Skip to content

Archives for fire

See all posts in the network tagged with fire

“Home-Alone” Boy Saved in Illinois 3-Bagger

Comments

maywood a

Larry Shapiro photo

A THREE-ALARM FIRE IN MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS, late Friday night was punctuated by the rescue of a boy about 9 years old who was alone in his apartment.  The fire in the Chicago suburb started in the rear of the first floor of a 3-story commercial building that has apartments on the upper floors.  The fire began around 11:30 pm and an automatic alarm notified the FD.

When the first units arrived they were told of the boy in one of the apartments and a woman not yet accounted for in another unit. A 2nd alarm was struck shortly after.  

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Firefighter Tony Morrone was part of the team searching the interior when he found an 8- or 9-year-old boy sleeping in a bedroom, Maywood Fire Chief Keith Dobberfuhl said.

“The boy was under the layer of smoke when [Morrone] found him,” Dobberfuhl said. “The boy was asleep face down. Morrone carried him through the smoke and brought him down the staircase. All the while, the kid was calm and just waking up. [The kid's] dad was waiting outside,” Dobberfuhl said. The father took himself and his son to stay at a neighbor’s house a block away, he said.

 Morrone has been a firefighter with the Maywood Fire Department for 15 years, Dobberfuhl said.

The 3rd alarm was struck shortly after midnight and the fire was declared out at 4 am Saturday morning.  During the operations part of the second floor collapsed onto the first floor, but the entire 3rd floor remained intact and the late-19th century building is believed to be repairable.  The woman who was missing at first was later found to have been led out of the fire by another tenant.

maywood b

Larry Shapiro photo

Chicagoland fire photographer Larry Shapiro has a 100-image photo gallery of his always-quality photographs HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 13, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Rescues, fire, rescue • Tagged: ,

Night Fire in Italy

Comments

WE HAVE NO INFORMATION ON THIS FIRE Tuesday night in Turin (Torino) Italy.  But it’s always enlightening to see the the operations and equipment deployed by the Vigili del Fuoco.

Posted by fireball on March 12, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, fire • Tagged: , ,

Downtown Fire in London

Comments

Update: Additional video added, scroll down.

london a BBC

BBC News

AN EARLY-MORNING FIRE IN A FASHIONABLE restaurant district in London, England, on Thursday has gutted a 4-story building and spread to a second building before the London Fire Brigade was able to contain the blaze.

The fire was reported around 4:30 am and the first-arriving units found the building well-involved already.  Upgraded responses brought over 100 firefighters to the scene and it took them more than six hours to bring it under control.  Early in the operation the top two floors collapsed after the FF’s attempted to do a primay search with thermal imaging cameras.  It is believed that there were no casualties from the fire.

london b BBC

BBC News

Some unconfirmed reports say that the restuarant involved is The East Room, a private members’ club.  Others say that it began in the Sosho Bar and Restaurant.  Police and fire investigators are on the scene, but it will be a long time before they can get inside to search for the cause and point of origin.

Sky News has posted this brief video report from the fire scene:

This Islington Gazette has MORE.

Update:
ITN has just posted this video:

Update #2:
The Daily Mail has an updated report with some good photos HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 11, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, fire • Tagged: ,

Lane-Changer Triggers Fiery Multi-Vehicle Wreck

Comments

A 76-YR.-OLD MAN DRIVING ON I-465 in Indianapolis, Indiana, started to exit the freeway Tuesday afternoon, then changed his mind and attempted to pull back into the traffic lane.  He then struck an SUV causing it to spin around and collide with a tractor-trailer carrying a large water tank containing salt-water fish.

The truck crashed into the jersey barrier splitting open the fuel tank and starting a diesel fire before the vehicles even came to a stop.

indy a

WRTV

The fire was so destructive to the asphalt pavement that the highway had to be shut down for several hours while an emergency re-paving job was done to the lanes.  Police believe that alcohol was a factor in the cause of the wreck.

WISH-TV Ch. 8 has this video report including an interview with the obviously disgusted truck driver:

WRTV has a photo gallery HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 10, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, fire • Tagged:

4-Alarms at Charlotte Apartment Building

Comments

A FIRE AT A CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, APARTMENT building Tuesday morning challenged the CFD with a night-rescue problem.  The 70-unit 4-story building was heavily damaged and firefighters rescued many upper-story residents by ground ladders.

charlotte a observer

Charlotte Observer

The fire was brought under control in 3 hours and aside from one civilian who was transported for observation, no injuries have been reported.

FireNews.net has the full story along with a response roster and a video report HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 10, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, fire • Tagged: ,

Overnight Fire Displaces 100 Residents

Comments

A 2-ALARM FIRE IN A NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT, apartment building has left nearly 100 people homeless this morning.

new london b theday jensen

The Day / Jensen

The blaze broke out on the 3rd-floor of the 36-unit building and quickly got up into a false attic where a peaked roof had been built over the original flat roof.  When the first-alarm units arrived, the fire was growing rapidly and they FF’s were faced with a major rescue challenge with 30 to 40 people trapped in their apartments.

Fire attack was delayed as all hands were devoted to the evacuations.  “While we were doing that, we couldn’t extinguish the fire, so it did get ahead of us a little bit,” New London Fire Chief Ronald Samul told reporters.  Approx. 6 people were brought down via ground ladders and so far only three injuries have been reported, all of them civilians suffering smoke inhalation.

new london c the day

The fire started around 10 pm Tuesday night and it was called under control at 2:30 am Wednesday.  Chief Samul said the city’s hydrants were running at maximum capacity and “we’re taking every drop” as firefighters battled the blaze.

This video report from The Day has good fire footage and an interview with Chief Samul:

The Day also has a written report HERE.
New London Firefighters L-1522 WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 10, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Rescues, Videos, fire • Tagged: , ,

Spectacular Fire Destroys Furniture Factory

Comments

A FIRE EARLY FRIDAY MORNING DESTROYED a family-owned furniture factory in the Rochelle region of France.  The AG Products Corporation employs 24 workers who make specialty furniture that includes a large amount of plexiglas. 

ayrte c

The blaze was heavily fueled by the plastics stored there along with the venting of compressed gas cylinders that prevented the initial response units from entering the building.

ayrte b

The fire was exinguished by 65 firefighters with the help of master streams and there were no reported injuries.

ayrte a

 

The local fire department, SDIS 17 has posted a 13-minute raw video of the fire HERE.

Posted by fireball on March 9, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, fire • Tagged: , , ,

Fire Kills 2 Young Brothers – Father Charged.

Comments

A GREENFIELD, OHIO, MAN IS BEING ARRAIGNED today on two felony counts of child endangerment following a fire in his house Sunday morning that killed his two sons ages 3 and 4.  Following the 8 am court appearance, he is being held on $1 million bond.  Investigators said they are charging Wesley Coonrod, 42, because of his level of intoxication and his actions when the fire started.

coonrod a

Wesley Coonrod

Investigators have not yet determined what started the fire, but neighbors reported that it was well involved before the FD arrived and the house was so filled with smoke that none of the neighbors were able to get inside to search for the boys.

WKRC-TV Ch. 12 has this video report:

Tv station NBC4 Columbus has a full report HERE.

Coonrod has a prior arrest record  including domestic violence, aggravated menacing, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and numerous criminal damaging and OVI and DUI arrests.

coonrod b

The Red Cross had just moved the family temporarily into the duplex apartment two days earlier following another fire in their previous dwelling last week.

Posted by firegeezer on March 8, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, fire, investigations • Tagged: , ,

8 FF’s Injured When Aerial Brushes Electric Lines

Comments

delavan a WISN

WISN-TV

EIGHT WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN, FIREFIGHTERS WERE injured at a major fire Friday when an aerial operating a master stream brushed along a high-voltage electric line.  All of them were transported with non-life threatening injuries, but one of them remains hospitalized with burns.  Most of them were people who were on the ground but in contact with the truck when it happened.

delevan b WISN

WISN-TV

The fire began at 2 pm when a grease pit under the broiler flamed up.  One of the restaurant’s cooks was there and he acitvated the Ansul system before initiating an evacuation of the popular tavern.  By the time the FD arrived, the fire had extended rapidly.  

The 6-alarm fire completely destroyed the Mulligan’s Sports Bar & Restaurant, a popular business in the community of Delavan.

WTMJ-TV Ch. 4 Milwaukee has this video report:

Posted by firegeezer on March 6, 2010 • Filed under: Firefighter Safety & Health, Fires, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos, fire, health & safety • Tagged: , , ,

Changing Lanes

Comments

MID-WEST KEGLERS HAVE FEWER ALLEYS to play in this morning following the destruction of two bowling centers in two days.

bowling fond du lac a WRN

Wisconsin Radio Network photo

This morning (Wednesday) a fire broke out around 4 am Central in a Fond du Lac, Wisconsin bowling alley.  As is usually the case with bowling alley fires, the roof collapsed during the operation, but nobody was in the building which is a stand-alone structure with negligible exposures.  Units are still working on the scene and it is too soon to find the cause.  The building was closed at the time.

WLUK-TV Ch. 11 has this report from the fire scene:

*  *  *  *  *

Tuesday, shortly after noon, a fire started in a Sellersburg, Indiana, bowling alley that was undergoing some renovations.  The Alley Cat Lanes is located in a strip mall shopping center and the fire spread to several of the business in the center.  An insufficient water supply called for a tanker relay to supply  the water for the four aerial trucks in service.

The fire is thought to have started in the kitchen area, but investigators want to interview an electrical contractor’s crew that was working in the area.

WLKY-TV Ch. 32 has this video report:

Posted by firegeezer on March 3, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, fire • Tagged: , ,

4 Alarms Working in Dallas

Comments

A 4-ALARM FIRE IN DALLAS, TEXAS, HAS BURNED DOWN a city-block size shopping arcade that was built in the 1920’s.

dallas c WFAA

WFAA-TV

The mall’s primary tenants  were four restaurant/bars that were very popular in the Greeville section of Dallas along with several smaller shops and night clubs.  The fire was first reported at 5:45 am Central time while the restaurants were serving breakfast diners.  The fire got into the common attic of the entire mall structure and quickly spread throughout the building.  The subsequent alarms were struck at 5:46, 5:57 and 6:01.

The Dallas Observer is reporting that there are 72 firefighters on the scene with 12 engines, four trucks and four rescue vehicles.  While it is already known that the fire began in Terilli’s Restaurant, it is not yet known what the cause was.

This video report from WFAA-TV has good fire footage:

The fire is knocked down now (9 am Central) but units will be on the scene much longer.

dallas a observer

Dallas Observer

Read the article in the Dallas Observer for more photos and additional information HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 2, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, fire • Tagged: , , , ,

Downtown Fire in Bellingham

Comments

Update:  Video added.  Scroll down.

“THIS IS GOING TO BE AN ALL-NIGHTER,” Bellingham, Washington, Fire Chief Bill Boyd said early this morning (Monday).

bellingham a herald stark

Bellingham Herald / Stark photo

Chief Boyd was speaking at the fireground in downtown Bellingham this morning as fire razed three older, wood-frame buildings in the central part of the city.  The fire was discovered at 2:30 am Pacific after it broke through the front of one of the buildings, scattering debris and window glass across the street.  The Bellingham Herald REPORTS:

  One two-story structure collapsed at about 3:40 a.m., and the second, also two stories, fell about 10 minutes later.  One building, which was one story tall, was too badly burned to tell what it was used for. It was mostly collapsed at 5 a.m.

Reportedy, all of the buildings were currently vacant and with the extensive involvement on arrival, the FD went into a containment, controlled burn, operation.

Thanks to WUSA-TV and STATter911 we have this raw aerial video of the fire:

Posted by firegeezer on March 1, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, fire • Tagged: , ,

Popular Iowa Restaurant Burns Down

Comments

mineral a KCCI batcher

KCCI-TV / Batcher photo

ONE OF CENTRAL IOWA’S MORE POPULAR RESTAURANTS, the Mineral City Mill & Grill in Fort Dodge burned down Sunday morning.  The fire was discovered coming from behind the deep fryer by a cleaning crew around 3 am who first tried to hit it with fire extinguishers while calling the fire department.

One of the cleaners was unable to operate the extinguisher, but the fire was out of control by then anyway.  When the FD arrived on the scene, the fire was already through the roof.  Fort Dodge FD Capt. Paul Nesson explains for the public about the rapid fire spread in this video interview for KCCI-TV Ch. 8 in Des Moines:

The loss is expected to exceed $1 million.  The owner, Jim Bird also operates two other restaurants and he says that he will be able to keep his employees working while he rebuilds.

KCCI also has a 16-image photo gallery HERE.

mineral b KCCI

KCCI-TV

Fort Dodge Fire Department WEBSITE.
Mineral City Mill & Grill WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 1, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, fire • Tagged: , , ,

Never Off Duty

Comments

PAT FOLEY, A BOSTON FIREFIGHTER WAS ON HIS way to work Saturday morning and only one block away from his firehouse in Dorchester when he spotted a fire in an apartment building.  After first calling in the alarm, he ran into the 4-story brick apartment building and started banging on doors while looking for the unit on fire.

e21 b WHDH

WHDH-TV

Just as he located the fire on the 3rd-floor, the engine co. arrived and they broke into the apartment.  Inside they found a woman unconscious but breathing and carried her out.  The fire was easily extinguished leaving damages of about $50,000.  The woman remains in the hospital in serious condition.  No other injuries have been reported.

WBZ-TV has the STORY.
WHDH-TV has a brief video report HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on February 28, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, fire • Tagged: ,

Garment Factory Fire Kills 21

Comments

A FAST-SPREADING FIRE IN GAZIPUR, BANGLADESH, killed 21 of the 50+ workers in the Garib & Garib sweater factory Thursday night.

The fire started in a large stock of acrylic sweaters giving off large volumes of thick, toxic smoke.  None of the fatalities were burned, leading to speculation that they perished from the smoke suffocation.

Abu Zafar Ahmed, Gazipur fire station officer said that there was no water in the factory’s reserve tank.  “Although there were hosepipes on every floor, they were virtually useless.”  Firefighters resorted to using water from the company’s fabric-washing facility and utilizing two pumps from the washers.  Gazipur’s fire engines were unable to get anywhere near the building  because all the alleyways around it are too narrow.

The employees were trapped on the second floor with no fire escapes and the windows blocked with security bars.

Collated from various news sources.

Posted by firegeezer on February 26, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, fire

Wind-Swept Blaze Takes Out Full Block

Comments

FIRE BROKE OUT EARLY FRIDAY MORNING in a shuttered oceanfront hotel in Hampton, New Hampshire.  At the time, the entire Northeast U. S was being buffeted by a large windstorm with 60 mph winds.  The Hampton FD was running multiple wind-related calls when one of the units spotted fire in the 3-story Surf  Hotel which was closed for the winter.

hampton a WMUR

WMUR-TV

When the first-alarm units arrived on the scene, the wind had already blown the entire roof off and fire was spreading rapidly through the block.  Multiple alarms were called bringing in units from Maine and Massachusetts to help the several New Hampshire departments on the scene.

Before long, the entire block of about 8 buildings was on fire.  They directly face the Atlantic Ocean across the street.  The FD worked to keep it from spreading to other blocks via wind-borne embers.

hampton b WMUR

WMUR-TV

The fire was largely knocked down before daybreak, but units are still tackling the hot spots.  It is probable that the fire started in the Surf Hotel, but it will be a long time before a cause can be established, if ever.  The entire wood-frame building was leveled.

 The New England Cable Network has some fire footage in this video report:

WBZ-TV Ch. 38 Boston has the full story plus more videos including an aerial view HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on February 26, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, fire • Tagged: ,

Blaze Claims Firefighter’s Daughter

Comments

MARSHA BEARD, 46, HAD RECENTLYMOVED into a mobile home next door to her parents so that she could help them out.  The mother of two grown children wanted to be near after he father Thomas Simmons had open-heart surgery and her mother needed assistance taking care of him.  Thomas Simmons is a firefighter with the Duncanville Vol. Fire Department in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, but he was not ready for the news he got when his wife phoned him Tuesday afternoon to tell him that their daughter had just perished in a fire at her home.

beard a tuscnews sutton

Thomas Simmons is consoled by fellow volunteer firefighter Melissa Hughes
at the scene of the fatal fire that claimed his daughter.
(Tuscaloosa News / Robert Sutton photo)

WVUA-TV picks up the story:

“I was out and it hadn’t gone on the air,” Simmons began. “And my wife called me and told me my daughter’s house was on fire. Then, she called me back and told me she was deceased in the fire.”

Simmons, a firefighter for 14 years with the Duncanville Volunteer Fire Department, didn’t get a chance to save his daughter, even though the fire that claimed the life of 46-year-old Marsha Beard happened right next door.

Firefighters told us a family member who lives nearby noticed the front yard burning, and called 911. What the caller didn’t realize is that the mobile home had already burned to the ground, with Marsha Beard inside.

beard b

Tuscaloosa News / Sutton

“I fought many fires in Duncanville, but nothing that has hit this hard,” Simmons told the Tuscaloosa News. “God will see us through it. If you trust in God, God will listen.”  Members of the FD immediately attended to the Simmons’, comforting them and bringing their pastor to their home.

Alabama State Fire Marshals are investigating the fire, but have not yet determined the cause of the destructive fire.

Read the WVUA-TV story HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on February 25, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, fire • Tagged: , , ,

Downtown Fire in Upstate New York

Comments

A LARGE FIRE THAT STARTED AROUND 5 PM Wednesday evening is still keeping Dunkirk, New York, firefighters busy this morning.

dunkirk_ny_2 a WIVB Fountain

WIVB / Fountain photo

The fire triggered a fire alarm in a 4-story building that was 105-years old  that currently houses a church and related activity rooms and has spread to a neighboring building.

The fire flow needed was in excess of the town’s water treatment plant’s ability to provide, so additional supply lines were laid to Lake Erie for additional water.

Firefighter Nation is carrying this story with more photos and two videos of the fire HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on February 25, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, fire • Tagged: ,

Downtown Fire Takes Historic Bldg. in Illinois

Comments

A FIRE BROKE OUT EARLY TUESDAY MORNING in the heart of downtown Vandalia, Illinois.  The fire spread to four businesses including one building that dated back to 1867.  The fire was first noticed at 1 am and kept the firefighters busy throughout the day because of numerous hot spots fed by adhesives and solvents stored in a carpet store along with a lot of paper storage in a tax preparer’s office.

vandalia b KTVI

KTVI-TV

Firefighters from Ramsey and Brownstown assisted on the mutual-aid call.

KTVI-TV Ch. 2 has this video report:
 

Vandalia is one of the state’s oldest towns and served as the first state capital from 1819 to 1839.  The Old State Capital building is directly across the street from the buildings that burned.

vandalia a KTVI

KTVI-TV

The St. Louis Globe-Democrat has the STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on February 24, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, fire • Tagged: , ,

Downtown Fire Successfully Contained in Germany

Comments

arnstadt a TA

Thuringer Allegemeine

A FIRE WEDNESDAY MORNING IN A VACANT MOVIE THEATER was seen for miles away in Arnstadt, Germany.  The alarm was sent shortly after 9 am and the first-arriving units immediately called for additional alarms, bringing 16 engines and over 100 firefighters to the scene.

arnstadt b TA

TA

The incident commander properly put containment as his first priority with the auditoreum fully involved.  According to the officers at the scene, the incident played out in “textbook” order with no fire spread or damage to any adjoining buildings.

arnstadt c TA

TA

The large fire was knocked down by applying a water/foam solution.

The former Mercury Theater was a cultural landmark in the city which had closed in 1995.  Since then, neighbors have reported a consistent use of the building by vagrants who repeatedly broke into the building seeking shelter.  It is too early to have learned the cause of this fire.

arnstadt d

TA

Thuringer Allegemeine has a 76-image photo gallery HERE.

Hat tip:  Christian L.

Posted by firegeezer on February 24, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, fire • Tagged: ,

Indian Office Bldg. Fire Leaves 9 Dead, 50 Injured

Comments

A FIRE IN INDIA’S INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HUB OF BANGALORE, raced through a 7-story office building today trapping hundreds.

bangalore f

The fire started around 4:40 pm local time on the fifth floor of the building located in Bangalore’s central business district.  The extending fire drove many people to the windows where several of them jumped from to escape the flames.  So far, 9 have died and at least 68 have been hospitalized with at least 15 of them in serious condition.  All of the injured are suffering from smoke inhalation.

bangalore e

As the fire was growing, thousands of spectators poured out of nearby office buildings and packed the streets, impeding the progress of fire apparatus and hampering the rescue efforts. 

bangalore d

The firefighters had the fire knocked down in less than two hours and then did a full search of the building.  There was no report of any additional victims being located.

The Hindu newspaper reports:

Rakesh Ramachandran, part of a fire rescue team said the exit doors on every floor were locked. He rushed to Carlton Towers upon receiving a call from his friend who was trapped in the building. The locked doors made it impossible for people to use the stairs that led to the ground floor, he claimed. Along with seven others from his team, he broke the locks on six such exit doors, thereby enabling many people to use the escape hatch. “We were shocked to see that these doors, that are critical exit points at such times, were kept locked. It took us nearly an hour to reach the fourth and fifth floor where many were trapped.”

Read the complete story from The Hindu HERE.

This video from News9 caught some of the early chaos and fatal jumpers:

Posted by firegeezer on February 23, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Major Incidents, Rescues, Videos, fire • Tagged: ,

3 Alarms Working in Gloucester, Massachusetts

Comments

GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, FIREFIGHTERS ARE on the scene of an apartment fire that at last report reached 3 alarms.

The initial call came in at 9 am Eastern time and the first-arriving units struck a 2nd.  The 3rd alarm was transmitted at 9:30.

The first report said that the fire was on the second floor.

Update, 11 am:
The Gloucester Times is reporting that the fire is knocked down.

Several residents of the building told the Times they believed the blaze started in the maintenance shop located in the basement of the building, which houses some 24 apartment units — all of them apparently occupied.  Firefighters pulled gas cans and a snowblower out of the maintenance shop, which is located in the building’s basement. But officials have not determined any cause of the blaze.

All of the bulding residents have apparently been forced from their homes, but there are no reports at this point of any injuries.  American Red Cross officials are also on the scene, and have opened the Fuller School building as a temporary shelter for the fire victims if needed. 

Posted by firegeezer on February 22, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, fire • Tagged:

Plane Crashes, Burns House in Illinois

Comments

A SINGLE-ENGINE AIRCRAFT APPROACHING THE St. Louis (Missouri) Downtown Airport crashed into a home five miles short of the airport Sunday evening.

belleville a

KTVI-TV

There was a rainstorm occurring at the time and neighbors say that the Piper’s engine was making a strange sound just before it plunged into the house in Belleville, Illinois.  The house is located on a private airstrip that is part of an aviation community that shares the grass landing strip.  It is possible that the pilot, knowing he was in trouble, was attempting to put down at the private runway.

The plane crashed into a hanger that was attached to the house, setting both full ablaze.  The occupants of the house were not at home at the time.  Early indications are that there were two people in the turboprop Piper Meridian that seats six passengers.  A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft was flying from Vero Beach, Fla., and was scheduled to land at the St. Louis Downtown Airport where it was based.

KTVI-TV Ch.2 has this video report from the scene:

The Belleville News-Democrat has the STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on February 22, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, Videos, aircraft, fire

Mis-Adventureland

Comments

A FIRE DESTROYED A ROW OF SHOPS IN THE ADVENTURELAND Amusement Park in the Des Moines suburb of Altoona, Iowa, Saturday afternoon.

altoona a KCCI Cline

KCCI-TV / Cline

The fire was first noticed around 4:30 pm by visitors to a nearby conference center who saw the flames in the facility which is closed for the winter.  The fire department found an entire row of gift shop-type occupancies burning and worked for an hour to contain the fire, preventing it from spreading to other buildings and amusment rides.  The Des Moines Register reports:

The layout of the park played a role in restraining the blaze, said Altoona Fire Department Capt. Brian Young.

“It was a good hour before it was contained, and, quite honestly, the geography was what contained it — the roads around it,” Young said. “We just had to contain it so it wouldn’t spread into rides or concession stands.”

“We are glad no one was hurt and that it was contained to that one section of buildings,” said Molly Vincent, Adventureland spokeswoman. “It could have been much more expensive if it hit a major ride or spread to an adjacent building.”The fire wrecked an arcade, a restaurant and the park’s bingo parlor. No one was injured, and the park is closed for the season, Vincent said.  The cost of the fire’s damage was unavailable Saturday, but the row of shops were likely beyond salvaging and would need to be replaced, “It went through those buildings pretty darn fast,” Vincent added.

altoona b KCCI Rodewald

KCCI-TV / Rodewald

It is believed that the fire started after the ceiling in the toy store collapsed and started an electrical fire.

WHO-TV Ch. 13 filed this video report:

Read the full story HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on February 21, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Videos, fire • Tagged: , , , ,

Austin Plane Crash Updates

Comments

austin2 a car dewey coffmanAS DERANGED PILOT JOSEPH STACK was approaching the office building and taking aim on the  2nd-floor IRS offices, his landing gear grazed the top of a car that was driving nearby.  Perhaps a foot or two lower and the plane might have tumbled and never reached the mid-rise building and destroyed it.  Instead, it broke the car’s windshield and smashed out the sunroof without harming the driver.

NewsChannel8 Austin interviewed Dinesh Mallam and he told them:

He said he saw the plane coming at him and the wing nearly clipped his car.

“In a split second, it hit the ground floor of the building on the right side. The impact was so huge that my car was treading and totally out of control,” Mallam said. “I was trying to control my car. My windshield was broken and all the debris piling on my car. I could hear all the noises from the explosion. I blacked out for like two seconds.”

He said he regained composure and got control of the car. As soon as he could, he brought it to a stop, but Mallam said he couldn’t see from the thick black smoke surrounding him. He also said he almost wished he couldn’t hear.

Read the full article about his near-miss HERE.

*  *  *

One of the good stories to come from the plane crash is about the passing glazer.  Robin Dehaven was driving his glass company’s truck to a job site when he saw the plane approaching the building.  He told Fox News:

“I first assumed it was a toy plane someone was messing around with, because it was flying really low and kind of going back and forth, turning left and right.”  He soon realized the “toy” was actually a small passenger plane; moments later, he saw black smoke billowing from the building.

“I immediately drove my truck over there, got the ladder off, went up to the side of the building and I saw people up on the second floor with their heads out the window for air because the room was filled with smoke,” Dehaven said.  

Dehaven extended his ladder up to the stranded workers and tried to instruct them on how to secure it, but they were unable to. So, rather than have them climb down an unsecure ladder, he climbed up.  “I climbed inside the broken-out window into the building with them,” said Dehaven.

austin2 dehaven binswanger glass

Robin Dehaven (Binswanger Glass Co. photo)

Read his complete accounting of his actions to rescue the five trapped office workers HERE.

KXAN-TV Ch.36 has the video report on this story:

*  *  *

austin2 hunterDESPITE THIER BELIEF YESTERDAY that the pilot was the only casualty, a second body has been found in the building.  The remains of Vernon Hunter, 67, an IRS collections manager were found yesterday afternoon in the secondary search.

The Austin Statesman-American has the updated STORY.

 

KTBC-TV has the update video report on this discovery:


d

Posted by firegeezer on February 19, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, Rescues, Videos, fire, rescue • Tagged: , , , ,