incident). Here’s more from the article:
The department plans to have its master mechanic, Fred Wade, check the engine for possible mechanical failure as soon as Friday. Wade was not available to inspect the truck earlier because of the holiday, (Fire-Rescue Chief Bill) Amador said.
Town of Palm Beach North Station from the the town's website.
“The vehicle is operable, we are able to use it, but we want to make sure there was no mechanical failure,” Amador said. “If a human, careless act was done, then disciplinary action would be administered.”
The town’s risk management staff will contact the home owner and coordinate insurance processing, the fire chief said.
Councilman William Diamond, who lives on Wells Road, not far from the station, expressed concern that it could have been worse. “No one was hurt, but somebody could have been killed. It’s sort of frightening,” he said.
Diamond said he was glad he wasn’t on the street Wednesday morning. “I said ‘Thank my lucky stars I wasn’t walking my dog.’ We would have had to have a special election.”
Clearly, this runaway was not as damaging and embarrassing as another one that occurred in Florida a little more than two-years-ago. In September, 2007 an Ocala Fire Rescue engine left the ramp and wound up in the lake across the street. Click here, if you missed that unforgettable picture. That one was blamed on human error.
Ms. October, Lt. Kelli Weeks.
Click here and scroll down for our previous coverage of Bourne
It isn’t getting any prettier in Bourne, Massachusetts where we have been watching the ugly dispute involving the fire department devolve. It centers around Lt. Kelli Weeks. News reports indicate that Weeks, a former firefighter charity calendar model, had apparently been subject of a secret investigation since the summer. It eventually came out that Weeks had found her way into a police drug surveillance operation. Lt. Weeks not been charged with any crime.
Firefighters had filed complaint about Lt. Weeks they say were ignored. She has been on medical leave for months.
Her husband, Deputy Chief Paul Weeks, is facing a rape charge. He was originally allowed to go back to work while waiting for trial, but has since been placed on leave.
There has been a long battle between the union and the town administrator over this and other issues (including an animal clinic held at a firehouse). Recently firefighters got the attention of selectmen who ordered an investigation of the whole mess. But how that probe is being conducted is causing its own controversy, and bringing out new allegations.
CapeCodOnline.com’s Matthew Burke has been on top of all of this and here are excerpts from his story filed today about the latest dust up:
Several high-ranking firefighters, acting on the advice of union counsel, refused to testify under oath at a hearing Tuesday regarding fire Lt. Kelli Weeks, whose on-duty behavior has been called into question by several of her fellow firefighters.
The firefighters declined to testify because they feared they might be made scapegoats for the town’s failures in the Weeks investigation or punished for being whistle-blowers, union attorney Leah Barrault of Boston said yesterday. Instead, they offered to give voluntary statements but were turned away.
Town officials countered by saying the interrogations must be under oath to ensure that the truth is told.
Yesterday, nasty letters and e-mails surfaced between Barrault, Town Administrator Thomas Guerino and Town Counsel Robert Troy of Sandwich, further widening the divide.
“I was shocked at your behavior (Tuesday) at the Veterans Community Building,” Barrault wrote to Guerino after the proceedings. “You stood in the hallway speaking to a civilian freely about this investigation. I clearly heard you tell that civilian during this conversation that your intention was to ‘fire all of them.’ I have grave concerns regarding your behavior and your future involvement in this investigation.”
Guerino then sent a letter to Barrault that dismissed her allegations as “ludicrous” and a “juvenile outburst.”
Barrault said yesterday that she confirmed what Guerino said with the person he was speaking with, and that union president Penny Fusco also witnessed the exchange.
Barrault accused Guerino of being “unprofessional” and told Troy that Guerino’s comments regarding the “juvenile outburst” were clearly directed at her “age and gender.” Guerino then requested that Barrault deal only with Troy.
“You can’t give much of what (Barrault) says very much credence,” Troy said in regard to Guerino’s alleged comments. “She is loose with the facts.”
Troy said the town would commence the interviews when she returned, adding that she should advise her clients to speak or they will face disciplinary action.
Troy has said that, after the testimony is examined, the town would pursue legal options against firefighters if they were guilty of wrongdoing. He has also said that Guerino will pursue disciplinary action for insubordination if the firefighters do not testify.
Troy said that Barrault has vowed legal action and that she filed an unfair labor practice charge with the state Division of Labor Relations yesterday. A division spokesman could not confirm the charge yesterday.
By Kent Mallett, NewarkAdvocate.com:
Fire Chief Mark Huggins and Newark Auto Electric owner Ronald Lohr Jr. await a judge’s ruling on the city’s requirement of a key box for firefighters to gain entry into the business.
Newark Auto Electric, 357 S. 30th St., appealed the Board of Building Appeals’ 2-2 vote, which upheld the city’s mandate for installation of the key box to avoid forcing entry.
Both sides have filed their briefs, the latest Monday, and the case sits before Licking County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Marcelain.
The city had an ordinance since 1996 requiring all new commercial buildings to install the boxes, but the current plan will expand the requirement to all 500 new and existing Heath businesses not open 24 hours a day.
Firefighters open the box with a key, then retrieve the key to the business from inside the box. Lohr maintains the procedure violates his Fourth Amendment protections against illegal search and seizure.
“Forced entry to a premise during an emergency creates a risk to firefighters by subjecting them to the hazards associated with broken glass, splintered wood and the unknowns of entering a structure at a point other than one designed specifically for entrance,” the fire chief’s attorney, Jonathan Diernbach, said in the court filing.
The department does not need a key to gain entry and requiring a key box violates a business owner’s property rights, Lohr’s attorney, Dawn Manley, said in her Monday response to Diernbach’s argument.
“Due process does not allow the application of the key box provision to a pre-existing building which is not an immediate nuisance or safety threat,” Manley said.
Fire department officials, Manley said, said in the BBA hearing they could use the key to enter the business when there is not an obvious fire or threat to a person.
Diernbach disputed Manley’s interpretation of testimony from the hearing.
“Evidence heard by the BBA in this matter clearly indicated that the key box would only be used by firefighting personnel in the case of an emergency occurring at NAE property and would not be used for any other purpose.”
Lohr has said in case of fire, he prefers firefighters “break the door and do your job.”
Newark Auto Electric has been in business for 20 years without a single call to the fire department, Manley said.
“The likelihood of a structural fire at any one location is low, the likelihood of a firefighter getting injured is even lower, and the likelihood of firefighter injury from forced entry is minuscule,” Manley writes.
To all, a wonderul and safe holiday.
CPMGWVVQ2S28
Future file: Is this your replacement? And can it put Mrs. Smith back in bed at 3:00 in the morning?
16 commentsLooking through YouTube today, I came across these two videos of equipment that wants to do your job for you. Some of you may be familiar with these two items, but I find them interesting. I can see some political leaders thinking, with these puppies, we may only need one firefighter on the rig.
Judge orders New Haven to promote firefighters: Operating under the instructions from a Supreme Court decision, a U.S. Distict Court judge has ordered the promotion of 14 firefighters. The judgement officially finds the City of New Haven violated the rights of a group of white firefighters after two promotional exams were tossed out five-years-ago. New Haven officials say they will follow the order “as soon as practical”. Watch the video above and read the latest on this closely watched case.
NEW- EMS crew officially passed over for fire company: The conflict between New Jersey’s Quakertown Fire Company and Quakertown VEMS came to light for most of us after a passing incident between a firetruck and an ambulance went bad (click here & scroll down for previous coverage). A recent Tri-Data study determined the fire company was best at providing EMS for Franklin Township. Now Franklin Township has made it official. Read the latest.
It never ends in Bourne: The last we looked at the troubles in Bourne, Massachusetts, selectmen had launched their own investigation into the ongoing troubles surround Lt. Kelli Weeks. But now that the investigation is underway, firefighters are not happy statements are being taken under oath and are concerned about repercussions. Click here for the latest story. Click here for our previous stories and updates on the Bourne Fire Department.
Los Angeles County chief says 21-years is enough: Chief P. Michael Freeman is not the longest serving chief in Los Angeles County’s history. It would take another 6-years to reach that record. But Chief Freeman says it is time to go. Already allowed to serve beyond the normal mandatory retirement age of 60, the chief says he wants to spend more time with his family. Chief Freeman came to Southern California after 24-years with the Dallas Fire Department. Read more.
Chief Gene Doherty of the Revere Fire Department is in trouble with his mayor after letting a firefighter use Ladder 2 for a ride to the chapel.
A very unusual situation in New Jersey leads to chief’s resignation: There are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the Fair Haven fire chief’s plunge into the Navesink River Sunday night. It happened after Shaun Foley hit a pole while driving the chief’s vehicle. Foley was rescued after a 45-minute search that included the U.S. Coast Guard and New Jersey State Police. Foley, who faces drunk driving and other charges, has now resigned. Here’s the latest. And here’s what was reported earlier in the day.
Crack pipes found at fire that hurt ex-Knicks player: Dean Meminger was pulled unconscious from the burning Bronx home Sunday. Now there are reports crack pipes were found in the house, but a cause of the fire has not been listed. The 62-year-old former New York Knicks player is currently in critical but stable condition. Read details.
Family Dollar update from the expert: Our resident expert at Family Dollar store fires at FireEmsBlogs.com is Firegeezer Bill Schumm. So we leave the update to Monday’s fires in Rochester to the Geeze. Click here for the latest.
The wedding bell blues: Chief in Revere, Massachusetts in trouble for letting firefighter use ladder to get to the alter.
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Ladder 2: A little longer than a stretch limo. From the Revere Fire Department website.
Watch the story from WHDH-TV
Revere Fire Department website
It was a 9 mile trip that is making local headlines in Revere, Massachusetts. It happened in the middle of October when Revere’s Ladder 2 was used to take one of the department’s lieutenants to the chapel. It apparently took 90-minutes on a day when Engine 4 from the same station was out of service due to lack of staffing.
Here are excerpts from WHDH-TV’s story:
“The engine company was out that day for manpower shortage so I took a crew from the ladder truck at the same station and moved them over and used the ladder truck for that period of time,” said Chief Gene Doherty, of the Revere Fire Department.
Two volunteers drove the groom and the truck to Nahant. It took just about an hour and a half to get the job done.
“I look at it with a jaundiced eye. We do things for other situations whether its parades and he does a lot of volunteer work. It was my way of rewarding him for the great work that he does,” Doherty said.
Mayor Thomas Ambrosio does not seem to agree.
Chief Gene Doherty from Revere Fire Department website.
After learning about it from 7News he issued a statement saying, “The chief showed very poor judgment in this incident. I will be weighing disciplinary action.”
He said whatever the action, it will be minor.
The firefighter paid for the gas for the truck out of his own pocket.
When asked if he would allow this to happen again, the chief said it would depend on the individual and if the stars are aligned properly, but he would probably talk to the mayor first.
As Firegeezer has been warning us: Click here for videos, fireground audio, pictures and more from our extensive coverage of two fires at Family Dollar stores in Rochester, New York yesterday. Our friends at Monroe County Fire Wire have a series of HD videos, like the one above from Scott Ellman. As you may be aware, the Geeze has been keeping tabs of the number of fires in Family Dollars and other similarly named stores. So we can’t say he didn’t warn us.
Firefighters cleared of wrongdoing in death of elderly woman at fire, but there were a series of issues: This is an update on a story from New Zealand where there were allegations an elderly woman was left in a burning home and could have been removed sooner. The first crew to reach the woman was running out of air. They assumed she was dead and left her. A second crew found here alive, though she later died. While the firefighters were cleared of wrongdoing, the report does indicate the woman was declared dead when she actually wasn’t, there may have been confusion over a policy of leaving bodies in place for investigators and there needs to be improved search and rescue training. The report also confirmed that two senior officers had been drinking at a barbeque prior to the fire breaking out, but each believed it did not impair their ability to deal with the fire. Overall the report found the firefighters on the call “responded appropriately”. Click here for more. Watch the story here.
Click the image to watch a report on the seven-alarm fire at a large apartment complex under construction in Dallas, Texas. The first firefighters found fire in electrical equipment. Seven firefighters were hurt, including some in a floor collapse. The fire burned for more than 12 hours.
Firefighter talks about floor collapse that sent him and others to the hospital: Cincinnati’s Fred Averill talks about the fire Monday that sent him and others tumbling through a hole in the floor. Read and watch the story.
Who’d a thunk it?: A study of the data in Boston has found that some firehouses are busy and some aren’t. Now that’s a headline for you. Anyway, the question on the table is what to with that information. There is a suggestion of moving firefighters around. Read the story.
Firefighter’s son charged in dad’s murder: You may be familiar with the story of the Waco, Texas firefighter whose body was found in his burning home. Ramonell James’ son, burned in the fire, has now been charged with shooting his dad and setting the place on fire. Here’s the story.
Pranks for the memories: Too much time on their hands and a lot of dedication to scaring the rookie. Check it out.
Time for a little comic relief courtesy of an apparently dedicated prankster.
UPDATED- New videos, photos & fireground audio from 5-alarm fire in Rochester, New York. Second fire of the day at a Family Dollar. Lookout broadcast for suspect.
1 commentAbove is raw video from the fire at Ridge-Clinton Plaza taken by DemocratandChronicle.com.
Monroe County Fire Wire has fireground audio from both fires and a series of pictures (Video from MCFW below)
UPDATED AT 7:20 PM: Two fires in Rochester, New York today at Family Dollar stores. The first was out quickly. That was not the case at the second fire. It occurred about two miles away and was reported 50-minutes after the first blaze. There is a lookout for a suspect. Firegeezer Bill Schumm has been writing for months about fires at Family Dollar stores and the chain’s similarly named competitors.
In an interview at the bottom of this entry, Rochester Fire Department Chief John Caufield called the second fire one of the fastest moving fires in his career. The chief says the first arriving units had smoke in the building that quickly showed itself as a rapidly advancing fire throughout the building.
Here is the latest from DemocratandChronicle.com:
A four-alarm blaze in a Rochester Family Dollar store that started around noon today spread through the Ridge-Clinton Plaza.
Rochester Fire Chief John Caufield said the blaze was under control at 5:20 p.m. today, although firefighters will be on the scene throughout the night.
Dozens of fire trucks are at the scene, and the front and rear of the building are fully engulfed, with flames shooting through the roof. Portions of the plaza have collapsed. Heavy black smoke is blanketing the area. The smoke was visible from miles away.
Traffic on Route 104 near the fire site — restricted much of the afternoon — was open again in both directions by 6:30 p.m..
Caufield would not label the fire arson, but he said, “We’re definitely going to look at that. We certainly want to explore that angle.”
He said that a team of investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are expected to arrive in Rochester tomorrow morning to assist in the investigation. Caufield said that they would provide assistance because of the magnitude of the fire and because of the fire reported at a different Family Dollar store about the same time today.
The fire investigators were called on because of “the multimillion-dollar loss here and “We have some questions about the cause of this fire and we need some of their expertise to help us do some of the analysis.” Caufield said.
Dozens of fire trucks are at the scene, and the front and rear of the building were fully engulfed, with flames shooting through the roof. Portions of the plaza have collapsed. Heavy black smoke blanketed the area. The smoke was visible from miles away.
A crowd of nearly 200 onlookers has gathered to watch, many taking photos.
Rochester Fire Lt. Willie Jackson said the fire started around noon at 1731 N. Clinton Ave. More than 60 firefighters from 15 city companies and at least two suburban departments are at the scene, he said.
Jackson said there have been no firefighter or civilian injuries and all customers of plaza businesses were able to escape safely.
A cache of paint, paint thinner and other possibly explosive chemicals was safely removed from the Auto Finishers Supply Co. store in the plaza, Jackson said.
Joe Ignizio, 35, of Greece, co-owns the Fireball Wireless store just two doors down from the Family Dollar. He said he was working in his office in the back of the shop when he heard people rush outside. He was surprised by how quickly the fire moved.
“The flames are in there now,” he said earlier of the store his family has run since 1994. “I didn’t think it would get this far.”
“A whole lot of people (in the plaza) are going to be out of work,” he said.
The North Clinton Avenue fire is the second fire at a city Family Dollar store this morning. A fire at the store located at 836 N. Goodman Street was reported at 11:39 a.m.
Jackson said that fire was “small and contained.”
He said authorities have notified all local Family Dollar stores that “there may be a problem.”
Around 12:15 p.m., 911 dispatchers broadcast a “special attention” call throughout the county for police agencies to be on the lookout for an apparent arsonist striking Family Dollar stores.
Jackson said the city’s arson investigation team was at the scene, but he would not speculate on the cause of the fire.
The video above includes an interview with Rochester Fire Department Chief John Caufield.
Lots of fire and lots of video: A Sunday afternoon fire that burned well into Sunday evening in Jonesville, Michigan. The fire spread from a restaurant to a furniture store. Click here for much more video.
James R. Beavers of Elgin, Illinois after his run-in with firefighters and the man who took this picture, Bill O'Neill at Elginet.com. Truly a story you don't want to miss.
Must see video of accused arsonist fighting with firefighters who just saved his child: Firefighters in Elgin, Illinois rescued a toddler who was in a high chair inside a burning home. The child’s dad, James Beavers, is seen on the video giving grief to firefighters as and after the kid was brought out of the home. Firefighters appeared quite restrained as Beavers started doing a little pushing and shoving. Police arrested Beavers and then charged him with arson. Click here for our coverage.
More must see video – Workers caught in explosion at Utah refinery: The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has shut down the Silver Eagle plant. They released multiple videos of the blast. Click here to watch the clips.
Three-year-old boy pulled his burned sister from a fire: Pretty unbelievable story. The mother of the children died in the same blaze in Arizona. Click here to read the story.
Things changing quickly in New York: The deadly fire was on Wednesday in Crown Heights, killing a father and his two children. By Thursday morning union leaders were again blasting city officials for a delay in the dispatch, calling it another example of what happens when you cut fire dispatchers out of the call taking process and leave it to the police. They called for the 911 recordings to be released. The city denied there was a problem and released the audio on Friday. By Friday afternoon it was announced fire dispatchers would be brought back into the process to “consult” with police department workers who were taking the 911 calls. This concept begins tomorrow. The New York Times has a report and Billy Goldfeder gives his analysis at FirefighterCloseCalls.com.
Pharaoh curses firefighters: At least it probably seemed that way to a group of Australian firefighters and their families. They were part of an annual event at Melbourne’s Luna Park when they became trapped upside down on the ride Pharaohs Curse. The firefighter’s on-duty colleagues were called, but the ride eventually decided to cooperate and brought them down after about six-minutes. Read the story.
Have you seen me? This Dalamation has been missing from Sacramento Fire Station 2 for three days. It isn't possible the pooch left on its own. Click the image to read more about the missing dog at SacramentoPress.com
I wonder if he fights with himself at the scene about whether to clear the roadway?: The new fire chief for South Carolina’s Clearwater Fire Department is Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt. Read more.
Definition of firefighter came into play as killer gets life sentence: In case you missed it on Friday, a judge has found Joseph Taye guilty of first degree murder. Taye, a paraplegic, ran down Firefighter Michelle Smith at the scene of an accident in Delaware last year and left the scene. Because the judge ruled that Smith was a firefighter at the time, even though she was handling EMS duties, it is a mandatory life sentence for Mr. Taye. Read the latest.
Video from DC second-alarm: Chris Oliphant sent us video from Saturday’s house fire on 47th Street, NW. Click here.
Philly fire injures 14: Five-alarms needed for the large apartment buildingfire Sunday morning in Lawncrest. Check it out.
Just aim for the lights: Firegeezer has the story of a suspected drunken driver hitting an ambulance head-on. No one was hurt in the Knoxville, Tennessee collision.
A late reminder: I totally missed last week’s installment from Ray McCormack at thehousewatch.com. Click here for Tactical Safety: Shortcutting the Stretch Eventually Stings.
Boardwalk blaze: Click here for video and pictures of a three-alarm fire on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. (But it took the better eyesight of Firegeezer Bill Schumm to notice the business next to the one with all of the red stuff coming out of it had a sign saying Hot Spot.)
Three, including a former fire chief, are charged in connection with forged training documents in Colorado: Click here for the story from Sheridan and Federal Heights.
Connecting with STATter911.com: Besides our web address, www.STATter911.com, you can find us lots of other ways. Join our a fan page on Facebook. We are on Twitter. We are part of FireEMSBlogs.com and FirefighterNation.com. You can also get the home delivery version.
Frustration in Maine over firefighter/arsonists: We told you about two firefighters in Maine charged with arson a few days apart. WCSH-TV takes a look at the bigger picture.
Here’s the rest of this multi-parter: Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11
Click here for Google Maps Street View of the block
Image by Jennifer Buehrer via mlive.com
Fire broke out Sunday afternoon at the restaurant Chicago Water Grill. The fire spread next door to May’s Furniture. Here are excertps from an article by Fredricka Paul at Jackson Citizen Patriot:
The cause of the fire at the Chicago Water Grill, 205 E. Chicago St., was undertermined late Sunday, said Ken Mann, a Jonesville Fire Department firefighter.
“It’s gone,” Mann said. “It’s a total loss.”
May’s Furniture, 209 E. Chicago St., also sustained significant damage and will likely be a total loss, Mann said.
Firefighters were called to the scene about 4:30 p.m. and were still there after 10 p.m., Mann said.
14 injured in five-alarm fire in Philadelphia. Two seriously hurt at blaze as Lawncrest apartment building burns.
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Click image for a series of pictures of the five-alarm fire from Steve Skipton and Ron Trout at PhillyFireNews.com.
An overnight fire in Philadelphia left two people seriously hurt with 12 others injured. The fire broke out around 4:30 AM and went to five-alarms.
Steve Skipton and Ron Trout were on the scene for PhillyFireNews.com. Here is what they wrote about the fire:
B/C-12 arrived on scene of a three story apartment building with heavy fire in two section with multiple people trapped. Command requested the second alarm struck and companies went in service with multiple rescues of people trapped on the upper floors. Numerous EMS units requested to the scene for numerous victims. Command ordered the the third alarm and companies went in service with exterior fire operations. Car-3 requested five alarms worth of companies. Over 12 people were transported to the hospital.
Google Maps Street View of Austin Manor Apartments. Click image to tour the neighborhood.
Three-alarm fire on Atlantic City’s Boardwalk. Fire spreads from pizza shop to two other businesses at the Central Pier.
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Click the image to see more photos from PressofAtlanticCity.com.
Watch news report from the scene
Read more from the PressofAtlanticCity.com
From the AP:
Officials say a three-alarm fire on the boardwalk in Atlantic City has been declared under control.
Atlantic City Police Sgt. Monica McMenamin says the fire that broke out around 6:45 p.m. Saturday at the Central Pier was brought under control at 10:40 p.m.
McMenamin says a pizza shop, T-shirt shop and clothing store were affected by the blaze.
Thick black smoke was billowing out of the pier on the beach side of the boardwalk, between St. James Place and Tennessee Avenue. Wind blew the smoke out over the ocean.
McMenamin said a police officer who was coughing heavily was taken to the hospital, and no other injuries were reported.
She said 10 companies and more than 80 firefighters responded to the blaze.
Two-alarm fire in the Nation’s Capital. Family escapes, but dog dies in Upper Northwest blaze.
1 commentVideo by Chris Oliphant.
A family of five was displaced and a dog was killed as a result of a fire at 4222 47th Street in Northwest Washington, DC on Saturday afternoon. Three other dogs were rescued by firefighters.
DC Fire & EMS Department Deputy Chief Kenneth Crosswhite tells 9NEWS NOW all five family members were home when the fire was discovered. The fire was reported at 4:47 PM.
Crosswhite said 90 firefighters responded to the scene, and none were injured. The fire was extinguished by about 5:30 PM.
The American Red Cross was on the scene to help the family.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
UPDATE on must see video: Father who fought with firefighters is now charged with arson. Two-year-old rescued from high chair in Elgin, Illinois.
27 commentsStill pictures from fire including father’s arrest
Courtesy of Bill O'Neill at Elginet.com. Click the image for more from Elginet.com.
We knew there was more to this story after closely watching the video above, but didn’t know exactly what was behind the actions of the man now identified as James R. Beavers. Officials in Elgin, Illinois now say Beavers, who fought with firefighters at the scene of the house fire (after they rescued his two-year-old son), set the house on fire. The home belongs to the parents of the 31-year-old Beavers.
Beavers is being held on $100,000 bond. Officials aren’t providing details on how the fire started. Besides arson charges, Beavers is accused of resisting arrest and two counts of obstructing a firefighter.
Beavers lived at his parents home with his wife and their seven children. Apparently, only Beavers and the tw0-year-old were home when the fire broke out.
Read more at DailyHerald.com and SuburbanChicagoNews.com.
Below is our earlier posting on this story:
I know we have been alerting you to a lot of must see video in recent days and we are in danger of overusing the phrase (just hype from those damn TV reporters). But this one sure is interesting.
In the first shot on the video, at six seconds in, you will see a firefighter coming out the front door carrying a two-year-old boy. The boy is reported fine following the fire Thursday afternoon at 517 Cumberland Trail. Firefighters were also able to rescue three of four dogs in the home.
According to news reports the child’s father and grandmother had escaped the fire, but the child was still inside. You see the father in a coat standing in the driveway pointing to firefighters and telling them something as the child is brought out and continuing to make his point afterwards.
At 2:05, now with the coat off, dressed in a t-shirt, the father notices the person shooting this video. At 2:15 the man confronts the photographer.
When he walks away from the picture taker, the father then gets into it with firefighters, marching up to the driveway (3:15) quite agitated. He appears to shove and push one firefighter (who does not appear to escalate the situation). At some point after police arrived the father was arrested.
Here are more details in excerpts from an article by Stephen Ross Johnson at SuburbanChicagoNews.com:
Elgin Fire Department Battalion Chief Terry Bruce said once emergency personnel arrived, they soon were informed by occupants that a baby boy remained inside, sitting in a high chair on the second floor of the tri-level home.
He said Elgin firefighter Kevin Hartmann went inside and was able to find and remove the child just as smoke was entering the room.
“The smoke was just starting to build up right near the baby,” Bruce said. “Another couple of minutes and the baby probably would have been overcome by the smoke.”
Three dogs also were rescued from the home, Bruce said, but a fourth was not recovered.
An already highly emotional scene became even more dramatic, Bruce said, when the baby’s father suddenly became irate and began to assault several firefighters, requiring Elgin police to restrain him.
Elgin Police Sgt. Dan O’Shea said the man, who had yet to be identified, was being detained as of Thursday evening. He said it was not known what charges would be filed, if any.
There is more about the fire in this excerpt from an article by Harry Hitzeman with DailyHerald.com:
The baby’s grandmother tried to put out the fire when it started, but she had to leave the home, Bruce added.
The blaze, which started in the first-floor bedroom that belonged to the boy’s father, was brought under control in about 30 minutes, Bruce said.
Former chief and 2 other firefighters charged with forging training certification. Investigation impacts Colorado towns of Sheridan and Federal Heights.
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From KUSA-TVThree firefighters, including former Sheridan Fire Chief Ron Carter, are charged with felonies related to the forgery of firefighter training paperwork.
Carter, Sheridan Fire Captain Brian Ribble and Federal Heights firefighter Don Ogborn are charged with multiple felony counts of forgery, conspiracy and attempt to influence a public official.
The charges were filed by 18th Judicial District Attorney Carol Chambers on Thursday.
Court documents indicate the men forged a practical examination for firefighters looking for “Driver Operator and Driver Pumper Certification” in November 2005.
The Colorado Fire Chiefs’ Association Web site lists Ribble as the training officer for the Sheridan fire department.
Calls to Carter, Ribble and Ogborn on Friday were not returned.
Sheridan City Manager A.J. Krieger did not return a call requesting comment.
The investigation was handled by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s Division of Fire Safety.
CBI spokesman Lance Clem told 9Wants to Know Investigative Reporter Kyle Clark the probe is the result of increased enforcement actions by that division.
“The Division of Fire Safety is doing a lot more work these days into firefighter certification testing,” Clem said.
The criminal complaints accuse the firefighters of attempting to influence Tami Babylon and Teresa Staples.
Babylon is the certification manager for the Division of Fire Safety. Staples is its deputy director.
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