On February 28, 2014 at 0130hrs, Fire Captain Gregory D. Barnas, 57, died of injuries sustained when he fell from the roof of a burning commercial structure (restaurant) while, according to reports, he was working to ventilate the building. Investigation into the fatal incident continues by authorities. Our condolences to the Barnas Family & Friends, the Wallington Fire Department and to all affected by Fire Captain Gregory D. Barnas' passing.
On February 10, 2014 at 1700hrs, Assistant Fire Chief Roger Tome, 71, passed away from an apparent heart attack several hours after completing his shift which included department mandated physical training. Our condolences to the Tome Family & Friends, the Kennedy Space Center Fire and Rescue and to all affected by Assistant Fire Chief Roger Dale Tome's passing.
Cleveland Hill Fire Chief Joe Lewis said, “We could see from the front door that the first floor had collapsed. It was just too dangerous to enter so we had lines all over trying to hit it from the outside to knock it down enough so we could see to try to make entry.”
Fire Chief Lewis said, “With it being a brick structure it holds the heat in, so the only place to vent is through the floors and out the roof.” “The fire load was immense, so it took a while to get it under control enough that we were able to safely send firefighters in to get to the rest of the fire,” said Chief Lewis.
CHEEKTOWAGE, N.Y. (The Buffalo News) — Dental records are expected to be used to confirm the identities of two people who died early today in a Cheektowaga house fire, where unstable structural conditions are slowing the work of fire investigators.
“The fire’s out. The bodies have been removed,” police Capt. Scott E. Pilat said late this morning.
Three town police arson investigators are on the scene at 27 Furlong Road.
“They’re having a hard time getting in,” Pilat said, explaining that floor joists were burned out and it’s feared the ceiling joists could collapse.
“Safety’s paramount,” Pilat said.
Firefighters still on the scene are attempting to position ladders to span multiple joists, Pilat said.
The fire, reported at 4:22 a.m., is believed to have started on the first floor of the 1½-story Cape home. Police officials said the floor caved in, making it difficult for firefighters to enter the house or find the occupants.
Susan Seawood, who lives nearby, said she woke up and saw “flames were just jumping out of the front of the house.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Autopsies on the remains were scheduled for Wednesday.
AUBURN, N.Y. — The structure that housed Tinkers Guild on Franklin Street in Auburn was torn down Monday after a fire completely destroyed the building.
The fire was reported to the Cayuga County 911 service at 9:39 a.m. by a passerby. The caller reported heavy smoke coming from the tavern located on 78 Franklin St.
The Auburn Fire Department responded to the scene. AFD Chief Jeff Dygert said the responding duty chief reported smoke coming from all three floors of the structure. Crews attempted to battle the flames from the inside, but were forced to pull out because the fire had progressed too far, Dygert said.
Firefighters then battled the flames from the building's exterior. At that point, the blaze had engulfed the structure completely. Power lines in front of Tinker's also briefly caught fire when high winds swept the flames in that direction, but crews put them out immediately.
GOLDENS BRIDGE, N.Y. — Firefighters in Goldens Bridge didn’t have to go far to fight a blaze Monday morning: It broke out in the Goldens Bridge firehouse.
An electrical fire heavily damaged the Goldens Bridge firehouse and destroyed a 1943 brush truck, officials said.
Volunteers rushed to the building shortly after the 9:25 a.m. alarm went out and removed the firetrucks from the building. One firefighter suffered smoke inhalation in the rush to get the vehicles out of the two-story brick structure at 254 Waccabuc Road (Route 138). He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Within an hour, the fire was “knocked down” and Lewisboro Police Chief Frank Secret said Route 138 would be shut in the area for most of the day in the area of the firehouse. The department lost three of its seven pieces of apparatus: a rescue truck and two SUVs.
A fire commissioner and a volunteer were in the Route 138 firehouse when the blaze broke out around 9:20 a.m. The firefighter suffered smoke inhalation while moving apparatus out of the burning building.
Commission Chairman Ed Brancati said he was working out in the upstairs exercise room when he saw what appeared to be smoke coming from a radiator on the east wall. He and the firefighter, Mike Melillo, went to the boiler room to see if the furnace had malfunctioned.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — More than 100 firefighters battled a large three-alarm blaze at a commercial strip on Staten Island Monday morning, according to the FDNY.
Flames broke out at a building at 131 Bennett St. in Port Richmond about 3 a.m., firefighters say. FDNY says 138 firefighters were sent to battle the blaze, which was brought under control at about 6 a.m.
No injuries were reported in the fire, but several other commercial and residential buildings nearby were evacuated.
Three-Alarm House Fire - Campbell Hall, N.Y.:
CAMPBELL HALL, N.Y. — A three-alarm house fire broke out Sunday afternoon February 23, 2014, near Middletown, New York at 476 Scotchtown Road in Campbell Hall. The fire engulfed the entire second floor and roof. Firefighters from Campbell Hall, Salisbury Mills and Maybrook responded. Upon inspection fire was found behind the fireplace and got everybody out of the house safely.
(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)
Lieutenant Homer "J.R." Harrell, 46, on February 24, 2014 at 1030hrs passed away from a reported heart attack shortly after coming off his assigned shift which included one or more emergency responses. Our condolences to the Harrel Family & Friends, the Orange City Fire Department and to all affected by Lieutenant Homer "J.R." Harrell's passing.
On February 22, 2014 at 0445hrs, while working to evacuate students from a university residence apartment building, Lieutenant Bruce Britt, 48, died of injuries sustained when he became entangled in debris after the collapse of a portion of the building's elevated walkway. Our condolences to the Britt Family & Friends, the Columbia Fire Department and to all affected by Lieutenant Bruce Britt's passing.
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Several residents are recovering from an early morning apartment fire after leaping from the building to escape the flames.
Buffalo firefighters say they got the call just after 12 a.m. Saturday about a fire at the corner of Woodlawn Avenue and Welker Street. High winds caused the fire to grow quickly and the roof to collapse.
The building suffered heavy damage, but all seven tenants got out safely. An unknown number of them were taken to the hospital with burns. The severity of those burns is not known.
"Due to the amount of fire, we had to fight it from the exterior. Normally, we'd go right in there, but it was just too dangerous for that type of tactic," said Patrick Ritzzalaro, Buffalo fire division chief.
Fire investigators are still looking into the extent of the damages and the cause of the fire.
(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)
On February 2,2014 at 1200hrs, while responding to a motor vehicle accident call in his fire department vehicle, Fire Chief Randy R. Pouge, 49, hit an icy area and crashed off of the roadway. Fire Chief Pouge was injured in the accident but conscious when he was transported to the hospital where he and passed away several weeks on February 19, 2014 from complications.
Our condolences to the Pogue Family & Friends, the Oak Grove Fire District #25, and all affected by Fire Chief Randy R. Pogue's passing. To date, 17 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online atU.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. (The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)
Fire Breaks At Grand Central Fitness in Horseheads, N.Y.
HORSEHEADS, N.Y. (WETM-TV) – A fire that sparked early Wednesday morning at a popular fitness center in Horseheads is now out.
The original call went out before 3:30am, for a fire at Grand Central Fitness, which is located in the Grand Central Plaza, Horseheads.
Multiple fire departments were called to the scene to battle the blaze.
Officials tell WETM 18 News there is significant smoke damage and part of the front roof collapsed.
There is also some smoke damage to the Kmart and tanning salon which are adjacent to the fitness center.
The Grand Central Plaza is reopened.
Officials said, call the store you plan to visit ahead of time to make sure its open for the day.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Fire Destroys Family Home in Baldwin, N.Y.
Baldwin, N.Y. (WETM-TV) - Tuesday evening, a garage fire completely destroys a family home on Federal Road in Baldwin.
The Deputy Fire Chief tells WETM-TV his team saw smoke coming out of the house when they arrived on the scene a little after 3PM Tuesday afternoon.
Crews had to use a four-wheeler to bring their equipment up to the home.
The house is located on a hill on Federal Road and access to that hill is limited.
It took the fire department awhile to put out the fire because of this limited access.
The icy conditions didn't help them either.
Two people were inside at the time: one of them is the Deputy Chief's brother who is also an Assistant Fire Chief.
Deputy Fire Chief, Paul Steiner says, "They were in the house at the time, and the fire was in the garage, but they were able to escape safely. I believe two cats were in there that they may have lost."
The family was able to escape safely.
Deputy Chief Steiner tells WETM-TV the fire started in either the walls of the garage or the barn next to it.
Fire investigators are still trying to determine a cause.
The Red Cross is assisting the family.
They will be staying with friends who live in the area.
Auto Repair Shop Fire Blamed On Kerosene Heater in Elmira Heights, N.Y.
ELMIRA HEIGHTS, N.Y. (Star-Gazette) - A fire called in early Tuesday — that was apparently caused by a kerosene heater — severely damaged the contents of S&S Alignment at 1950 College Ave. in Elmira, a city fire official said.
The call came in just after midnight, and the last unit cleared from the scene a little after 3:30 a.m., according to the Elmira Fire Department. Firefighters reported seeing flames coming out from the garage doors when they arrived. The fire was knocked down quickly, but it took longer to find hidden pockets of fire, the fire department said.
A construction-type outdoor kerosene heater, also known as a salamander heater, was the apparent cause of the fire’s ignition, setting tires and other flammable materials on fire inside the building, city Fire Marshal Joseph Martino said.
More than 100 firefighters worked throughout the night Sunday to battle the blaze that left three people in two apartments above the business homeless -- and the building in charred ruins by Monday morning. The fire was reported at 5:51 p.m. Sunday.
"The fire appeared to be burning for a long time before we got there," Solvay Fire Chief Angelo Cantello said. "It was rolling really good."
Firefighters made an "initial interior attack," Cantello said, but "the fire was too great." He ordered the firefighters out of the building. "The fire was running all around them, above their heads," he said. "It was all for their safety."
SOLVAY, New York (CNY) -- Crews were on the scene for several hours Sunday night fighting a raging fire at Fairmount Carpet & Linoleum on Milton Avenue in Solvay.
The first emergency calls came into Onondaga County 911 just before 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evening and within minutes the building was completely engulfed in flames.
Firefighters on the scene say rubber inside the factory made it difficult to put out the fire, and the Solvay Fire
Chief was worried the building would collapse.
"We had to pull our teams out and go to a defensive operation," said Angelo Cantello, the Solvay Fire Chief.
Crews spent time working neighboring buildings to make sure the flames didn't spread through the center of the village and crews had to return to the scene Monday morning to monitor hot spots.
A alarm for a structural fire was called for at Wagner Lumber on Gaskill Road in the Town of Owego New York that initially went out to Campville Fire Department who were dispatched at 3:23 a.m. Sunday morning. When firefighters arrived on scene, large flames were visible, with about one third of the more than 53,000-square-foot of the lumber yard in flames early Sunday morning.On arrival, fire crews also found heavy smoke and fire coming from the sawmill building in the center of the facility complex. A mutual-aid request was made for additional help to respond to the fire ground. Some 17 local area fire departments responded to the fire scene, which included Campville, Southside, Apalachin, Owego, Weltonville, Newark Valley, West Corners, Vestal, Little Meadows, Tioga Center, Berkshire, Richford, Candor, Nichols Fire Departments, and the Tioga County Fire Investigation Team.
The town of Maine Fire Department stood by at Newark Valley’s Fire Station to respond to any other calls that could have come in while these departments were on scene. Tioga Center was also on standby with their ambulance at Campville’s station to cover any EMS calls that came in, while the fire was extinguished.
Campville Fire Chief Mark Daniels reported that the operation was a defensive attack only, meaning no interior fire operations took place.
“My best guess is that 90 percent of the equipment, that’s pretty specialized manufacturing equipment in the mill, is a total loss,” said Steve Schaeffer, Vice President of Wagner Companies, who owns Wagner Lumber, where the fire was located.
“Mutual aid worked great,” said Tioga County Fire Coordinator John Scott, “all the crews performed well. They did a fantastic job.”
No one was injured in the fire and there is no initial or possible cause of fire yet, stated John Scott, Tioga County Fire Coordinator.
By 10 a.m. Sunday morning, the fire was under control and firefighting units were taking care of hot spots. Firefighters battled frigid temperatures and having enough water were the biggest issues with the fire. The fire was fought using water tankers from the local fire departments that transported & shuttled water to the fire from two different hydrant filling locations that were established off location from the fire scene. (The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (KSTP TV5) Five children were killed in a three-alarm fire at a duplex in North Minneapolis on Friday morning, according to a source.
The home is on the 2800 block of North Colfax Avenue near North 29th Avenue. The building is a multiple-family home with at least two units.
It is believed the fire started in the center of the second floor and then extended to the first floor before climbing to the third, Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel said.
The fire chief said they received a call about smoke in the area around 5 a.m. Friday. When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke on the second and third floors, which quickly changed to heavy fire.
"Crews did a remarkable job of extracting what victims they could," said Fruetel. "They made entrance into the structure under very, very precarious conditions."
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) – Five children died after a Friday morning fire in a north Minneapolis duplex, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Crews were called to the 2800 block of Colfax Avenue North around 5 a.m. When authorities arrived, they encountered heavy smoke coming from the second and third floors of the home. The smoke quickly changed to fire.
More than 40 firefighters were called to the scene where cold conditions made battling the blaze difficult.
“They made entry into the structure under very, very, very precarious conditions,” said Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel.
Crews were able to get several people out of the home, but the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said five children died. According to the Minneapolis Fire Department, three of the children died on the scene. Fruetel said other victims, including one adult who is a parent, were taken to either North Memorial Medical Center or Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment.
One firefighter was also injured, but was quickly treated at Hennepin County Medical Center and released.
Fruetel said that 15 people total live in the duplex.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Anchorage-area fire officials say a firefighter got medical attention and a family of four was driven from their home after fire crews battled a blaze in a three-story house in the Eagle River area.
Capt. Steve Kostlin of Station 11 in Eagle River says firefighters fought the blaze from inside at first but the structure’s instability sent them back outside. He says a firefighter fell from the first floor into the basement but was able to crawl out of a window. Kostlin says the man didn’t appear to be injured but was taken to a medical facility to be checked out.
Residents were not home when the fire started. It was under control by Wednesday evening.
The cause was under investigation.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (The Anchorage Daily News) - A family of four were left homeless and a firefighter needed medical attention after a fire in the South Fork area of Eagle River on Wednesday, officials said.
The 911 call came in around 4:10 p.m. from a neighbor reporting smoke and flames shooting out of the wood-sided home at 6961 Waterfall Drive off of Hiland Drive, said Al Tamagni, fire department spokesman.
Capt. Steve Kostlin of Station 11 in Eagle River said the fire started in "what looked like an atrium" on the left side of the three-story home. Twenty-one units from the Anchorage Fire Department and Chugiak Volunteer Fire and Rescue responded.
Firefighters initially fought the blaze from inside the home, but an unstable structure sent them back outside. A firefighter fell from first floor into the basement was able to crawl out of a window. He was taken to a medical facility, Kostlin said.
"He doesn't appear to be injured at this point, but he will be checked out," Kostlin said.
Read more of the story here http://ow.ly/tAYxz
(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)
PHILIPSBURG, Pa. (6WJAC) -- Firefighters from two counties responded to battle flames at a home in Centre County.
Officials said the fire was reported at about 8 a.m. at the home in the 300 block of North 9th Street in Philipsburg.
The frame of the large home remained standing, but the inside was gutted, officials at the scene said. No one was home at the time the fire started and no injuries were reported. A family dog did die in the fire.
Fire crews from Clearfield and Centre counties were called to fight the flames.
Philipsburg Fire Department Chief Jeff Harris said firefighters had a difficult time battling the blaze because of hoses and fire trucks freezing with the near zero temperatures.
A state police fire marshal was called to investigate. There was no immediate word on what may have started the fire.
PHILIPSBURG PA. (Centre Daily Times) — Fire and ice collided in Philipsburg on Wednesday when an early morning fire broke out, destroying a Ninth Street home.
No one was home at the time of the fire; however, the family dog died in the blaze.
“A passer-by discovered smoke from the rear of the structure and called it in,” said Philipsburg Fire Department Chief Jeff Skinner.
That first call came at 7:01 a.m. Within half an hour, the residence at 338 N. Ninth St. was a fully involved blaze.
The frigid early morning temperatures played a part in the battle. An AccuWeather meteorologist puts the number at 12 degrees below zero, but local thermometers near the scene registered as low as minus 14.
(The Morning Call) - Salisbury Township home along Interstate 78 was badly damaged in fire that started late Wednesday just as snow from a major winter storm began to fall. The blaze was reported at 10:55 p.m. at 3064 Lanze Lane, in a wooded neighborhood between I-78 and West Rock Road. At 11:08 p.m., a fire official radioed the house was in flames. Dispatchers called for extra manpower to fight the fire. No injuries were reported, but one person was being checked for possible smoke inhalation.
Firefighting crews responded from Eastern and Western Salisbury, Emmaus, Upper Saucon, Lower Milford, Vera Cruz, Alburtis, Se-Wy-Co, Coopersburg, Woodlawn (south whitehall), St. lukes EMS, Upper Saucon Township EMS and Macungie EMS.
(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)
