Maybe it’s my background as a reporter that makes me sensitive to this issue, but I can’t understand why someone goes to the trouble of sharing with the world via YouTube video of a neighbor’s house burning or some other event and doesn’t bother to tell anyone where it occurred. Often you will see something like, “There was a fire on my block overnight” without the person even posting what state they live in, much less the street, county or city. This video is another one of those generic house fires that I have to try and figure out. That’s what I did this morning while my family slept in our hotel room in Hot Springs, South Dakota.
The main clue on this one is the W.F.F.D. on the two pumpers, Engine 1 and Engine 3. Was it the Wake Forest Fire Department? How about the West Frankfort Fire Department? What about the Westview-Fairforest department? Could it be the Wappingers Falls Fire Department? It was none of the above.
A check of the websites and a look at apparatus photos brought me to the conclusion that this was from Texas and the Wichita Falls Fire Department. After that I found an article at timesrecordnews.com with details on this fire. It occurred last Monday morning and left a resident burned. Neighbors reported hearing an explosion.
I guess I really do like the challenge of tracking these down. Thanks for listening. I feel better now.
25 firefighters treated at White Plains, NY commercial fire: A half block of downtown White Plains burned yesterday and during the fire a nearby manhole exploded. The firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation, heat exhaustion and heart palpitations. Click here for details and pictures of the fire.
Looks like they are going to have lots to talk about on C Shift at Station 1: Some baseball fans expecting to see a foul ball drop down from the sky instead saw a firefighter do just that. FF/PM Tyler Morris of the Lake Cities Fire Department in Corinth, Texas fell 30-feet while trying to grab a ball during Tuesday night’s game. Co-workers with Morris at the game say he is going to be okay. Nolan Ryan was among the visitors at the hospital. Check it out.
No life safety problem, no fire protection: Many property owners on Bradford Island in California were under the impression they had fire protection when a fire took hold of multiple homes. They were wrong. The East Contra Fire Protection District responded a number of times but is not authorized to spring into action unless there are people in immediate danger. There’s a lot more to the story. Click here.
Must read stories about a Montana firefighter who faced two emergencies on vacation, saved a brother firefighter and now may lose his job: Whitefish, Montana FF/PM Ben Parsons was in Oregon for the Father’s Day Test of Endurance race. After a strong finish in the race he spotted a grill on a wooden porch that was about to catch a home on fire. Parsons did what he could and asked a friend to go to the fire truck parked around the corner and alert the firefighter to the problem. The friend then told Parsons to respond to the rig because the firefighter who was with it was in cardiac arrest. Thanks to Parsons and others, the firefighter is alive. That’s part one of the story that you can find here. Returning home Parsons now has to face reality about his career choice. Ben Parsons may lose his job by the end of the month due to budget cuts. Read that story. Thank you Butch Weedon for alerting us to this story.
Man arrested for getting physical over his complaint about fire tactics: In Greeley, Colorado earlier this week a man began shoving one firefighter and knocking the facepiece off another because he didn’t like the way they were fighting the fire. The chief says they were concentrating the limited water supply from a dead end hydrant on protecting what wasn’t burning. Read more.
And even more assaults on first responders: In a late July 4th entry, Firegeezer reports on how firefighters and police were assaulted by fireworks in Alton, Illinois Sunday night.
On the mend: One of four Sacramento firefighters injured in a house explosion has been released from the hospital. Read details. Also home from the hospital, a North Charleston, SC firefighter injured when the roof collapsed at a house fire. Here’s more.
Sprinklers in Baltimore County: Now that I am no longer a reporter, I can come out of the closet on one bias of mine. STATter911.com is very much pro-residential sprinklers and will work on behalf of that goal where I can. That’s why we are happy to report Baltimore County is the latest Maryland jurisdiction to require sprinklers during a vote of the County Council yesterday. Great work by the Baltimore County Fire Department, the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office and others. Read the unbiased version of the story here.
FDNY gets a perfect score in annual double dipping probe (and that’s a good thing): In New York you can’t get a government pension and a government salary at the same time. The latest review found no firefighters in violation. Click here for the story.
Ft. Lauderdale museum: Martin Grube’s FireRescueTV takes a trip south to visit The Fort Lauderdale Fire & Safety Museum inside Station 3. Here’s the video.
11 people were hurt last night during the finale of a fireworks display in Palmyra, Pennsylvania. According to WGAL-TV reports, “Schaefer Pyrotechnics, of Ronks, Pa., put on the display, which also commemorated Palmyra’s 250th anniversary”. In 2007 STATter911.com, while at WUSA-TV, we reported that the same firm handled the July 4th fireworks in Vienna, Virginia that hurt ten people, including three with serious injuries (see video below). Victims of that incident filed suit against Schaefer.
Also from our 2007 coverage:
STATter 911 has learned that Schaefer was involved in a July 4th, 2004 incident in Pittson, Pennsylvania. The company was fined $8100 by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after at least 24 people were hurt. That mishap was blamed on a faulty explosive. OSHA discovered 7 violations (from a 2005 Scranton Times article no longer available online).
“This accident occurred after one of the firework charges misfired, causing an explosion, sending firework material into a nearby crowd located near the games and ride area … This accident also propelled fireworks material across the football field and beyond,” a Palmyra Borough Police Department news release stated.
Eleven people suffered burns contusions and abrasions. Four of them were minors, aged 11, 14, 15 and 17. One of the injured was a fireworks employee. All of the patients were taken to Hershey Medical Center.
Police said none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening. As of 11:30 a.m. Monday all of the injured, except one adult and one minor, had been released from the hospital.
Raw video from two-alarm fire in Frederick, Maryland: This is from around 7:00 Wednesday evening on South Carroll Street. Click the image for the video. Firefighters were pulled from the building about 15-minutes after attempting an interior attack. Eventually the roof and a wall of this Civil War era building collapsed. You can read more about the fire at WUSA9.com.
Raw video from a tragic and controversial fire that occurred 16-years-ago: Someone uploaded to YouTube the amateur video shot in Edmonston, Maryland during a 1994 house fire that took the lives of a pregnant woman and two children. The Emerson Street fire is one of the most controversial in PGFD history after an order by the incident commander that firefighters were not to enter the burning home, despite bing told people were trapped. Dave has been debating with himself for a month over whether to rehash this painful episode, but where he wimped out others forged ahead. Click here for the video and details.
I think they made their point about the dangers of fireworks: In California, Jeff Granberry, the Redding Fire Department’s fire prevention specialist (and recent firefighter of the year), was demonstrating the dangers of fireworks for the news media (I am guessing you already know where this story is going). Granberry lit a roman candle that then malfunctioned. Despite wearing eye protection and protective clothing, Granberry suffered minor burns to an eye and his face. Read more.
UPDATE & correction to the Boise ladder crash: Boise Fire Department officials say they are looking at a “malfunctioning rear steering unit” that caused a ladder truck to swing wide and heavily damage a police department SUV and another vehicle on Tuesday. STATter911.com originally reported that this was a tiller truck. We were wrong. A source who asked not to be identified tells us, “It was a Pierce rear-mount platform with All Steer rear steering. The suspicion is that there was a glitch in the automated rear steering, but all of that is under investigation.”
Fire engine driver says he’s not guilty in cow stampede case: A not guilty plea from U.K. Firefighter Julian Lawford accused of starting a cow stampede with the siren on his fire truck. The cows crushed and killed a 75-year-old farmer. Here’s the latest.
Midland, PA firefighter charged in death of motorcyclist: Investigators say there was no emergency call when Jonathan Hogue “responded” with lights and sirens, speeding and passing cars last August. With a friend in the car, Hogue’s vehicle struck a motorcycle and two cars. The motorcyclist was killed. Firegeezer has the update.
Charges against one FDNY firefighter dropped in bar brawl: The prosecutor says Firefighter Michael Reilly was trying to be a peacemaker during the now infamous fight at a Brooklyn bar that included as many as 11 firefighters. At the same time Firefighter Ryan Warnock was indicted on two misdemeanor counts for the January melee at the Salty Dog in Bay Ridge. Here are details.
Baltimore firefighters take to the streets: Firefighters and cops showed up at a fundraiser in Mt. Vernon last night for Baltimore City Councilman Bill Cole. They carried signs claiming the City Council turned its back on them by reducing pension benefits. Here’s the story.
A day at the races: Make sure you sign up for the July 17th event at Gateway International Speedway in St. Louis supporting the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Click here for the details.
Citizen provides play-by-play of five-alarm fire in Brooklyn: Decent pictures from the fire in Bushwick at a kitchen cabinet warehouse that caught fire Thursday around 6:00 PM. The best part, as usual, is listening to the volunteer “reporter” provide the narration and do the interviews. More on the fire from the union news team at WCBS-TV. Aerial view here.
Several apartments were destroyed or damaged in a Thursday afternoon fire that occurred on a farm owned by U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett.
Mike Dmuchowski, spokesman for the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services, said 14 apartments were affected in the 2 p.m. blaze. About 75 firefighters were dispatched to the scene in the 4300 block of Buckeystown Pike, and no injuries were reported.
Officials didn’t have an estimate on monetary damage yet. The American Red Cross is working with displaced residents.
Bartlett was in Washington when the fire broke out, his spokeswoman said.
The most significant damage was done to a three-story, nine-unit building that used to be a barn, Dmuchowski said. A former silo with four apartments was also affected, as well as another one-unit building.
Tire & muffler shop burns: A fire at 6708 Northeast 23rd Street in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. This is one of many videos from around the country added each weekday by WUSA9.com’s Emily Cyr. They all can be found in our video player over here >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
More on injured Baltimore firefighter: There is a nice article from his native Montgomery County, Pennsylvania that profiles Jeffrey Novack who was seriously injured in Wednesday night’s fire next to the firehouse in the 3900 block of Liberty Heights Avenue. Firefighter Novack, assigned to Truck 12, was forced to bail out of a third floor apartment after rescuing residents. He is in a medically-induced coma to treat burns and other injuries. Sources indicate the two closest engines were on other runs, and the third was closed due to staffing issues. Here is our previous coverage of the fire, including fireground audio of the mayday. Sources indicate this version of the audio, besides compacting the time by removing dead air, misses some key radio transmissions.
Is this a trend? Baltimore police halt CompStat (or ComStat) meetings: This is the famous crime fighting method started by Jack Maple, who brought it to NYPD from New York’s Transit Police in the early 1990s. Since then, police departments and other government agencies, including fire departments, have adopted it as a way to measure performance. Now comes word that the Baltimore City Police Department, which embraced its version of the statistics based management tool more than a decade ago, has suspended the meetings. There are concerns that it has evolved into nothing more than a weekly finger-pointing beat-down session (the fictional version was shown regularly on The Wire) that requires too much prep time by managers. The Baltimore Sun reports on a New York study that showed more than 100 retired high-ranking officers believe it creates intense pressure to manipulate crime figures. Here’ the story.
All PGFD, all the time: There was a time that some people claimed that was our motto here at STATter911.com. Still, this has been a newsworthy few days in Prince George’s Countyl. Here’s what’s been keeping Mark Brady busy-
Governor makes escape from fire followed by lawmakers: A celebration for new members of the Maryland legislature at an Annapolis, Maryland bar last night came to an end when fire broke out. The Baltimore Sun tells the story that Governor Martin O’Malley’s security detail may have been the first to realize the place was burning. Here’s the article.
Facebook shooting threat by firefighter against politician leads to trouble: We have been telling you about the problems in Clark County, Nevada and how County Commissioner Steve Sisolak is leading the charge to cut OT and compensation for firefighters. Sisolak is also concerned about on-duty MD fund raising. Now comes word of the Facebook posting by City of Las Vegas Firefighter Joy Sager saying she wanted ”to shoot Sisolak in the (groin)”. The mayor has called for justice. Sager, involved in the charity work, has written an apology. Read Sager’s letter. Here’s the story.
The fine print in the grant that will help Flint has some worried: Flint, Michigan is getting a SAFER grant to rehire firefighters recently let go and others. But can the troubled city meet the staffing requirements of the grant? Read the details.
An ounce of prevention is apparently not worth much in this budget cycle: What did that Franklin guy know anyway? It isn’t like he and his most famous saying about fires had to face a massive recession like we have dealt with. The latest budget proposal in Mesa, Arizona calls for the elimination of the entire fire prevention and life-safety education units. Read more.
Citizen says it is just fine to cut fire department minimum staffing: This column in a California newspaper shows the perception firefighters are often up against when it comes to budget cuts. In it, a man named Bob Moss explains why he didn’t sign a petition by Palo Alto firefighters to freeze staffing levels. Here is an excerpt-
Fact: The proposal on the table is to cut the required number of firefighters on engines by no more than one person. There will still be plenty of staff to respond to 911 calls. Cutting the number of people on an engine, say from 4 to 3, will have no impact on 911 response times — it may even be a bit faster as it will take less time for three people to get onto the engine than four.
Code thieves?: Thieves who stole radios and other equipment worth as much as $20,000 from an Edmond, Oklahoma fire truck being serviced also got the map book with the codes that allow access to gated communities. Read the story.
Fired DeKalb County captain reinstated: Tony Motes, one of those fired after a botched response to a house fire that turned fatal, won his appeal. Read what it means.
Fallout over gas company’s union negotiation in Fall River: There is debate in the Massachusetts town over whether the installation of locking devices on critical valve shut offs by New England Gas will impact its reponse to help fire crews with gas shut downs in an emergency. The company is doing this to prevent tampering during union troubles. Here’s the story.
25 dead and four missing in mine explosion: We have the latest details from overnight in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Click here.
It is out of here: This mural in the back of a bay at a Vancouver, B.C. firehouse was ordered removed after the local civil liberties association found it offensive. Yes, you read that correctly. A civil liberties group wanted it banished. As I recall, the ACLU in Washington defended a firefighter who posted an "offensive" cartoon in the fire station. Anyway, click the image to read more.
Colorado firefighters protest arrest: About three dozen firefighters showed up at the Lake County courthouse yesterday to express their displeasure over the handcuffing of Battalion Captain Dan Dailey during an EMS call inside the Lake County jail. Still no details on last night’s scheduled meeting about the ongoing dispute over who will provide fire and EMS coverage in the area. No decision has been made on pursuing charges against Capt. Dailey. Here is more from the Denver Post. Our previous coverage is here and here.
Burned Illinois firefighter pays respects at wake: Brought in by ambulance, Karra Kopas was at last night’s wake for Village of Homewood Firefighter Brian Carey. Read more. Watch the story.
More on the taunting and firefighter assault in Pennsylvania: Click here to watch the story about the ugly scene in Penn Hills. A member of the Thad Stevens VFD was attacked walking home from the firehouse following a taunting and rock throwing incident during a firehouse cook out.
Massachusetts deputy chief just watches it burn: After making sure everyone was out, Weymouth Fire Department Deputy Chief Joseph Davis could do nothing more than wait for the first fire engine to arrive. With the closest fire company closed and another on a call, the chief believe the delay allowed the fire to spread significantly. Here’s the story.
The Maine squeeze: Sanford Fire Marshal Peter Cutrer is pushing back in the battle with home builders over residential sprinklers. He is fighting fire with fires. Two of them, to be exact. Firegeezer has the story.
In an effort to close a projected $121-million deficit in FY2011, Balitmore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has proposed some drastic cuts. These include slashing 900 positions, involving 600 layoffs. This is just an early round in the budget wars. The mayor says she is still looking for other revenue possibilities to offset the shortfall and avoid some of the cutting.
Baltimore Fire Department picture of Chief James Clack.
As for the fire department, Chief Jim Clack has sent a message to the department outlining the cuts and his views on the budget. Here are some excerpts:
We are projected to lose a total of 166 positions, with 154 of those positions coming directly from the closure of seven fire suppression companies. This cut represents almost 10% of our workforce and 13% of our fire companies. As of the end of February 2010, there would be 91 temporary layoffs of our newest members. This number of layoffs would be reduced by the beginning of the new fiscal year based on retirements and other personnel attrition, but there is no way for me to avoid some layoffs if the current proposed budget is adopted.
In addition, there could be eight Captains, 22 Lieutenants and several more PO and EVD jobs eliminated. This would require temporary demotions of the most recently promoted rated members and effectively “kill” the promotional lists for rated members.
These cuts simply go too far. We are past the point where efficiency measures and working harder will make up for the lack of money to run the fire department. I have expressed my sincere concerns to the Mayor regarding our budget cuts. I know she gets why this proposed budget is not acceptable and she has made it clear to me that public safety funding will be the first area of the budget to be restored if new revenue can be found.
Exposure problem in Waterbury, Connecticut: Anthony DeLucia at FirstDueFirePhotos.com shot the video and pictures in this clip. More can be found here. The fire yesterday afternoon on Summit Street damaged three homes. Two were vacant and one was occupied. Read more.
Radio traffic & interview with injured firefighter after underwater close call: Dave Danielson, anLAFD firefighter who trains others in swift water operations. had to be rescued himself on Tuesday. He was supposed to be a “victim” in an exercise when the role playing became very real. Some tense moments in a near drowning situation. Listen to the rescue operation and Danielson’s interview.
False calls traced to the firehouse, apparently fitting a pattern for this firefighter: In Bexar County, Texas, officials traced a series of false calls to a cell phone used by a volunteer firefighter inside the Jarret Volunteer Fire Department in Von Ormy. According to MySanAntonio.com, this is a repeat performance for Quinton Arnold- ”While he was a volunteer firefighter at another Bexar County department, he confessed to making a bomb threat to a middle school from the fire station’s phone, the affidavit states”. Read the story.
One out, three suspended after Pittsburgh EMS snow mess: Details on the discipline handed down after the February incident where a dying man didn’t get transported in the snow. Here’s our coverage.
Geezer covers the brown-out ballet in San Diego: A fatal fire near a closed fire station in San Diego and everyone is doing the dance. It is another one of those patterns that repeats itself in communities across the country during tough economic times. Some fire chiefs are blunt and admit to the citizens response times will go up and, just like they tell the public on most other occasions, every second does still count in an emergency. Others can’t or won’t go that route. They will join their bosses and other political leaders making the case the closed fire station played no factor in the death, serious injury or loss of property. And who am I to say they are wrong? But if that is the argument you are making, isn’t it fair for a reporter to ask, if the fire station’s closing really has no impact, why not just keep it closed and why have you been spending all of that money to fund it for all these years? My experience with rotating closures is that it gives council members or supervisors the ability to not make the tough decision. Bill Schumm gives his view on the the latest dust-up to fit this scenario.
Rescue reprimand is rescinded: An interesting story from Jeffersonville, Indiana where last August a firefighter trying to rescue a couple from their flooded basement also became trapped. There was a bit of a controversy over who was pulled to safety first. That’s now been settled. Read more.
UPDATED Firefighter charged in shower peeping incident is fired, but says it was a pranl: Carlos Marti is no longer a St. Lucie County, Florida firefighter after last week’s incident where a paramedic intern was watched as she took a shower. Marti’s story is that he was going to play a prank on her similar to what was done to him as a new firefighter and dump flour on her in the shower. Read the details.
Teen sought for impersonating fire officials: Fire marshals in Wilmington, Delaware and the state are looking for 18-year-old Dwight Snead, who they say has a past of pretending to be a firefighter or fire marshal. He also is believed to also frequent Philly. Here’s the story and his picture.
Cleveland church fire video: A large 1880′s church, apparently hit by lightning, had only the walls left standing. Check out the video.
MERV will be right back: More precisely at 11:00 AM EDT today, so the press can get a close-up view of Metro’s new Mobile Emergency Response Vehicle, described in a WMATA press release as “portable, battery-operated, motorized carts that run along Metrorail tracks.” Arlington County’s press release in February has more - U.S. Department of Homeland Security Urban Area Security Initiative provided an $860,000 grant to buy 26 MERVs that will be used in long distance tunnel. Made of aluminum, the MERVs fold up and can be carried by responders. MERVs were used by the London Fire Brigade in response to the terrorist attack on London transit. Members of the Council of Government’s Fire Chiefs Passenger Rail Safety Subcommittee (made up of firefighters representing local governments in the National Capitol Region serviced by Metro) attended a conference in London to evaluate lessons learned.
The massive fire witnesses say started on a fourth-floor balcony of a Millrise condo building, spread to the attic and left 300 people looking for a new place to live could have been quickly doused if current building regulations were in place a year earlier.
The 159-unit Millrise Drive building received its permits in 2008, but new safety regulations that require sprinklers in attics and on balconies did not take effect until May 2009.
Kevin Griffiths, the City of Calgary’s chief building official, said the building was in compliance with the Alberta building code of the day, but noted the code is now different.
“In the code today, the attic area, the roof space above the top floor would actually be protected with sprinklers, as well as areas such as balconies,” said Griffiths.
Those changes could have made a big difference.
“We do know through the research that was undertaken by the City of Calgary and other parties, that having protection within the attic space has signifi cantly improved . . . the ability to prevent the spread of fire,” said Griffiths.
The company that built the condo, Medican, said it followed the code of the time.
All sprinklers in the building worked, said Bob Montgomery, manager of wellness, health and safety for Medican.
Asked if he regrets not adding the additional sprinklers in the attic and patios knowing the regulations would soon be upgraded, he said the company aimed to meet the legislation as it applied then. “At the time, you’re obliged to make sure that the legislation is met. And that’s appropriate. In terms of how much further you can go, how do you know?” he said.
“How do you know what the future holds? What we do is absolutely make sure that the legislation at the time is adhered to. That’s our due diligence, that’s our responsibility, and that’s our goal.”
There is a fire inside Detroit’s massive Cobo Center, the venue for the 2010 North American International Auto Show. Smoke has filled part of the hall down to floor level. The fire alarm has sounded. Announcements are being made telling people to leave.
Getting a hand stamp on the way out of a fire.
I don’t think any of you would be surprised to learn that many of those who are supposed to be leaving are instead focusing on using their cameras on the way out. Some are actually going toward the fire to get the pictures. Their actions are as bad as TV reporters and photographers (did I really say that?). Of cpurse, this is par for the course these days.
But what you will see on the video above at about 3:35 even stuns me a little bit. Instead of making sure all of the exits are clear and there is free access out of the hall, someone got the bright idea to have the staff offer to stamp hands of those attending the event so they could get back in without paying. A generous thought, but should that be the priority?
This isn’t being done outside on the street, but inside the lobby area, slowing the exit.
Am I the only one who thinks this might not have been a real good idea from a life safety standpoint?
Whatever happened to walk, do not run to the nearest exit, and do not delay in leaving the building? Is that just too old fashioned?
Three city firefighters face possible disciplinary action for mishandling the lighting of Vineland High School’s annual bonfire, according to state fire officials.
The Nov. 25 bonfire, part of a pep rally for the school’s football match-up with Millville, exploded upon ignition, sending flaming pallets sky high.
The firefighters — Michael Cifaloglio Jr., Capt. Lou Tramontana and Brian Murray — are scheduled to appear before the Peer Review Board of the state Division of Fire Safety in Trenton this morning for a hearing. The board will determine what, if any, discipline the firefighters should receive.
Vineland Fire Chief Robert Pagnini said Monday the division’s investigation found too many pallets were used in the bonfire and no accelerants should have been used to start it.
School officials vowed the pre-Thanksgiving game rallies, including the bonfire, would continue.
VHS South Principal Tom McCann, who was just several feet from the explosion, said he met with Tramontana after the incident to ensure the safety of students at future bonfires.
Cifaloglio and Murray are volunteer city firefighters; Tramontana is a full-time, paid firefighter. Cifaloglio also is the city’s fire marshal. All three are licensed by the state to conduct fire-safety inspections.
“It’s a formality,” Cifaloglio said late Monday of today’s hearing. “We made a mistake and we’re going to address the mistake. Fortunately, we don’t make a whole lot of mistakes.”
Cifaloglio was not at the bonfire because he said he was on another assignment that evening. The Division of Fire Safety has recommended he receive a written reprimand because as city fire marshal, he was generally responsible for what occurred that night. The recommended punishment for Tramontana and Murray, who were both present during the explosion, is a 30-day suspension of their license to conduct fire-safety investigations.
Tramontana was at the bonfire in his part-time role as a district warden for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, which issued a permit for the event, Pagnini said.
No one was seriously hurt in the explosion, which happened seconds after the pallets were lit. One firefighter suffered minor injures when he was hit in the back of the leg with flying debris. Several people at the scene sought medical attention due to hearing problems related to the high-decibel blast heard and felt throughout town.
Pagnini said a Vineland Fire Department investigation revealed fuel vapors accumulated in the bottom of a crater dug for the bonfire in the field between Johnstone Elementary School and VHS South.
Instead of dissipating, the fumes were held close to the ground by high humidity and the density of the air, authorities said. When the pallets were lit, the vapors ignited in a ball of flames.
Fire officials had visited the bonfire site earlier in the day to issue the permit for the bonfire, Vineland High School Assistant Principal Dorothy Burke said, noting they set specific rules on how the materials are assembled.
One teacher contributed some cardboard for the bonfire, Burke said, but that wasn’t used because fire officials limited the structure to pallets only.
The fire department was responsible for lighting the bonfire, Burke said.
It was lit with a combination of gasoline and diesel fuel, which the Division of Fire Safety determined was improper, Pagnini said.
A heavy fog settled on the field at the time of bonfire lighting. But that did not prompt fire officials to cancel the event, like they’ve done in the past when there’s been unfavorable weather conditions, such as high winds.
Where weather may have contributed to the explosion, it also may have kept students out of harm’s way.
Instead of marching across the muddy field, which would have put students in the direct line of flying debris, Burke directed the band, football team and cheerleaders toward the asphalt path, a less direct course to the field.
“I had a hard time sleeping for a couple days after the explosion because of how loud the explosion was,” she said. “The silhouette of those pallets is something I will never forget.”
The surveillance video is clear and in color. Police say it’s of a crook claiming to be a fire or building inspector who gets open access inside businesses.
Police are hoping to quickly close this case that has turned at least 6 businesses in the region into victims.
This case is troubling to authorities because they say the imposter is so convincing.
He’s seen carrying a flashlight and a belt pouch as if he belongs there and it’s all caught on tape.
The alleged imposter is seen wearing a blue polo shirt and talking to store owner Sophad Or.
9NEWS NOW caught up with the store owner of One Plus Convenience off Norfolk Ave. in Bethesda.
He says, ”Didn’t know he use trick like that and later on he wanted to see inside. I said okay. He said it’s dark I need a flashlight and I said okay. I got the flashlight and he tried to take wallet from coworker.”
The owner and his employee never suspected they were taken until hours later.
Sophad’s wife Min says she’s upset by the crime. She says, ”We never thought it would happen to us but it did. ”
Sophad says the crook is so convincing at his fake job he gets full range of the place.
Sophad Or says, “He act like he knew how to do the job… never suspect he’s a bad guy.”
‘The bad guy’ goes so far as to take the fire extinguisher to top off the heist and make him look even more legitimate.
Sophad Or says, ”He said okay I’ll take extinguisher this is bad and replace it with a new one.
The alleged thief has hit three places in Bethesda including Sophad’s store, a dry cleaner and the latest at a doctor’s office. He’s also hit three other businesses in Fairfax and DC.
Police want to catch this guy before the crimes escalate.
Corporal Dan Friz with Montgomery County Police says, “His intentions were to take property and leave but if he wanted to commit bodily harm he could it’s a concern not only for that but because we built our reputation with the fire department.”
Police are warning other businesses to make sure if someone claims to be an official to ask for their badge.
Most will wear a legitimate uniform with an emblem and their vehicle will also have identification.
Police say the suspect usually steals wallets and laptops.
They say if you have a concern you can always contact the authorities
South St. Louis house fire: Video above is from yesterday at 5227 Idaho Avenue.
Appeals court upholds ruling that DC erred when it fired EMT involved in Rosenbaum case: On November 20, 2008 we reported that the DC Fire & EMS Department was getting ready to bring Selena Walker, a civilian EMT, back on board the department. Walker has been fired when she drove an ambulance carrying former New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum to Howard Hospital instead of a closer facility because Howard was near Walker’s home where the EMT had an errand to run. The treatment Rosenbaum received sparked quite a controversy about the state of EMS in the Nation’s Capital. As preps were made to retrain Walker, the city instead decided to continue the fight against a ruling by the Office of Employee Appeals, and affirmed by the DC Superior Court, that the department missed a 90-day deadline to begin disciplinary procedures. Now, the DC Court of Appeals has also ruled in Walker’s favor. Click here to read the opinion. We requested, but have not received, a comment from the DC Fire & EMS Department.
Richard Singer arrested again: Another man has come forward accusing the president of Singer Associates, Dick Singer, of molesting him. The firm is one of the largest distributors of fire equipment in the Mid-Atlantic region. The man, now 20, told police he was 11 when the attacks began. Previously, two 17-year-olds told police that Singer began assaulting them when they were 10. Here are excerpts from an article by InsideNova.com’s Uriah Kiser:
Singer was jailed on the initial charges, and then released on bond. He was arrested again on the new charges Christmas eve, and was released from jail on $80,000 bond Dec. 29.
The accusers are children of family members related to Singer by marriage, Seeley said.
“These charges are completely devastating, and took all of us completely by surprise,” said Singer Equipment co-owner Sidra Seeley (Singer’s sister). “We are doing everything that we can to combat these false charges, and appreciate the support we have received from our generous customers that we have developed relationships with over the years.”
Fireground audio from mayday in Cincinnati: A firefighter was slightly hurt after taking a tumble down stairs at a house fire disloding his mask. Click here.
You can now vote every 6 hours: Rhett Fleitz is now allowing you to vote every six hours in an effort to determine your favorite fire and EMS blog. Click here to vote.
More hazards to add to the list for all-hazards fire departments: In Beaufort, South Carolina firefighters will now be doing the enforcement of nuisance codes like overgrown grass and shrubs, trash and other safety and health violations. Click here for the article from The Island Packet.
One of our postings in recent days that has drawn a few comments is the story from Sonoma, California where a 16-year-old Boy Scout Explorer was hospitalized from exhaustion. It appears the boy was involved in interior firefighting operations at house fire. An investigation is underway.
It turns out that in Wisconsin, at the site of the explosion that took the life of Firefighter Steven Koeser, a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old were injured. The younger teen, like the teenager in California, is a Boy Scout Explorer.
Capt. Adam Schuh of the St. Anna Fire Department said there were 17 firefighters on the scene when the explosion occurred at Bremer, W2002 Highway Q in St. Anna, an unincorporated community straddling the Calumet and Sheboygan county lines.
“We had the guys scattered around all over, they were manning hose lines, doing whatever they could and the explosion occurred … and we went into a triage mode,” Schuh said. “It was find our guys that were down and help them first. At that point, the fire didn’t matter any more. It was rescue and save our own.”
Six of the eight firefighters injured in the blast are in good condition, “a few of them stiff and sore yet,” Schuh said. Two firefighters that were hospitalized overnight were out of the hospital and able to attend Saturday’s funeral.
“Stiff and sore, and they were both there today and walking around and talking,” Schuh said. “It’s going to take some time for them.”
Among those injured were 17-year-old Chase Fritsch and 15-year-old Joshua Scott. Fritsch, who is Schuh’s stepson, is of legal age to serve as a firefighter, with parental permission. Scott is a fire department explorer, a training program for teens aspiring to become firefighters. Scott was never in the actual danger zone on Tuesday night, Schuh said.
Schuh said he didn’t know whether the department’s explorer program would be re-evaluated following the blast.
“I don’t want to scrap it because it’s a good way to recruit new members,” he said.
Schuh said St. Anna department members are still in a bit of shock about what happened at Bremer, and added that, “personally, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with.”
Two Modesto firefighters were injured and burned after the roof they were working on collapsed during a house fire, according to fire officials.
The fire broke out around 11:30 p.m. Friday at the home on the 2300 block of Coston Avenue in Modesto, according to Modesto Fire spokesman Battalion Chief Hugo Patino. Crews arrived and found heavy smoke from an attached garage.
From KXTV-TV.
Three firefighters were assigned to cut a hole in the roof of the structure for ventilation, Patino said. The roof then collapsed, injuring two firefighters.
Both firefighters were treated on scene and then transported to local hospitals, Patino said.
Engineer James Adams, a 24-year veteran of the department from Calaveras, was taken by police escort to the UC Davis Burn Center, Patino said. Adams, 46, suffered burns over 40 percent of his body. While the injuries were not expected to be life-threatening, Adams was still not able to see visitors at the hospital as a safety precaution.
Firefighter Jason Clevenger, 32, was transported to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto and was recovering from burns over 10 percent of his body, Patino said.
Patino said the fire appeared to have started accidentally when a woman living in the home dropped a candle being used for light as she refueled a generator.
Investigators also believe either poor construction or an alteration to the garage roof may have contributed to the unexpected failure. Patino said structural members were either removed or compromised to the point the roof was not able to withstand the effects of the fire or support the additional weight of the firefighters.
Patino said the home lacked electricity. A woman and two children who lived in the home escaped without injuries. While the home was in the midst of foreclosure proceedings, Patino said the family did apparently have permission to remain inside.
We have a winner! The very first entry into our top stories contest for 2009 correctly guessed the top story of the year. Even though the rest of that person’s top five weren’t on target, it gave me hope for you people and this contest. Once again, Statter was wrong.
Many of you were blinded by our extensive coverage of PGFD and one man in particular, who at last look was still in the Prince George’s County Detention Center. You will have to scroll way done to number 14 to find his picture on this page. Other entries, including one from a person who should know better, focused way too much on our coverage of the District of Columbia Fire & EMS Department. Only one DC story made the list (but it was a big one at number two). In fact, only eight of the top 20 were local stories from the Washington, DC area. Remember that for next year’s contest. We are global in scope here at STATter911.com (yeah, right!).
To get a winner we had to go deep down to someone who guessed two of the top five. While he had the two top stories in reverse order, author and fire service veteran from Baltimore County Chris Hawley was the only entrant to get more than one out of five. The good news is the two Baltimore boys should have lots to talk about when this one buys lunch.
Our rankings are based on the number of pageviews between January 1 and December 31, 2009 according to Google Analytics. If a story had multiple postings we only counted the top one for our list.
The interesting thing is that the bottom two stories and the 21st story were just nine clicks apart. Their rankings kept changing up until the closing hours of 2009. In the end, a somewhat odd, but newer story from Montgomery County, Maryland moved up, knocking off one of my personal favorites from earlier in the year. Number 21 is the story of Alexandria Fire Department (VA) veteran Doug Townshend who, while off duty, rescued his brother Mike from a burning home. Click here for that story.
Click the Popeye cartoon to see what used to pass for a year-end review at STATter911.com.
By the way, I did this type of year end review, rather than the more humorous (at least I thought so) version of the two previous years, because I thought it would be easier to manage. I am writing this at 4:00 AM on New Years Day, so now I am not so sure. If you miss the old one, here it is (I am sure most of it is still true today anyway).
Obviously isn’t just us taking a look back at 2009 and ahead to 2010. Other fire service sites beat us to the punch. Paul Peluso at Firehouse.com says 2009 was the year of the video (look below for proof). FireRescue1.com has a host of characters writing lots of words under its year in review banner. Billy Goldfeder has a message for the new year at FirefighterCloseCalls.com. Paul Combs has a great thought in his December cartoon at FireEngineering.com. I am sure Bill Schumm will have something to help bring in the new year Firegeezer style and so will many others who share the FireEMSBlogs.com site with this rag. .
And Rhett Fleitz at The Fire Critic, who is a great inspiration and supporter to all of us who blog, has a contest that is better than mine. Rhett is looking for the Fire/EMS Blog of the Year 2009 (now you know why I said those nice things about him). Rhett’s is better because he is promoting it as the contest with the prize where you don’t have to sit across the lunch table from Dave Statter.
Thank you to all who entered our contest. Thank you to all who read and comment each day. Thank you to all who link to STATter911.com and carry our stories. Most important, a happy and safe 2010 to all of you and especially those out there protecting us each and every day.
So, drum roll please! We present our 20 most popular stories from 2009:
This was the story that dominated 2009 on STATter911.com. Not only did the posting on May 30 (our fourth posting on the topic) bring in 43 percent more pageviews than our number two story for the year, three other stories on the confrontation would have taken places two, three, and four. When you add up the clicks for the almost 20 stories we posted on this topic they account for about five-percent of the overall traffic on the blog for 2009.
There have been more than 700 comments (actually a lot more than that, but many we couldn’t publish). A couple of comments still arrive each week.
I think the reason for the high numbers, besides being a hot topic, is that we apparently reached way beyond our normal fire and EMS service audience on this story. It helps that the YouTube video above, which has more than two million views, has our link in its description.
As much grief as I get for carrying too many negative stories on the blog, the only reason the world knew about this one is because I was trying to do a good deed and post some positive news. On Wednesday, October 7 there were two sprinkler demonstrations scheduled in the National Capital region. One at Gallaudet University and the other at the University of Maryland (at MFRI). My goal was to get to both of them, but the Maryland one was the priority because of the release of a study about Prince George’s County’s mandatory residential sprinkler law. I never made it to DC and no one said anything to me about a problem during that demonstration.
As I was about to leave work the following evening I was feeling guilty the DC sprinkler video didn’t get any play in my story the day before (there had been a photographer on the scene from LNS, the local news service run by my station and two others in Washington). I pulled the video up with the intention of editing something for the blog and possibly WUSA9.com. Of course, as I watched the video, I immediately realized there was a little bit more to this demonstration.
This entry had 128 comments. More comments came in after Chief Dennis Rubin, when talking about what he saw, used the term “comedy act”.
Firefighter Will Gregory exits the home with his PPE on fire. Photo by Brian Haney, The Daily Record.
This was a late entry for the year. It came about because FirefighterCloseCalls.com first put out the story of the close call based on the newspaper article by Brian Haney at The Daily Record in Dunn, NC. Figuring that there might be more than one photo, I called Mr. Haney and he told me he had shot 210 images from that fire. Brian sent a bunch to STATter911.com and gave us permission to use the photos.
Until a day or two ago, this was in the number three spot for the year. In my heart I wish it was number one. I was blogging away on the Friday afternoon that Ladder 26 wrecked trying to keep up with the developments from Boston. Later in the evening when we learned that Lt. Kevin Kelley was the firefighter killed, it didn’t take long to find his appearances from Firehouse USA on the web. How can you not smile when you watch these?
While I get a lot of stories and videos from your tips, this is one I found all by myself. Going through fire related YouTube videos on a Sunday evening I happened upon this clip. I usually don’t run controlled burning type training exercises, but this one looked different. After picking my jaw off the floor upon seeing the unusual PPV via the leaf blower, I decided this was one worthy of a wider audience.
You have to admit this one was different. The 160-foot Spirit of Washington squeezed the 72-foot John H. Glenn Jr., putting a big gash in the Glenn’s hull and sidelining the boat for many months. The collision also crushed a small FBI boat at an adjacent dock.
This is a rather simple story of a rescue in that it was popular despite there being no video of the event. Firefighters saving the day when it looks like that might be impossible.
Here’s how WZZM-TV’s Lambrini Lukidis described the story:
Kelysse LaBelle is full of energy today. But when fireman Scott Campau rescued her from the bottom of Fisherman’s Landing in Muskegon last week, Kelysse was purple, her eyes were gray and lifeless.
“The stroller was actually sitting up-right on its wheels on the bottom of the lake and she was unconscious,” said Campau.
“She wasn’t breathing, no heart rate,” said Battalion Chief Ken Chudy who lead the team on the call. “She was lifeless when we pulled her out of the water,” said Fireman Kevin McMillan also assisted by firemen Chad Horn and Scott Hemmeslbach.
Eight Prince George’s County firefighters were hurt when an explosion occurred while they were investigating a natural has leak at a shopping center in Forestville.
Truly one of the great stories of the year. John and Joel Rechlitz received national attention for their off-duty rescue of a young boy from a burning car. Their efforts didn’t stop after the rescue. The firefighters remained close to D.J. Harper and his family. Click here.
In December, 2008 Continental Flight 1404 ran off a runway and burst into flames at Denver International Airport. This was the audio as the airport tower controllers directed firefighters to the scene.
The fireground audio provided by Erie County Fire wire was very difficult to listen to as these two men responded to a call for help inside the burning building on Genesee Street.
Layoffs and budget cuts were THE story of 2009. We saw a lot of stories like this one, but for some reason the Flint fire got more attention than the others.
What more can I say about this frequent subject of STATter911.com stories. In the interview Jerry Engle told us all about an arson ring involving firefighters. Later in the year Engle and another former volunteer from Riverdale were both charged with the fire Jerry told us about. If you haven’t read enough about him, click here for our Jerry archive.
A touching tribute to firefighters who were lost 50-years earlier. The incident is believed to be the first time the term BLEVE was used to describe the rupture and rocketing of a flammable liquid container during a fire.
It took teamwork and a lot of guts as a dispatcher and engine company worked to save a woman trapped in an apartment fire started thanks to a neighbor’s meth lab. Video shows Chad Meyer from Engine 26 basically walking through fire to bring out Nikki Cain.
This entry from Montgomery County had to be one of the more unusual stories of the year. A firefighter’s date spent the night at the firehouse and got lost on the way to the bathroom.
What this means is that, even though Kyle Wilson died in a house fire in April, 2007 and the report was released nine-months later, firefighters are still interested in learning from this tragic situation. Enough people searched, found and apparently read that entry in 2009 to make it part of our top 20.
Raw video from scrapyard fire in Houston: This fire was reported around 10:45 AM on Sunday near the Houston Ship Channel. No injuries were reported.
Prince George’s County, Maryland staffing levels questioned on two, 3-alarm fires: Click here for a press release from IAFF Local 1619 describing multiple units that failed to respond or had only two firefighters on board as PGFD handled two, three-alarm, garden-apartment fires in as many days. Click here and here for coverage of the fires. We have requested a response from PGFD officials.
Arson spree leaves two dead in Northampton, Massachusetts. Fireground audio, video, pictures, and details: A dozen fires or attempted fires in 75 minutes with two people dead, but officials aren’t using the word arson. The fires are labeled as suspicious. We have the dramatic fireground audio as dispatchers, firefighters and police try to keep up with the fires early Sunday morning. Click here for our coverage.
Two fires are 30-hours and 1-block apart in Woonsocket, Rhode Island: We have video from both extra-alarm fires in vacant multi-family homes. Check it out.
Most popular stories contest: Figure out what were the five most popular stories on STATter911.com in 2009 and win a prize. Dave takes the winner to lunch. (“Oh yeah, he’s a prize”, Mrs. STATter911.com was heard saying.) Click here for the details.
Must see video of Saturday's water rescue in Middletown, Pennsylvania (Delaware County) of a mother and her 14-year-old daughter. Some of the rescuers were treated for hypothermia. Click the image for the video, pictures and details.
The sprinkler that said “Bah! Humbug!” right back to Scrooge: A nice Christmas story from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Please take a moment to read it.
Christmas fire roundup: We spent the holiday gathering video of those on the job for Christmas. See the videos here, here and here.
Elephant gets a better reception in the South: Suzie the elephant, who made big waves in New York, seems to be less controversial in Florida. Click here.
And Firegeezer plays Cry Me a River all day long on his Victrola: Bill still has the hots for Julie London as he discovers a cache of Emergency! episodes on the web. Check out Firegeezer.
Burning pickup crashes into home and it burns: The story from Bellevue, Nebraska. Read it. Watch it.
The damage. Courtesy Chief Greg Jakubowski, Lingohocken Fire Company.
Here’s a Christmas tale worth retelling, sent by email from Chief Greg Jakubowski of the Lingohocken Fire Company in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. With a nod to Dr. Seuss, we shall call it How the Residential Sprinkler System Saved Christmas. Maybe it will be told all through the land each holiday and legislative season:
A few minutes before 1 pm on Christmas Day, several dozen firefighters from the Lingohocken and Warwick Fire Cos. (Bucks County, PA Stations 35, 95 and 66) were dispatched to a home in the 3100 block of Rushland Road in Wrightstown Township for a report of a fire in an attached garage of a 3-year old house. An accidental fire had ignited in some storage in the garage and began to spread. There were 2 cars in the 3-bay garage, including a Ford Escape and a Mercedes CLK 320. Normally, this incident would require deploying all of these firefighters, and perhaps more, for 1-2 hours to control and fully extinguish the fire, which would have likely spread to the storage, vehicles, and tools in the garage, and possibly to the master bedroom located directly above the garage. The home is located in an area that would require firefighters to truck water in, as there are no hydrants nearby. Damage most likely would have been in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the residents would have likely had to relocate for weeks while their home was being repaired.
However, thanks to the foresight of the Wrightstown Township supervisors, and the efforts of the fire marshal’s office in Wrightstown, this home was equipped with residential sprinklers, including in the garage area. One sprinkler activated, fully extinguishing the fire prior to the fire department’s arrival, 7 minutes after the call. Instead of 30-40 firefighters being in service for several hours, a single crew of 6 firefighters was able to check for extension (there was none) and remove the damaged items from the house. A 2 liter soda bottle that was half full and located 2 feet from the point of origin, had partially melted, but never spilled the soda. The contents of the garage suffered several thousand dollars of damage, a far cry from the damage without sprinklers. There were no injuries to the residents, nor to firefighters. The volunteer firefighters returned to celebrate the holiday with their families in under 45 minutes, and the homeowner and his family were able to finish their celebration in their home after a bit of cleanup.
Pennsylvania is the first state in the country to adopt new model codes that require sprinklers in all new townhouses that will be built after January 1, 2010, and all new residences built after January 1, 2011. Several Bucks County communities already have their own ordinances in place – and these sprinklers are saving lives and property right now in these communities.
Early video of Virginia townhouse fire: You will hear a pretty good blast on this brief cip taken at a townhouse fire at 610 Olde Greenwich Circle. The early morning fire yesterday kept firefighters in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania busy. Click here for Part 2, which lasts a bit longer.
NEW – Jacksonville firefighter shot and killed overnight: In Florida police are trying to determine who killed a Jacksonville firefighter at a service station early this morning. A spokesoman for JFRD will only confirm at this point that the victim is one of the department’s firefighters. Click here for the story.
NEW – Chief’s test is a mess: Actually it isn’t the test itself that is the problem in Lynn, Massachusetts. Finding a new chief is complicated by the fact that there was already controversy because of how the current acting chief was appointed to deputy chief in 2006. That went to arbitration and the city lost in June. Read the details.
Promotions in New Haven a step closer: In a process that took 6-minutes, New Haven’s Civil Service review Board did what it did not do in 2004 and okayed the promotions of one Hispanic and 13 white firefighters. Read the latest.
Don’t panic: You may recall after the recent death of Montgomery County, Maryland’s Scott Doyle there was information about donations that can be made to the Don’t Panic Foundation. At the time I wasn’t that clear on the purpose of the group. Now, thanks to Sam Villani, I am. The Don’t Panic Foundation was formed to help public safety professionals and their families recover from injuries that occur while off duty. You may recall that Scott Doyle’s family initially had difficulty bringing him back home after he was injured while BASE jumping in Idaho. You can click here for details or go to the website at don’tpanicfoundation.org.
Decembers past: Billy Goldfeder takes a look at a month that has us remembering some tragic incidents. He focuses on 1999 and the tenth anniversaries of fires in Worcester, Massachusetts and Keokuk, Iowa that together took the lives of nine firefighters. Check out The Secret List which includes links to many stories and reports. Make sure you read the one on retired District Fire Chief Michael McNamee who made the decision not to send any more firefighters into Worcester Cold Storage and likely saved the lives of other firefighters.
Group gets what it opposes: You may recall that Habitat for Humanity International joined the National Association of Homebuilders in the opposition of residential sprinklers. Another local chapter apparently doesn’t buy that position. In Wilmington, North Carolina firefighters and Fire Technologies, Inc. teamed up to provide residential sprinklers for Habitat homes. Click here.
Not guilty plea for former Long Island chief accused of altering stats for pension: Former Hempstead Village fire chief Lester Arsell entered a not guilty plea on a 50-count indictment that accuses him of inflating the number of calls Arsell and his wife responded to as part of an effort to qualify for pension benefits. Read more.
Bank robbers get stiffed: This has nothing to do with fire and EMS, but it is a story from my colleague Scott Broom that you don’t want to miss. In Calvert County, Maryland a pair of bank robbers thought they were holding up a bank on Monday. They were about as inept as Woody Allen in the movie Take the Money and Run. Instead of a bank they found themselves inside the funeral home next door. Click here to watch the story and the interview with the funeral home manager.
Pennsylvania house fire: A second alarm was called on Saturday for a house fire in Lower Macungie Township. NewsWorking.org was on the scene and wrote this about the fire – At 1945 hours Lower Mac #30 responds to 1299 Walnut Lane for a house fire with possible entrapment. On arrival, crews find a two-story single-family Dwelling with heavy fire showing. A second-alarm was struck immediately. Tanker 25, Engines 15, 31, 7, ladder 8, Air 32 and rehab 66 respond on the 2nd alarm. Heavy fire was consuming the rear of the house and second-floor. Multiple hand lines were stretched and Truck 30 went to the roof to open up.
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.
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.”
From Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service. Click the image for more pictures.
This is the description with the YouTube video posted yesterday of this April, 2008 fire in Manchester, England:
This fire required 10 pumps, 3 Hydraulic Platforms plus other specials. It is quite a short extract as I was only experimenting with my then new digital camera. The incident was about 3 hours old by the time I arrived. The smoke was visible from my home area some 10 miles away. NOTE: The footage on the fireground was taken by invitation and under strict fire service supervision.
As you can see in the picture to the left, the fire at John Bradshaw and Sons large storage warehouse was quite the spectacle. But it is the image below, grabbed from the video, of the Bradshaw’s next door neighbor, that caught my eye.
Storage shed with lots of hazards burns in Gary: The call came in as a brush fire yesterday morning. A shed at what appears to be a salvage yard was burning. It apparently had acetylene tanks and a few other things that go boom stored inside. You will see a glimpse of something taking off at 3:38 in the video.
Prepare to be outraged. This is a picture of John Curry, a Florida firefighter who died during a 2007 training accident. His widow wants the operator of a blog from Australia to stop using this picture to illustrate the story of a firefighter child predator. Click the image for the full story.
Not me – Boston officials refute NIOSH claim that autopsy report was denied: We told you that NIOSH says it could not get the autopsy reports for two Boston firefighters who died in a restaurant fire. This is the case where media reports indicate one firefighter was drunk and the other had cocaine in his system. Now some Boston officials are saying they didn’t tell NIOSH no. Click here for the latest.
Cop who handcuffed firefighter is reprimanded: Back in April we told you the story of a confrontation between New Haven Fire Department Lt. Filipe Cordero and Officer Newton Anderson of the police department. Cordero was trying to convince an overdose victim to go to the hospital while Anderson was berating her. It ended with Cordero in handcuffs. The police chief has now counseled the officer. More interesting may be the police internal affairs conclusions about who was in charge of the scene and related issues. Here is the article.
Fire chief accused of assaulting former member: Quentin Fowler used to be a member of West Virginia’s Bradley-Prosperity VFD. Now he’s a member of another department. Fowler claims his former chief came up to him in the parking lot of a local market on Wednesday afternoon and began hitting him. Some of it was caught on video. Click here for the story.
Philly firefighters sue their union: A group of African American firefighters in Philadelphia is suing IAFF Local 22 in federal court accusing the union of being “racially harassing and abusive” to blacks. The suit claims the firefighters have no voice in the union and that the local is being run by a white firefighters organization with the purpose of ending all quota-based hiring practices. Local 22′s president told Philly.com the allegation of the union being racist is “completely not true”. Here’s the complete story.
Color blind firefighter rejected for career service: In Australia a volunteer who has been trying to become a career firefighter is finding that his color blindness is keeping him from living his dream. Here’s the story.
Family blames Baltimore’s mayor for rotating closures: Sheila Dixon is on trial in Baltimore right now. Baltimore’s mayor is also being named by one family as the guilty party behind rotating closures they believe played a role in the loss of a loved one. WBFF-TV has the story.
Back to the drawing board on this invention from San Sebastian, Spain. The video says the demonstration was on Wednesday. The 39-year-old man who rode it down suffered injuries to both legs.
Above is an older video from Russia of what appears to be another escape device. The results were likely much more serious.
Their slogan is “Count on us, we will let you down”. Above is a promo video for the company High-Rise Escape Systems that is apparently more successful in this arena.
Police in Rialto, California shut down a “haunted house” Friday night because it was unsafe. It had been set up in a burned out home. That home, at 1460 North Lilac Avenue, caught fire on May 29. Inside the home firefighters found five-year-old Mario Sisneros and three-year-old David Sisneros. The boys died hours later.
KTLA-TV reports Irma Delgado, the boys’ grandmother, attempted to get the boys to crawl to safety.
The mother of the children is the person who turned the home into a “haunted house”. Twenty-seven-year-old Viviana Delgado says it is how she is coping with her loss.
Here are excerpts from KTLA-TV’s story:
“It’s my way of saying happy Halloween to my kids.”
Delgado says she is planning to have pony rides as a part of the “haunted house.”
Amid Halloween décor including monsters and spooky signs, a planter sits on on the lawn, filled with some Mario and David Sisneros’ toys– a scooter, a toy tractor, and stuffed animals.
In the midst of the boyhood trinkets are two plastic buckets, each holding a picture of one of the two deceased boys, as well as a crucifix.
Two tombstone decorations can be seen on the lawn.
“People don’t know what I’m going through, they don’t know how I feel,” Delgado said. “This is how we’re going to spend Halloween together.”
Though Delgado says the “haunted house” is a tribute to her boys on their favorite holiday, some neighbors consider the scene to be “ghoulish” and “macabre.”
Delgado is inviting visitors to walk the very halls where her sons attempted to crawl under the deadly smoke. She says there will be flashing lights and a Halloween soundtrack playing for effect.
“Since it’s a haunted house, it has to be some kind of scary,” she said.
Most Recent Comments