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UPDATE Watch live: At least 1 dead, 13 hurt in building collapse at Philadelphia thrift store. Search continues.

View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.

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A building in downtown Philadelphia has collapsed, crushing a nearby structure and killing one person. Authorities have rescued 13 people and are digging to see if anyone else remains trapped beneath the rubble.

“I was parked on 21st just heading to Market Street, next thing you know it felt like an earthquake,” said Bernie Ditomo, a truck driver with Belfi Brothers. “I said, ‘What the hell is going on?’ My truck is totaled. I am a little dusty and dirty, but I’m alright. I am one of the lucky ones.”

The collapse at 2140 Market Street happened around 10:40 a.m. when a four-story building came down on top of a two-story building, which housed a Salvation Army Thrift Store. Early reports from Philadelphia Police indicate that the collapse may have been the result of an industrial accident, as construction crews were working on the nearby structure.

“This is a delicate and dangerous operation,” Mayor Michael Nutter said of the rescue and recovery effort during a press conference from the scene. “We did not know and do not know how many people were actually in that store when the wall collapsed.”

After the initial rescues, crews were communicating with two people who remained trapped in the debris and were working to remove them. At one point, rescuers asked media outlets to pull back their helicopters to allow them to better detect sounds from beneath the rubble.

View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.

Frank Kummer & Emily Baby, PhillyNews.com:

Two buildings collapsed in a busy commercial strip of Center City Philadelphia this morning leaving at least 13 people injured and two reported killed.

What appeared to be a body bag was pulled from the destroyed Salvation Army store at 22nd and Market streets and a priest was at the scene shortly before 2 p.m.. An Inquirer reporter at the scene said a law enforcement source has confirmed two dead, but officials have not confirmed either fatality.

Officials at a 2:30 p.m. press conference said a search-and-rescue operation will remain active for at least the next 12 to 24 hours and the exact number of people who were inside the thift store when it was destroyed remains unknown. As of 4 p.m., officials gave no update on whether anyone remained trapped. Cadaver dogs were at the scene in the afternoon to aid in the search.

Posted by dave statter on June 5, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Breaking News, Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News • Tagged: 22nd, adult book store, building collapse, Charles Ramsey, collapse, collapse rescue, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, demolition, EMS, EMT, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, Hoagies city, Lloyd Ayers, market, paramedic, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Fire Department, Philadelphia police, Philadephia pOlice department, philly collapse, Salvation army, salvation army thrift store, search and rescue, sellfiretrucks.com, STATter911.com, thrift store

Must see video: Firefighters burned during tanker truck on fire at service station in Vietnam.

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This is video from ntvinh1602 of a fire today at 28 Tran Hung Dao in Hanoi, Vietam. According to the description, the service station is located across from the Central Military Hospital 108. Ten firefighters were hurt, including at least two who were seriously burned. Pictures here show one person with his clothes on fire. The fire spread from the service station lot to a nearby bar.

14h15, fire kept spreading out with huge blasts. 50 firefighters tried to control the fire, about 10 firetruck waited to reach the scene. A sedan car parking in the gas station and nearby beerhouse caught fire and destroyed completely. But no one died so far, only 3 gas station employees injured.

16h, firefighters shouted with joy when the fire under control temporarily, no black smoke rises. However, the fire hose and sprinkler continually bubbles to cool the tank.

16h15, the intense flames and fire burning harder than the beginning. At least two firefighters were taken to the hospital in very serious condition. The reason is when the fire was extinguished temporarily, enforcers decided to discharged gasoline from the tanker to prevent fires, then it met the hot heat and started to fire again!

From Vietnam Net Bridge. Click here and scroll down for more photos.

Tuoi Tre:

According to Tuoi Tre’s on-the-scene-reporters, at least 10 firefighters sustained burn injuries while battling the fire and all of them have been taken to hospital for treatment.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear yet. 20 fire trucks and a large number of firefighters have been deployed to the scene.

As of 4:45pm today, firefighters were still working to put it out entirely. Around 15 mins later, more than 1000 people were deployed to extinguish the fire. Tuoi Tre reporters at the scene said they could feel the heat and the smell of gasoline hundreds of meters away from the fire scene.

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Posted by dave statter on June 3, 2013 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, HazMat, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, must see video, News, Videos • Tagged: building fire, burning gasoline, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, EMS, EMT, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighter hurt, firefighters burned, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, gasoline, Glenn Usdin, Hanoi, HazMat, paramedic, sellfiretrucks.com, service station, STATter911.com, structure fire, tanker, Viet, Vietnam

UPDATE: Dead and injured Houston firefighters identified.

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Previous coverage

KTRK-TV live video (when available)

KPRC-TV live video (when available)

KHOU-TV live video (when available)

IAFF Local 1341

Houston Fire Department

Houston Fire Department statement:

The Houston Fire Department is saddened and deeply regrets to list the following members who gave the ultimate sacrifice from a fire in Southwest Houston this afternoon:

· Captain EMT Matthew Renaud (35) of Engine 68. He began his career with the Houston Fire Department in October of 2001 and in addition to Fire Station 68, has served out of stations 51, 39, 83, 73, 37, 60 and 35.

· Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan (24) of Station 68. She graduated from Houston Fire Department Academy this past April and was assigned to Station 68.

· Firefighter EMT Robert Garner (29) of Station 68. He began his career with the Houston Fire Department in October of 2010 and has served out of Fire Station 68 since.

· Engineer Operator EMT Robert Bebee (41) of Station 51. He began his career with the Houston Fire Department in August of 2001 and in addition to Station 51, has served out of stations 37, 40, 10 and 48.

There were also 5 firefighters initially transported to the hospital for injuries ranging from heat exhaustion to critical injuries.

· Captain William Dowling of Engine 68 is listed in critical condition.

The other firefighters are:

· Engineer Operator Anthony Livesay on Rescue 42;

· Firefighter EMT Robert Yarbrough on Rescue 42;

· Firefighter EMT Foster Santos on Rescue 11;

· Engineer Operator/Paramedic Marcus Hernandez on Medic 3;

· and Captain William Dowling on Engine 68.

Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with not only those friends and family of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice today but also those who were injured and all members of our department.

We appreciate your patience. We wanted to make sure all family members were notified of their loved-ones passing and injuries prior to informing our members.

Houston Chronicle:

What started as a small restaurant fire – a bit of business faced daily by firefighters everywhere – turned into a motel- engulfing inferno that claimed the lives of four responders from the Houston Fire Department when part of the building collapsed on them Friday. It was the department’s worst loss of life ever.

“We arrived on the scene and about 14 minutes after our arrival we had a mayday,” said HFD Chief Terry Garrison.

In an instant or close to it, a group of firefighters who had put themselves in deliberate jeopardy out of concern that people might be trapped inside the Southwest Inn were buried in burning debris. The precise series of events is at the heart of an investigation to be led by ATF specialists, who arrived at the scene later in the day. But the gist of it was clear in seconds.

“We had an early and quick catastrophic failure of the roof,” Garrison said. “There’s no way that I would have anticipated that we would lose four firefighters. I want to tell the residents of Houston their firefighters acted absolutely courageously today, that there was probably a dozen acts of heroism on that scene.”

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Posted by dave statter on May 31, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, IAFF, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, News • Tagged: Anne Sullivan, Anthony Livesay, firefighter killed, firefighters dead, firefighters down, firefighters hurt, firefighters pinned, firefighters trapped, Foster Santos, Hillcroft, Houston, Houston Fire Department, IAFF, Jeff Caynon, line of duty death, live coverage, LODD, Marcus Hernandez, Matthew Renaud, mayday, Medic 3, national fallen firefighters foudation, Rescue 11, Rescue 42, Robert Bebee, Robert Garner, Robert Yarbrough, Southwest Freeway, Southwest Inn, Station 51, Station 68, Texas, William Dowling

Live coverage: Large tornado outbreak in Oklahoma City area. Two Moore schools leveled with missing & trapped children.

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Live updates from KFOR-TV

Oklahoma City Fire live

A meteorolgist at KFOR-TV said a short time ago the devastation from today’s tornadoes in Oklahoma will dwarf the infamous May 3, 1999 tornado outbreak. KFOR-TV’s live coverage of the aftermath, and the continuing outbreak is above.

Particularly hard hit is Moore, Oklahoma where there are reports of two schools leveled, with searches of those schools continuing.

AP:

Authorities say an elementary school in an Oklahoma City suburb took a direct hit from a mile-wide tornado.

Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department says there is no word of injuries from the elementary school. Knight says the school suffered “extensive damage” on Monday afternoon. He did not say which school was hit.

Neighborhoods in Moore, Okla., are flattened and blown apart, with shards of wood and pieces of insulation strewn everywhere. Television footage also showed first responders picking through rubble and twisted metal in the suburb south of Oklahoma City.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The suburb of Moore was hit hard by a tornado in 1999. The storm had the highest winds ever recorded near the earth’s surface.

Mayday radio traffic: Three-alarm fire in Boston with two maydays. Six firefighters hurt. One resident dead.

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Broadcastify.com audio via firefighterdispatch from a fire reported around 6:30 this morning on Linden Street in Boston, Massachusetts. There are two separate maydays on the audio. One at 9:50 and the other at 22:00. The pictures on this page are from the Boston Fire Department.

AP:

The Boston Fire Department says a house fire in the city’s Allston neighborhood has killed one person and injured 15 people, including six firefighters.

Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the Fire Department, said the fire at the 2-1/2- story wood frame house was reported at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

He says none of the injuries to the firefighters or residents were life-threatening and all firefighters were treated and released. Some of the residents remained hospitalized late Sunday afternoon.

Laurel J. Sweet, Boston Herald:

One firefighter fell through a second-story floor while another fell down the stairs, Boston Fire spokesman Steve MacDonald said.

One resident jumped from the upper floors while three others were taken down ladders. An BFD aerial tower was unable to reach the upper floors because of power lines, MacDonald said.

“It got so bad that the chief ordered everyone out of the building,” MacDonald said. “One resident told us someone was missing. We could not make entry. We knew there was a good possibility we would find someone inside.”

WBZ-TV:

Boston Fire Department spokesperson Steven McDonald said the person who died in the fire was in the attic of the home.

McDonald said 19 people were living in the 7 to 9-bedroom home. Six of the residents were Boston University students, McDonald said.

Firefighters were hurt after falling through the second floor of the home and landing on the first floor.

Posted by dave statter on April 28, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Boston Fire Department, Command & Leadership, Dispatch & Communications, Emergency Communications, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Fireground Audio, Fires, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Rescues • Tagged: Allston, apartment fire, BFD, Boston, Boston Fire Department, building fire, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, deadly fire, defensive operation, EMS, EMT, evacuation, fatal fire, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighters down, firefighters hurt, firefighters injured, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, house fire, Linden Street, Massachusetts, mayday, paramedic, sellfiretrucks.com, STATter911.com, Steve MacDonald, structure fire

Watch live: West, Texas Memorial Service.

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Today’s Memorial Service honors the firefighters killed on Wednesday, April 17 at the massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas.

Firefighter Jerry Chapman, Abbott Fire Department

Honorary Firefighter Jimmy Matus, West Volunteer Fire Department

Firefighter Morris Bridges, West Volunteer Fire Department

Captain Robert Snokhous, West Volunteer Fire Department

Firefighter Perry Calvin, Merknel Fire Department

Firefighter Kevin Sanders, Bruceville Eddy Fire Department

Firefighter Cody Dragoo, West Volunteer Fire Department

Captain Douglas Snokhous, West Volunteer Fire Department

Firefighter Joseph Pustejovsky, West Volunteer Fire Department

Captain Kenny Harris, Dallas Fire-Rescue

Firefighter Cyrus Reed, Abbott Fire Department

Honorary Firefighter William Uptmor, Jr, West Volunteer Fire Department

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Posted by dave statter on April 25, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, News, Videos • Tagged: Abbott Fire Department, Abbott VFD, Action Fire Pos, apartment fire, blast, Bruceville Eddy Fire Department, Buck Uptmor, building fire, Captain Harris, Captain Robert Snokhous, Cody Dragoo, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Cyrus Reed, Dallas Fire Rescue, Dave Statter, David Pareya, Doug Snokhaus, DPS, EMT, explosion, fallen firefighters, fertilizer plant, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, Firefighter & EMS Fallen Hero Fund, Firefighter Cody Dragoo, Firefighter Jerry Chapman, Firefighter Kevin Sanders, Firefighter Morris Bridges, Firefighter Perry Calvin, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, Honorary Firefighter Jimmy Matus, house fire, Jerry Chapman, Jimmy Matus, Joey Pustejovsky, Kenny Harris, line of duty death, LODD, mass casualty, MCI, McLennan County, Merknel Fire Department, Mertens VFD, Mike Rawlings, Morris Bridges, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Navarro Mills VFD, NFFF, paramedic, people trapped, Perry Calvin, rekindle, Robert Snokhaus, sellfiretrucks.com, Station 30, Steve Vanek, structure fire, Texas, Texas Department of Public Safety, Waco, West, West Fertilizer Company, West Texas Firefighter and EMS Fallen Hero Fund, West Volunteer Fire Department

Local paper identifies victims in West, Texas, including 9 firefighters from 5 departments. 911 calls from explosion released

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DallasNews.com: Last year, West plant kept 270 tons of potentially explosive fertilizer

Previous coverage: here, here & here.

Donate to NFFF West Texas Firefighter & EMS Fallen Hero Fund

Listen to 911 calls

WacoTrib.com has come up with a list of 11 of the 14 people who died in the explosion Wednesday in West, Texas. Nine of the 11 are firefighters. To my knowledge this is not from an “official” release from authorities in Texas. You will note that in addition to the West VFD and Dallas Fire & Rescue, previously mentioned, the firefighters are from the fire departments of Mertens, Navarro Mills and Abbott.

• Morris Bridges, 41. Fire sprinkler technician for Action Fire Pros. Member of West Volunteer Fire Department.

• Perry Calvin, 37. Student at Hill College Fire Academy. Member of Mertens and Navarro Mills volunteer fire departments.

• Jerry Chapman, 26. Member of Abbott Volunteer Fire Department.

• Cody Dragoo, 50. Foreman at West Fertilizer Co. Member of West Volunteer Fire Department.

• Kenny Harris, 52. Dallas city fire captain.

• Jimmy Matus, 52. Owner of Westex Welding in West.

• Joey Pustejovsky. West City Secretary. Member of West Volunteer Fire Department.

• Cyrus Reed. Worked at Waxahachie plant. Member of Abbott Volunteer Fire Department.

• Robert Snokhaus, 48. Central Texas Iron Works employee, West volunteer firefighter.

• Doug Snokhaus, 50. Central Texas Iron Works employee, West volunteer firefighter.

• Buck Uptmor, 40s. Owner of fencing company. Lived near West.

Here is an excerpt from the article by J.B. Smith and Tommy Witherspoon:

“It’s tough, man,” said Steve Vanek, West’s mayor pro tem and volunteer fireman who survived the blast. “All these guys we’ve known all our lives. One of the firemen that died was a lifelong friend of my son. I’ve known him since he was born.”

Vanek also said Friday that the West Volunteer Fire Department lost three of its five fire engines in the blast, including a new $200,000 pumper. He said the department will rebuild, but in the meantime it will need help from its neighbors.

“You talk about family — I mean, it really is,” Vanek said. Case in point were longtime West volunteer firefighters Robert and Doug Snokhaus. Robert, 48, and Doug, 50, also worked at Central Texas Iron Works in Waco, where they were on the emergency response team. “

They were both amazing professionals at their respective responsibilities and not only long time employees but friends to everyone here at CTIW,” said company president David Harwell in an email to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

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Posted by dave statter on April 20, 2013 • Filed under: 911, 911 Audio, Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Dispatch & Communications, Emergency Communications, EMS Dispatch, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fireground Audio, Fires, HazMat, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, News, Patient Management, Police, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: Abbott VFD, Action Fire Pos, apartment fire, blast, Buck Uptmor, building fire, Captain Harris, Cody Dragoo, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Cyrus Reed, Dallas Fire Rescue, Dave Statter, David Pareya, Doug Snokhaus, DPS, EMT, explosion, fallen firefighters, fertilizer plant, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, Firefighter & EMS Fallen Hero Fund, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, house fire, Jerry Chapman, Jimmy Matus, Joey Pustejovsky, Kenny Harris, line of duty death, LODD, mass casualty, MCI, McLennan County, Mertens VFD, Mike Rawlings, Morris Bridges, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Navarro Mills VFD, NFFF, paramedic, people trapped, Perry Calvin, rekindle, Robert Snokhaus, sellfiretrucks.com, Station 30, Steve Vanek, structure fire, Texas, Texas Department of Public Safety, Waco, West, West Fertilizer Company, West Texas Firefighter and EMS Fallen Hero Fund

UPDATED: Search & rescue operation ended in West, TX. NFFF sets up fund. Latest on fire and EMS deaths from explosion.

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More on fire & EMS lost in explosion from FireCritic.com

DallasNews.com:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced Friday afternoon that the search and rescue operation has ended now that responders have found 14 bodies. At least 11 emergency responders are presumed dead after the massive explosion and blaze at the West Fertilizer Co. facility near Waco.

At an afternoon news conference, Perry called the damage in West “pretty stunning.” The fertilizer facility had at least 540,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, Texas Health Department records show. That is 100 times more than what was used in the Oklahoma City bombing 18 years ago Friday.

Chris Barron, the executive director of the State Firemen’s & Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas, said his organization has calculated that 11 first responders died in West.

They are five West volunteer firefighters, a retired firefighter who assisted West, a Dallas Fire-Rescue captain who lived in the town and four emergency medical technicians, Barron said. He said some bodies recovered haven’t been identified yet.

Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jason Reyes said the bodies were found “in the area” of the facility that exploded. He did not say how many were found at the explosion site and how many were recovered from surrounding buildings. Mayor Pro-tem Steve Vanek confirmed that five of West’s 33 firefighters, including the city secretary, died in the explosion

From the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation:

In light of the tragic event in West, Texas on Wednesday and in cooperation with local support efforts, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has established a national fund to accept monetary donations to assist the survivors and coworkers of the fire and EMS personnel who died in the line of duty.

Click here to donate

WacoTrib.com:

Texas Department of Public Safety officials confirmed Friday the deaths of 12 people and injuries to about 200 more in the West explosion.

“It is with a heavy heart that I can confirm that 12 individuals have been recovered from the fertilizer plant explosion,” said DPS Sgt. Jason Reyes.

Reyes did not specify where, exactly, the bodies were found, or whether the victims were first responders. West Mayor Pro Tem Steve Vanek, a volunteer firefighter, confirmed West VFD lost five of its 33 members in blast.

View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

WacoTrib.com:

Thursday evening authorities began removing the bodies of what are expected to be 12 firefighters from the smoldering crater that was West Fertilizer Co. and more bodies of residents in the complex, said longtime West Justice of the Peace David Pareya.

The removal of the dead began in the evening with a private ceremony out of view of the media or public where other firefighters lined up as the bodies were brought out, Pareya said.

KXXV-TV:

Police have confirmed that 12 people are dead and more than 200 were injured after Wednesday’s fertilizer plant blast in West.

The bodies have been sent to a forensics lab in Dallas for identification.

DallasNews.com:

By the numbers:

200 injuries reported

150 buildings destroyed

50 buildings cleared by search and rescue teams

25 buildings yet to be cleared

3 fire trucks destroyed

1 EMS vehicle destroyed

KDFW-TV:

We’re learning more about the firefighters who bravely responded to a massive fire at the West Fertilizer plant and lost their lives in the explosion. FOX4 has learned four victims have been identified as firefighters. One of them is from North Texas.

Perry Calvin worked as a volunteer firefighter from Frost in Navarro County. He worked alongside his father who’s the fire chief there.

Captain Kenny Harris was a member of Dallas Fire Rescue, Station 30. He was in West with his family and responded to the fire on his own.

It’s being reported there was an intense smell of ammonia before the fire and explosion.

West Volunteer Fire Department members quickly responded to alarms from the plant. They went inside to rescue the people right before the whole building blew up. A cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com

KXAS-TV:

The names of the dead were becoming known in the town of 2,800, even if they hadn’t been officially released, as early as Thursday afternoon.

Believed to be among them is a small group of firefighters and other first responders who may have rushed toward the fire to fight it before the blast. At a church service at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church on Thursday night, the mourning was already starting.

“We know everyone that was there first, in the beginning,” said Christina Rodarte, 46, who has lived in West for 27 years. “There’s no words for it. It is a small community, and everyone knows the first responders, because anytime there’s anything going on, the fire department is right there, all volunteer.”

One victim who Rodarte knew and whose name was released was Kenny Harris, a 52-year-old captain in the Dallas Fire Department who lived south of West. He was off duty at the time but responded to the fire to help, according to a statement from the city of Dallas.

Posted by dave statter on April 19, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Videos • Tagged: apartment fire, blast, building fire, Captain Harris, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Dallas Fire Rescue, Dave Statter, David Pareya, DPS, EMT, explosion, fallen firefighters, fertilizer plant, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, Firefighter & EMS Fallen Hero Fund, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, house fire, Kenny Harris, line of duty death, LODD, mass casualty, MCI, McLennan County, Mike Rawlings, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, NFFF, paramedic, people trapped, Perry Calvin, rekindle, sellfiretrucks.com, Station 30, Steve Vanek, structure fire, Texas, Texas Department of Public Safety, Waco, West, West Fertilizer Company, West Texas Firefighter and EMS Fallen Hero Fund

Eleven firefighters & EMS personnel killed in West, Texas blast. Off-duty Dallas Capt. Kenny Harris among the dead.

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Previous coverage

We have been down all day and have been updating the West, Texas story via Facebook and Twitter. As far as we can tell, the only one of the 11 dead from fire and EMS who has been identified is Capt. Kenny Harris from Dallas Fire-Rescue. Capt. Harris lived in West.

KHOU-TV:

A Dallas Fire-Rescue captain was confirmed dead in the West Fertilizer Co. explosion, read a statement released by Lt. Joel Lavender, a spokesman with the department Thursday afternoon.

Capt. Kenny Harris, who lives in West, served as a firefighter at Station 30 in Dallas. Harris was not a volunteer firefighter for West but responded when he heard news of the fire that broke out Wednesday night at the plant, the statement read. Harris, 52, was a father of three grown sons.

“Captain Harris rushed to the scene compelled to provide assistance to his community during this crisis,” said Mayor Mike Rawlings. “I want to express my deepest condolences to his family, friends and co-workers.”

The State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas said Thursday afternoon in addition to Capt. Harris, they have confirmed five West firefighter deaths, four EMS responder deaths, and one death of a responder from an unknown department. In addition, 11 West volunteer firefighters are in the hospital, according to the association.

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Posted by dave statter on April 18, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fireground Audio, Fires, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Videos • Tagged: apartment fire, blast, building fire, Captain Harris, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Dallas Fire Rescue, Dave Statter, EMT, explosion, fertilizer plant, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, house fire, Kenny Harris, mass casualty, MCI, McLennan County, Mike Rawlings, paramedic, people trapped, rekindle, sellfiretrucks.com, structure fire, Texas, Waco, West

UPDATED – Live video & radio traffic, videos of explosion, initial radio traffic: 3 or 4 firefighters still missing in West, TX fertilizer plant explosion. One police officer/firefighter found in hospital. Latest estimate 5 to 15 people dead & more than 100 injured.

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The number of people dead following the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas last night is still unclear, with varying reports coming from different officials and news organizations. What is consistent in the reporting is that firefighters and paramedics are among the dead and unaccounted for.

A briefing at 8:30 local time again confirmed again there are missing firefighters. At the briefing it was also reported that a police officer/volunteer firefighter initially reported as missing as found this morning at a Waco hospital suffering serious injuries.

Here is the latest.

DallasNews.com:

Update at 8:30 a.m. Thursday: Sgt W. Patrick Swanton, the Waco police spokesman handling media briefings in West, said at a press conference a little after 8:20 this morning that search and rescue teams are still looking for survivors.

That “is good news to me,” he said. That means authorities have “not gotten to the point of no return.”
Swanton did not update the number of those injured or killed, and he did not release names of any of the casualties. He repeated the earlier figure of five to 15 people killed but said that’s based on “very limited” information from “folks at the scene,” including local, state and federal officials.

One emergency worker who had been reported as missing, a constable serving as a volunteer firefighter, has been found hospitalized with “serious” injuries. Three or four first responders, among the first to fight the fire before the fertilizer plant exploded shortly before 8 p.m. Wednesday, remain missing, Swanton said.

Swanton also said a “small amount” of looting was reported overnight.

KWTX-TV:

Rescuers continued working Thursday morning in West in spite of a cold rain after a long night of door-to-door searches for victims of a Wednesday night explosion that killed between 5 and 15 people and injured more than 100 more.

Six firefighters and two paramedics are confirmed dead and seven nursing home residents were missing after the blast according to West EMS Director Dr. George Smith, who said earlier Wednesday night as many as 60 or 70 people may have died in the blast at West Fertilizer.

One police officer who was reported missing was located Thursday morning at Waco hospital where he was being treated for several injuries.

Smith said early Thursday morning he expects more bodies will be found during the search of damaged and destroyed homes.

WFAA-TV:

At 4:15 a.m., West, Texas EMS director Dr. George Smith confirmed that two paramedics lost their lives in Tuesday night’s explosion at West Fertilizer Company. He said six firefighters remained unaccounted for.

A Facebook page was established in memory of several firefighters who reportedly perished in the blast.

“This is a crime scene,” Sgt. Swanton said. “Until we know that it is an industrial accident, we will work it as a crime scene.”

Waco Tribune & Herald:

UPDATE, 8:40 a.m.: Officials say three or four West volunteer firefighters remain missing as they believe between five and 15 were killed in the explosion at West Fertilizer Co.

One law enforcement official who was presumed missing has been found and is being treated for significant injuries at a hospital, said Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton.

Search and rescue efforts are still ongoing in the neighborhood closest to the plant and Swanton said there has been reports of possible looting.

KDFW-TV:

A major explosion occurred Wednesday night at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, near Hillsboro in north-central Texas – killing between five and 15 people and injuring at least 160 more.

Waco Police Spokesperson Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said a fire began Wednesday evening at the West Fertilizer plant. Fifty minutes later, an explosion was reported in a frantic radio call from the scene of the fire at the plant at 1471 Jerry Mashek Dr. just off Interstate 35.

NBC News:

At least five to 15 people were killed and more than 160 wounded when a large fertilizer plant explosion rocked a small Texas town late Wednesday, destroying dozens of homes under a cloud of toxic smoke, police said.

Between three and five firefighters were still missing, Waco, Texas, police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton told reporters early Thursday.

Firefighters, including local volunteers, were battling a blaze at the time of the blast, which caused a ground tremor equivalent to a magnitude-2.1 earthquake, the USGS said. In Amarillo, Texas, a seismograph recorded the blast with a magnitude of 2.5, Swanton said.

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Posted by dave statter on April 17, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Breaking News, Command & Leadership, Dispatch & Communications, Emergency Communications, EMS Dispatch, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fireground Audio, Fires, HazMat, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Patient Management, Rescues, Special Operations, Videos • Tagged: apartment fire, blast, building fire, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, EMT, explosion, fertilizer plant, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, house fire, mass casualty, MCI, McLennan County, paramedic, people trapped, rekindle, sellfiretrucks.com, structure fire, Texas, Waco, West

UPDATED: 3 confirmed bomb blasts in Boston. 2 near finish line of Marathon. 1 at JFK library. At least 2 dead & 23 injured. Listen to Boston FD live.

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Listen Live: Boston Fire Department

Boston Police Department Twitter

4:50 PM:

According to Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis there was a third explosion at the JFK library. No unexploded devices found. Relatives looking for victims can call 617 635 4500. Witnesses should call 800 494 TIPS.

4:32 PM:

Boston Police Department have scheduled a press conference at 4:45 PM at the Westin Hotel. Boston Police also looking for video of the finish line.

News reports indicate there were other possible unexploded devices that the police bomb squad handled. CBS reports one unexploded device handled by bomb squad. Bombs were in trash cans.

4:07 PM:

Official word from Boston Police Department Twitter feed at 4:07 PM is that two people have died and 23 are injured after two bomb blasts at the finish line of the Boston Marathon a few seconds apart.

Boston PD began Tweeting on this at 3:40 PM about 50 minutes after the explosions occurred. Below are the intitial tweets.

AP:

Boston police say there’s been a third explosion in the city, following two blasts near the finish line of the Boston Marathon that killed two people and injured many others.

Police Commissioner Edward Davis says authorities aren’t certain that the explosion at the JFK Library was related to the other blasts, but they’re treating them as if they are.

David says there are no injuries stemming from the third explosion.

He urged people to stay indoors and not congregate in large groups.

The Boston Marathon said that bombs caused the two explosions and that organizers were working with authorities to determine what happened. The Boston Police Department said two people were killed and 23 others injured.

Competitors and race volunteers were crying as they fled the chaos. Bloody spectators were being carried to the medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners. Authorities went onto the course to carry away the injured while stragglers in the 26.2-mile race were rerouted away from the smoking site.

Roupen Bastajian, a 35-year-old state trooper from Greenville, R.I., had just finished the race when they put the heat blanket wrap on him and he heard the first blast.

“I started running toward the blast. And there were people all over the floor,” he said. “We started grabbing tourniquets and started tying legs. A lot of people amputated. … At least 25 to 30 people have at least one leg missing, or an ankle missing, or two legs missing.”

A Boston police officer was wheeled from the course with a leg injury that was bleeding.

There are a lot of people down,” said one man, whose bib No. 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter of North Carolina. He was not injured, but marathon workers were carrying one woman, who did not appear to be a runner, to the medical area as blood gushed from her leg.

Smoke rose from the blasts, fluttering through the national flags lining the route of the world’s oldest and most prestigious marathon. TV helicopter footage showed blood staining the pavement in the popular shopping and tourist area known as the Back Bay.

“There are people who are really, really bloody,” said Laura McLean, a runner from Toronto, who was in the medical tent being treated for dehydration when she was pulled out to make room for victims of the explosions. “They were pulling them into the medical tent.”

Cherie Falgoust was waiting for her husband, who was running the race.

“I was expecting my husband any minute,” she said. “I don’t know what this building is … it just blew. Just a big bomb, a loud boom, and then glass everywhere. Something hit my head. I don’t know what it was. I just ducked.”

Runners who had not finished the race were diverted straight down Commonwealth Avenue and into a family meeting area, according to an emergency plan that had been in place.

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Posted by dave statter on April 15, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Breaking News, Dispatch & Communications, Emergency Communications, EMS Dispatch, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fireground Audio, Fires, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, must see video, Videos • Tagged: attack, bomb blast, bosotn, bosotn ems, Bosotn Marathon, Boston fire, Boston Fire Department, explosion, explosions, Massachusetts

Harrison, NJ backdraft puts spotlight on staffing cuts. Union officials explain people without PPE handling hose & on ladder.

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Raw video of explosion here & here

Above is a follow-up story by WNBC-TV which answers the questions many of our readers have been asking about the possible backdraft on Sunday that injured five firefighters in Harrison, New Jersey. There has been lots of discussion over a woman seen in the videos handling a hose and a man on a ladder, both without PPE. This story verifies the answers provided by other readers that these were volunteer firefighters who responded directly to the scene. The answer in the news story comes from union officials who talk about the severe cuts the Harrison Fire Department has faced and its possible impact on this fire and explosion.

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Posted by dave statter on March 13, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Funding & Staffing, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Videos • Tagged: budget cuts, building fire, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, EMS, EMT, explosion, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighters down, firefighters hurt, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Frank E. Rodgers Avenue, Glenn Usdin, Harrison, Harrison fire department, injured firefighters, must see, must see video, New Jersey, paramedic, ppe, Rodgers Avenue, sellfiretrucks.com, smoke explosionm backdraft, St, staffing, STATter911.com, structure fire

UPDATE – Must see video: Five firefighters injured in explosion, described as backdraft, at Harrison, NJ 5-alarm fire.

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Video above by T00LS. Video below by quake4ever2007,

UPDATE

WCBS-TV:

Five firefighters were hurt in a terrifying explosion and extra-alarm blaze in Harrison, N.J., Sunday afternoon.

.. when the fire was at its height, a dangerous backdraft was caught on video, CBS 2’s Steve Langford reported. Backdrafts are an explosive phenomenon, and they are one of the worst things that can go wrong in a firefight.

One of those badly hurt when the backdraft erupted was a battalion chief.

“When that glass blew out, he got it all in his face and his body,” said Harrison fire Capt. Robert Gillen. “He was bleeding profusely.”

WNYW-TV:

The blast sent firefighters flying into the air, said Harrison Fire Captain Robert Gille.

“They were literally thrown out of the building by the smoke explosion.”

Five firefighters were rushed to an area hospital; two are being help for further examination the captain said. At least one suffered bad cuts.

EARLIER

WABC-TV:

Firefighters in Harrison, New Jersey are battling a five-alarm fire at an industrial building that has extended to adjoining buildings.

The fire broke out Sunday on the 600 block of Frank E. Rodgers Avenue.

A number of firefighters were injured by flying debris when they were caught up in a partial backdraft explosion that blew out windows.

NJ.com:

The fire appeared to have started at 600-602 Frank E. Rodgers Blvd., a two-story building at the corner of Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard North and Davis Street. It then spread next door to 604-606 Frank E. Rodgers, a two-story residential building.

Harrison officials still have not commented on the fire.

After the explosion occurred, at least two firefighters stumbled out of the building and one of them collapsed on the ground.

EMS and other firefighters rushed to help them. They were both placed in ambulances.

Posted by dave statter on March 10, 2013 • Filed under: Breaking News, Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, must see video, News, Uncategorized, Videos • Tagged: blast, building fire, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, EMS, EMT, explosion, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighters down, firefighters hurt, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Frank E. Rodgers Avenue, Glenn Usdin, Harrison, Harrison fire department, injured firefighters, must see, must see video, New Jersey, paramedic, Rodgers Avenue, sellfiretrucks.com, smoke explosionm backdraft, STATter911.com, structure fire

Firefighter killed after truck plows through IL highway crash scene. Five other Hudson firefighters hurt & three emergency vehicles wrecked on I-39.

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AP:

Authorities say a central Illinois firefighter was killed and 5 of his colleagues injured when a tractor-trailer hit three emergency vehicles.

The emergency responders were working at the scene of a previous freeway accident at the time. The name of the dead firefighter from the village of Hudson hasn’t been released.

McLean County Coroner Beth Kimmerling says that at about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, emergency responders were dispatched to a multiple-vehicle wreck on southbound Interstate 39 near Hudson.

An hour later, a southbound tractor-trailer hauling a load of automobiles lost control and hit 3 of the emergency vehicles belonging to the Hudson Community Fire Protection District and the Illinois State Police.

All of the injured were taken to a hospital in Normal.

From Hudson Community Fire Protection District website:

McLean County Coroner Beth Kimmerling releases the following information concerning a motor vehicle fatality that occurred on the evening of Tuesday, March 5th 2013 in Hudson, IL. At approximately 2145 hours, MetCom received a 911 call in reference to a multiple vehicle incident on southbound I-39 near mile marker 6 in Hudson. Fire and police units were dispatched. Then at approximately 2245 hours, a southbound semi-tractor trailer carrying a load of automobiles lost control and struck three official first responder vehicles belonging to Hudson Community Fire Protection District (HCFPD) and the Illinois State Police (ISP). Six members of HCFPD were injured and transported to Advocate BroMenn Regional Medical Center in Normal. At 2238 hours on March 5th, a member of the Hudson Fire Department succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by Emergency Department Staff.

“Today we lost a member of our Hudson family. We share in the sorrow felt by his loved ones, and we must not forget the valuable contributions be made to this community and the impact he has left on the Hudson Fire Department,” said Chief Dan Hite, Hudson Community Fire Protection District. “The Hudson Fire Department is a close-knit family, and the loss of one of our own affects us all. A tragedy of this type is felt by each and every member, but together we can make it through. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

We ask that at this time that all media please allow our Department and families time to grieve. Any questions specific to the Hudson Fire Department can be directed to Chief Dan Hite at 309-824-2226 or Capt. Shane Hill, HFD Public Affairs Officer at 309-310-3788.

An autopsy will be scheduled for Wednesday, March 6th. The identity of this firefighter will be released along with preliminary autopsy results later in the business day. Any questions regarding the death investigation may be directed to Coroner Beth Kimmerling.

An Accident Reconstructionist from the Illinois State Police has been assigned to the incident and is working with the Coroner’s Office and Hudson Fire Department on the circumstances surrounding this crash.

Hudson Fire Department Facebook page post this morning:

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness I have to report the passing of one of our members. He was struck by a semi last night while at a accident scene. We also had 5 others firefighter’s treated and released from a local hospital. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, those injured and the rest of the department members as we move through this difficult time. Thank all of you for your kind words and keep all of us especially the family in your prayers. Respectfully, Dan Hite, Fire Chief

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Posted by dave statter on March 6, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Apparatus Wrecks, Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Police • Tagged: 39, accident, Accident Reconstruction, Advocate BroMenn Regional Medical Center, autopsy, Beth Kimmerling, central Illinois, CHief Dan Hite, collision, Command Fire Apparatus, cops, crash, crash scene, Dan Hite, Dave Statter, EMS, EMT, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighter down, firefighter killed, firefighter struck, firefighters hit, firefighters hurt, firefighters injured, firefighters struck, firefighting, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, highway, Hudson, Hudson Fire Department, Hudson Fire Protection District, I-39, Illinois, Illinois State Police, interstate, Interstate 39, ISP, law enforcement, McLean County Coroner, NCFPD, Normal, paramedic, pedestrian struck, Police, responder safety, scene protection, scene safety, sellfiretrucks.com, Shane Hill, STATter911.com, tractor trailer, trooper, truck

Must see video: Turning out when a major earthquake hits.

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This is February 27, 2010 in Chile as a magnitude 8.8 quake hit. It’s pretty self-explanatory. Sorry if you had seen it before, but if it was out there, I sure missed it.

Posted by dave statter on February 21, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, must see video, Videos • Tagged: Chile, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, earthquake, EMS, EMT, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighters respond during earthquake, firefighting, firehouse, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, major earthquake, major quake, must see, must see video, paramedic, security camera, sellfiretrucks.com, STATter911.com, surveillance video, turnout

Must see video: Deadly Kansas City explosion caught on surveillance video.

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KSHB-TV:

Authorities said a body has been found in the rubble where JJ’s Restaurant once stood. They did not release information on the gender or identity of the body.

Authorities had been looking for a missing woman. She was an employee of JJ’s, but no other details were given about her.

Early reports indicated that two people were missing — a man and a woman. Just after 5 a.m. Wednesday, officials said the man was safely located at an area hospital. Officials recanted that information during a 10:30 a.m. news conference, though. They said the man was not at the site of the explosion and had contacted his family.

Authorities initially reported that a construction worker struck a natural gas line. Missouri Gas Energy released the following statement on Wednesday:

“We remain focused on supporting the ongoing investigation into the cause of last night’s incident and on ensuring the continued security of the site.

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Posted by dave statter on February 20, 2013 • Filed under: EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, must see video, News, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: 48th, Belleview, blast, building explodes, building fire, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Country Club Plaza, Dave Statter, EMS, EMT, explosion, explosion caught on video, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, gas blast, gas explosion, Glenn Usdin, injuries, J.J's, JJ's restaurant, Kansas City, Kansas City Fire, Kansas City Fire Department, mass casualty, MCI, Missouri, natural gas, natural gas odorm, paramedic, restaurant explosion, sellfiretrucks.com, structure fire, surveillance video, University of Kansas Hospital

UPDATED – Watch live: Explosion levels Kansas City restaurant. Multiple injuries. Pre-arrival video added.

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Coverage from FireCritic.com

Kansas City Star:

Kansas City police say there are no known deaths as yet from an explosion and fire Tuesday evening just west of the Country Club Plaza.

But sources tell The Star that one employee of JJ’s resturant, the site of the explosion, remains unaccounted for.

At least 15 people are being treated at area hospitals, several in critical condition. The fire that resulted from the explosion at JJ’s restaurant, 910 W. 48th St. was upgraded to a four-alarm blaze. Fire crews reported about 7:45 p.m. that the gas company said it had turned off gas in the area. A fire official said the explosion appears to have been an accident.

KMBC-TV:

At least 10 people were taken to hospitals after an explosion and fire at a restaurant west of the Country Club Plaza.

A gas explosion started the fire just before 6 p.m. at J.J.’s Restaurant near 48th Street and Belleview Avenue. A police representative said a car hit a gas main.

KCTV5

Flames and thick black smoke were seen pouring from the building and could be seen from miles away. St. Luke’s Hospital said five patients had been brought to the hospital and at least some were in serious condition.

The University of Kansas Hospital said it had received four patients and had a fifth on the way, hospital spokeswoman Jill Chadwick said. Two of the patients were in the trauma unit. She said most of the patients were being treated for lacerations.

James Armer said he was about a mile and a half away and heard the explosion and saw debris flying about 100 feet into the air.

Posted by dave statter on February 19, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Videos • Tagged: 48th, Belleview, blast, building explodes, building fire, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Country Club Plaza, Dave Statter, EMS, EMT, explosion, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, gas blast, gas explosion, Glenn Usdin, injuries, J.J's, JJ's restaurant, Kansas City, Kansas City Fire, Kansas City Fire Department, mass casualty, MCI, Missouri, natural gas, natural gas odorm, paramedic, restaurant explosion, sellfiretrucks.com, structure fire, University of Kansas Hospital

Raw video: Kiss Nightclub fire in Santa Maria, Brazil kills at least 245 people.

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Local newspaper coverage

AP:

A fire swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing at least 245 people and leaving at least 200 injured, police and firefighters said.

Police Maj. Cleberson Braida told local news media that the 245 bodies were brought for identification to a gymnasium in the city of Santa Maria.

That toll would make it one of the deadliest nightclub fires more than a decade.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, officials said. Officials earlier put the death toll at 180.

Civil Police and regional government spokesman Marcelo Arigoni told Radio Gaucha earlier that the total number of victims is still unclear and there may be hundreds injured,

The newspaper Diario de Santa Maria reported that the fire started at around 2 a.m. at the Kiss club in the city at the southern tip of Brazil, near the borders with Argentina and Uruguay.

Rodrigo Moura, whom the paper identified as a security guard at the club, said it was at its maximum capacity of between 1,000 and 2,000, and partygoers were pushing and shoving to escape.

Ezekiel Corte Real, 23, was quoted by the paper as saying that he helped people to escape. “I just got out because I’m very strong,” he said.

“Sad Sunday”, tweeted Tarso Genro, the governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. He said all possible action was being taken and that he would be in the city later in the day.

Santa Maria is a major university city with a population of around a quarter of a million.

A welding accident reportedly set off a Dec. 25, 2000, fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309.

At least 194 people died at an overcrowded working-class nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2004.

A blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia, broke out on Dec. 5, 2009, when an indoor fireworks display ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches, killing 152

A nightclub fire in the U.S. state of Rhode Island in 2003 killed 100 people after pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Posted by dave statter on January 27, 2013 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Videos • Tagged: 245 dead, Brazil, Brazil fire, Brazil nightclub fire, building fire, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, deadly fire, EMS, EMT, fatal fire, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, kiss, mass casualty, nightclub, nightclub fire, overcrowding, paramedic, raw video, Santa Maria, Santa Maria nightclub fire, sellfiretrucks.com, STATter911.com, structure fire, university town

Early raw video: 86 vehicle pileup on I-275 in Ohio kills 12-year-old girl & injures at least 20 people.

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WKRC-TV:

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office tell Local 12 that the person who died after an 86 vehicle crash on I-275 at Colerain Avenue is a 12 year old girl.

Officials say the girl was outside her vehicle when she was either struck by another vehicle or was struck by a wire on a guardrail, which snapped.

The girl who died was standing in the median after the initial crash when she was killed.

WEWS-TV:

Authorities shut down both directions of I-275 after 18 commercial vehicles, including four tractor-trailers that jackknifed, were involved in a crash on westbound I-275 at Colerain Avenue at about 11:30 a.m.

Officials also said at least four of those injured in the crash are listed in critical condition.

The first crews on the scene used the jaws of life to free four people from three separate cars.

Several passenger vehicles were trapped underneath multiple semi trucks when paramedics arrived at the scene, according to officials.

Officials also said that a steel cable that ended up in the middle of the roadway that is usually used to stop cars from crossing the median made a bad situation worse after the initial few collisions.

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Posted by dave statter on January 21, 2013 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Patient Management, Videos • Tagged: 275, accident, chain reaction, chain reaction crash, Cincinatti, Colerain, collision, Command Fire Apparatus, EMS, EMT, Fairfield, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, freak accident, Glenn Usdin, highway, I 275 Interstate 275, I-275, Mass Casualty Incident, MCI, Ohio, pileup, sellfiretrucks.com, slippery roads, snow, STATter911.com, wreck

UPDATED with extended audio – Emergency radio traffic from CT elementary school shooting. At least 26 dead, including 18 children.

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Above is a corrected clip from firefighterdispatch that includes the audio lost from the previous clip.

Below is the first two hours of audio from Radioman911TV.

AP:

A shooting at a Connecticut elementary school Friday left 27 people dead, including 18 children, an official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still under way. Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity for the same reason, said the gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown was killed and apparently had two guns.

Stephen Delgiadice said his 8-year-old daughter heard two big bangs and teachers told her to get in a corner. His daughter was fine.

“It’s alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America,” he said.

The superintendent’s office said the district had locked down schools in Newtown, about 60 miles northeast of New York City. Schools in neighboring towns also were locked down as a precaution.

A dispatcher at the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps said a teacher had been shot in the foot and taken to Danbury Hospital. Andrea Rynn, a spokeswoman at the hospital, said it had three patients from the school but she did not have information on the extent or nature of their injuries.

State police said Newtown police called them around 9:40 a.m. A SWAT team was among the throngs of police to respond.

A photo posted by The Newtown Bee newspaper showed a group of young students — some crying, others looking visibly frightened — being escorted by adults through a parking lot in a line, hands on each other’s shoulders.

Mergim Bajraliu, 17, heard the gunshots echo from his home and raced to check on his 9-year-old sister at the school. He said his sister, who was fine, heard a scream come over the intercom at one point. He said teachers were shaking and crying as they came out of the building.

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Posted by dave statter on December 14, 2012 • Filed under: 911, 911 Audio, Breaking News, Command & Leadership, Dispatch & Communications, Emergency Communications, EMS Dispatch, EMS Health & Safety, fire, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Videos • Tagged: active shooter, children dead, children shoot, Command Fire Apparatus, Connecticut, Dave Statter, DC Fire, District of Columbia, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighting, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, kids dead, kids shot, Mass Casualty Incident, MCI, Newtown, paramedic, Sandy Hook Connecticut, Sandy Hook elementary, school shooting, sellfiretrucks.com, STATter911.com

40-years-ago today: Crash of United Flight 553. A woman remembers her rescue by a Chicago firefighter.

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There was a lot of intrigue surrounding the crash forty-years-ago today of United Flight 553 into a neighborhood near Chicago’s Midway Airport. When the flight took off from National Airport, among the passengers on board the Boeing 737 was Dorothy Hunt, the wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt. She was carrying $10,000 in cash. In another seat was CBS reporter Michele Clark who was following the Watergate story. Both died in the crash along with 41 other people on the plane and two women on the ground.

But the story we are bringing you today isn’t about those who died. It’s about one of the 18 people on the plane who lived and the Chicago firefighter who found her and helped bring her to safety. It’s written by my friend Tom Jackman at The Washington Post.

Tom recently talked with Ashburn, Virginia resident Marguerite McCausland, now 77, who was a stewardess working the first class section of the flight. It was Firefighter John “Duke” O’Malley who discovered McCausland alive, still strapped in a jump seat and buried under debris with flames all around her. It was O’Malley who stayed with her and helped free McCausland as hoses played on the flames.

Here’s an excerpt from Tom’s story posted Thursday on the State of NoVa blog:

Items from the plane’s galley and bathroom crashed down on top of her, then bricks from one of the houses. She was pinned. Elsewhere in the plane, “people were trapped. I could hear them dying.” She heard a baby crying, then stop. “I couldn’t see any of this. I do remember I could feel parts of my body burning.”

After 20 minutes, “I remember the firemen coming in,” McCausland said. “One of them came in and said, ‘There’s no one alive in here.’ I probably did something to let them know I was there.”

O’Malley climbed over to her. “He said, ‘I’m going to throw a cloth over your face,’” McCausland recalled, “’because we’re going to cut you out and I don’t want you to get burned.’”

Frank Hanes, a photographer from Chicago Today, watched and wrote: ”The heat from the fire was terrific but there were these men right in the middle of the flames trying to save a stewardess. The firemen kept a steady stream of water on her while the rescuers worked for about 10 minutes in the midst of the fire before they finally got her out alive.”

Tom tells us the firefighter and the stewardess and their spouses became friends and stayed in touched for many years. Firefighter O’Malley died last year.

Take a moment today to read Tom’s wonderful story.

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Posted by dave statter on December 8, 2012 • Filed under: Chicago Fire Department, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, Videos • Tagged: 737, Boeing 737, CBS News, Chicago firefighter, Chiecago Fire Department, Command Fire Apparatus, conspiracy, crash, Dave Statter, Dorothy Hunt, Duke O'Malley, E. Howard Hunt, EMT, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Flight 553, Glenn Usdin, Howard Hunt, jet crash, John O'Malley, Marguerite McCausland, Michele Clark, Midway Airport, National Airport, neighborhood, paramedic, plane crash, rescue, sellfiretrucks.com, South Side, State of NoVa, STATter911.com, structure fire, Tom Jackman, United Flight 553, Washington Post, Watergate

Must see video & fireground audio: Natural gas explosion with fire department on scene in Springfield, MA. Firefighters, cops & gas workers hurt.

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UPDATE (Saturday AM):

The explosion occurs about 9:30 into the audio recording below. None of the 18 taken to the hospital (half of them firefighters) was critically hurt.

Latest from WWLP-TV:

Columbia Gas crews informed Captain Cheryl Claprood that they are finding “higher than normal” levels of natural gas readings still underground some of the streets in the area. She did not know which specific streets, but she said it’s a concern as to whether or not there are further gas leaks.

EARLIER:

WWLP-TV:

A massive gas explosion destroyed a downtown Springfield bar, sent glass and bricks flying down Worthington Street, and injured several people, including nine Springfield firefighters and two police officers. Fortunately, all those injured are expected to survive.

“It really was a miracle on Worthington Street that no one was killed,” Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray said during a news conference in Springfield Friday night.

AP:

A natural gas explosion in one of New England’s biggest cities on Friday destroyed two buildings, including one housing a strip club, and damaged others beyond repair but didn’t kill anyone, authorities said.

“This is a miracle on Worthington Street that no one was killed,” Lt. Gov. Tim Murray said at a press conference.

Firefighters, police officers and gas company workers in the area because of an earlier gas leak and odor report were among more than a dozen injured people, authorities said.

The explosion in a downtown area of Springfield, 90 miles west of Boston, blew out all windows in a three-block radius, leaving three more buildings irreparably damaged and prompting emergency workers to evacuate a six-story apartment building that was buckling.

Police Sgt. John Delaney marveled at the destruction at the blast’s epicenter, where a multistory building was leveled.

“It looks like there was a missile strike here,” he said.

Officials at two nearby hospitals said a total of 16 victims were transported there with injuries but none was critical.

Firefighters responded to the scene at 4:20 p.m. and were investigating the gas leak when the blast happened shortly after 5 p.m. The cause of the explosion hadn’t been identified but was under investigation, they said.

Springfield, which has about 150,000 residents, is the largest city in western Massachusetts. It’s known as the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is not in the vicinity of the blast.

The explosion, in an area of downtown Springfield with commercial properties and residences, destroyed a building that housed a Scores Gentlemen’s Club.

Area resident Wayne Davis said he felt his apartment building shake a block away.

“I was laying down in bed, and I started feeling the building shaking and creaking,” he said.

The Navy veteran said the boom from the explosion was louder than anything he’d ever heard, including the sound of a jet landing on an aircraft carrier.

The blast was so loud it was heard for miles around. Video from WWLP-TV showed the moment of the explosion, with smoke billowing into the air above the neighborhood.

Mayor Domenic Sarno said it was through “God’s mercy” that nobody had been reported killed in the explosion.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the individuals that have been injured and the people who have been displaced,” he said, adding that emergency shelter was being set up for those unable to go home.

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Posted by dave statter on November 23, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Dispatch & Communications, Emergency Communications, EMS Dispatch, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Dispatch, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, must see video, News, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: blast, building fire, collapse, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, EMS, EMT, explosion, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighters down, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, injured firefighters, injured police, Massachusetts, mayday, natural gas, natural gas explosion, natural gas leak, paramedic, sellfiretrucks.com, Springfield, Springfield Fire Department, STATter911.com, structure fire

UPDATED with radio traffic – MCI: Wounded warriors injured & killed after ‘Hunt for Heroes’ parade trailer hit by train in Midland, Texas.

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AP:

Federal officials are heading to West Texas to join investigators looking into why a freight train slammed into a parade float carrying wounded veterans, killing four people and injuring 17 others.

Witnesses described a harrowing scene Thursday afternoon as the Union Pacific locomotive bore down on the decorated flatbed truck as it tried to clear the rail crossing on its way to an honorary banquet.

The train was sounding its horn and people on the flatbed truck — mostly wounded veterans and their spouses — were scrambling to jump off before the collision around 4:40 p.m. in Midland, according to witnesses and Union Pacific spokesman Tom Lange.

A preliminary investigation indicates the crossing gate and lights were working, Lange said, though he didn’t know if the train crew saw the float approaching.

Two people died at the scene, while two others died at Midland Memorial Hospital, City of Midland spokesman Ryan Stout said. Six people remained hospitalized Thursday night, including at least one in critical condition; the other 11 people injured have been treated and released, hospital officials said.

About two dozen veterans and their spouses had been sitting in chairs on the float, set up on the back of a flatbed tractor-trailer decorated with American flags and signs identifying each veteran. Many seemed to panic as the locomotive’s horn sounded, said Patricia Howle, who was waiting in her car at a nearby traffic light as the train approached.

“I was on the phone, and I just started screaming,” she told The Associated Press late Thursday night. “The truck was on the other side of the train, but I did see the panic on the faces of the people and saw some of them jump off.”

The float was among two flatbed tractor-trailers carrying veterans and their spouses. Police said the first truck safely crossed the railroad tracks, but the second truck’s trailer was still on the crossing as the train approached.

“The train honked its horn, but the 18-wheeler could not go anywhere because of the other one being right in front of it,” said Daniel Quinonez, who was in traffic that had been stopped by sheriff’s deputies to allow the parade to pass.

“It was a horrible accident to watch happen right in front of me. I just saw the people on the semi-truck’s trailer panic, and many started to jump off the trailer. But it was too late for many of them because the train impacted the trailer so fast,” he told the AP.

Several police vehicles remained at the crash scene late Thursday night. Flood lights illuminated the wreck as investigators in reflective vests and hard hats carefully took measurements of the site, which was cordoned off by yellow police tape.

The parade had been scheduled to end at a “Hunt for Heroes” banquet honoring the veterans. The wounded service members were then going to be treated to a deer-hunting trip this weekend. The events were canceled.

The events were organized by Show Of Support, a local veterans group. Its president, Terry Johnson, did not immediately return an email for comment and his phone number was unlisted; the phone rang unanswered at the group’s offices.

Stout, also the police department’s spokesman, said he had no information about the individuals who died or the driver of the truck.

Lange said Union Pacific is offering help to the community and victims’ families, as well as peer-to-peer counseling for the train crew, who did not sustain any injuries.

“There is going to be a very thorough investigation,” Lange said. “It’s obviously a very tragic incident.”

The National Transportation Safety Board also is investigating, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta “was deeply saddened by news of the tragic accident involving veterans heroes and their spouses in Midland,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement. “His thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, with those injured in this incident, and with the entire community.”

Midland is about 320 miles west of Dallas.

Posted by dave statter on November 15, 2012 • Filed under: Breaking News, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Mass Casualty Incident, News • Tagged: Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, EMS, EMT, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighting, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, Hunt for Heroes, hunting, Mass Casualty Incident, MCI, Midland, parade float, paramedic, sellfiretrucks.com, STATter911.com, Texas, trailer, train, veterans, veterans killed, wounded veterans, wounded warriors

Fireground audio: Explosion & fire in Indianapolis that killed two & destroyed homes.

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Previous coverage of this story

Teresa Mackin, WISH-TV:

Hundreds gathered Sunday evening in Greenwood to remember one of their own.

Second grade teacher Jennifer Longworth and her husband Dion were the two victims of Saturday night’s tragic explosion on the city’s south side.

Jennifer Longworth taught at Southwest Elementary for twelve years, said co-workers Sunday.

Co-workers, friends, family, students and parents all gathered outside for a candlelight vigil.

They laid flowers and candles near the flagpole outside, and wrote messages to Mrs. Longworth on a poster board.

Rick Callahan & Charles Wilson, Associated Press:

Splintered beams and boards on a piece of charred earth were all that remained Sunday where three Indianapolis homes were leveled in a blast that killed two people and rendered homes for blocks uninhabitable.

A backhoe raked through the rubble in the middle-class subdivision as clusters of firefighters and rescue workers weary from a long, chaotic day that began late the night before waited for their next assignment.

The two-story, brick-faced homes on either side of those demolished by the blast were in ruins. One home’s roof was gone, a blackened husk left behind. On the other side of the gap, the side of a home was sheared off. Across the street, garage doors had buckled from the heat.

It wasn’t yet clear what caused the blast that shook the neighborhood at 11 p.m. Saturday. Residents described hearing a loud boom that blew out windows and collapsed ceilings. Some thought a plane had crashed or that it was an earthquake.

Teacher, husband remembered at vigil

Alex Pflanzer, who was asleep when the nearby homes were leveled, said he heard his wife screaming and thought someone was breaking into his house. Grabbing his gun, he checked the house and saw the front door was standing open.

“I walked outside and all the houses were on fire,” he said.

Pflanzer, his wife and two dogs were staying in a hotel room Sunday night. They were, however, without their cat, who refused to budge from the crawl space.

Deputy Code Enforcement Director Adam Collins said as many as 31 homes were damaged so badly that they may have to be demolished. The explosion damaged a total of 80 homes, he said. He estimated the damage at $3.6 million.

Some residents were allowed to return to their homes to retrieve a few belongings Sunday under police escort, officials said. Others whose homes weren’t as badly damaged were allowed to go home, but officials said they would have to do without electricity overnight.

Deputy Fire Chief Kenny Bacon said investigators haven’t eliminated any possible causes for the blast. But U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, who represents the area, said he had been told a bomb or meth lab explosion had been ruled out.

Along with the two people killed, seven people were taken to a hospital with injuries, Bacon said.

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