Driver Escapes Spectacular Blaze

A GASOLINE TANKER LITERALLY CRASHED AND BURNED in Anderson County, South Carolina, Tuesday morning.

Independent-Mail / Kelly

The truck was carrying 9,000 gals. of product when it drifted off the road around 10:20 am.  WYFF-TV tells what happened:

Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Bill Rhyne said the 2009 Kenworth tractor-trailer tanker driven by 46-year-old Jose Emilio Calderon of Easley. Calderon was wearing a seat belt, was injured and was taken to AnMed for treatment, Rhyne said.

Rhyne said the tanker truck was headed south on Shady Grove Road when for unknown reasons it ran off the left side of the road and then off the right side of the road, hitting a fence and a power pole.

The cab of the truck remained upright, while the tank turned on its side. Power lines came down on top of the tanker, igniting the fuel that was on board.

The driver was able to crawl out of the cab before it began burning and two neighbors ran over and dragged him to safety.

WSPA-TV provided some good raw video of the fire:

After the fire department had a foam supply on hand and set up, they had the fire knocked down in about 15 minutes.  About 4,000 gals. of gasoline was saved and it was later transferred to another truck.

Read more at WFYY-TV website HERE.
The Anderson Independent Mail has MORE.

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Old Buildings Wall-to-Wall

A DIFFICULT FIRE IN HECHINGEN, GERMANY, Monday evening destroyed a centuries-old home in the town center and heavily damaged four others before the firefighters could put a stop on it.  The ancient town is noted for its extremely narrow streets and alleys that are the only access to many of the buildings.

The fire alarm was sent at 4:45 pm and the Hechingen Feuerwehr found smoke showing from the top floor and three people trapped and waiting at windows for rescue.  While more engines and three additional aerials were being dispatched to the town, Hechingen's tower-ladder removed the two men at one of the windows and a 78-yr.-old woman who was at another 3rd-floor window.

The firefighters went to the upper floor to attack the fire, but the false ceilings began falling on them and the entire  circuit of live electric wiring dropped down on them causeing one to receive a heavy shock.  As the fire began running the attic and spreading to the neighboring structures, the fire commander ordered the fire building to be evacuated.  Extreme sub-freezing temperatures were also causing hose stream runoff to immediately freeze over.

This on-the-scene video report from TV24 includes some good fire footage:

With the arrival of help from other fire brigades, a perimeter was set up to contain  the fire which was then breaking through the roofs.  When it was put out several hours later, five buildings had been destroyed or heavily damaged.

Spray and runoff were immediately freezing over  (SWP)

The fire brigade remained on the scene through the night taking care of hot spots and daybreak saw the arrival of a crane to tear down the remains of the fire building and begin debris removal.  Investigators hope to be able to begin looking for the cause sometime today (Tuesday).

SWP

Full news reports are included in Schwarzwaelder HERE and SWP  HERE.

Thanks to Christian Lewalter of Feuerwehr Blog.

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Four-Alarm Blaze Successfully Contained

A LARGE 4-STORY WAREHOUSE IN THE vacated former Mare Island Naval Station in Vallejo, California, burned down Sunday and the smoke plume drew spectators from around the entire San Pablo Bay area.

Vallejo Times-Herald

The supposedly-empty warehouse was already scheduled for demolition later this year, so after determining there was no life hazard, the FD operated a containment operation to protect the several other similar structures close to it.  The 70-yr.-old building is wood-frame construction and was well-involved and fast-moving when the FD arrived.

Times-Herald

Water supply on the unused tract is scant, so limited streams were available while the structure was allowed to burn out. 

NBC News

The fire began around 10 am and was pretty well knocked down by 12:30 pm, but the fire chief says that they expect it to smoulder for about two days.

San Francisco Channel 5 News filed this video report from the fire scene:

NBC News reported:

Smoke was visible to firefighters before they even reached the scene, and upon arrival they found the building was already 20 to 25 percent involved in flames, (Vallejo Fire Chief Paige)Meyer said.

The warehouse, owned by the City of Vallejo, is vacant and slated for demolition, but Meyer said there was a "possibility of homeless and squatters" inside.

Once firefighters determined the building was empty, however, they stepped back to a defensive position and focused on preventing the massive, fast-moving fire from spreading to neighboring buildings or vegetation.

Meyer described a hectic scene, with heavy smoke, strong winds and embers. "We had four by eight sheets of plywood flying through the air, so you can imagine the spectacular nature of the fire," Meyer said.

NBC also posted a good video report:

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

The Vallejo Times-Herald has additional video and the STORY.
The San Francisco Chronicle has MORE.

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Sent to Burn Unit

A PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, FIREFIGHTER is in critical but stable condition Sunday after being injured during a rescue operation.  The fire in a rowhouse was reported just before 6 am and the arriving units found smoke showing and a report of people trapped inside.  CBS News continues:

Upon entering the home, firefighters rescued two people while two others escaped on their own. Three women and one child were taken to Hahnemann hospital for treatment and were in stable condition.

During the rescue, three firefighters were also injured. One firefighter is in critical but stable condition and was transferred to Temple Burn Center. The other two firefighters are in stable condition at Hahnemann.

WPVI-TV

After the rescue was complete, the B. C. evacuated all personnel and began outside operations.  The fire was marked under control at 7 am.

Fire officials noted that the house DID have working smoke detectors and credited that for helping prevent any life loss.  Investigators have not yet announced the cause of the fire.

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House Valued at £20 Million  ($26 Million)

A FASHIONABLE TOWNHOUSE IN THE MAYFAIR section of London, England, suffered a costly fire early Saturday morning.  The fire broke out around 5:30 am in the five-story mansion on one of the upper floors.  There were four people in the home at the time, however the owner was out of the country.  All of the occupants, including two servants were able to escape safely.

Press Association

Over 100 firefighters were sent to the narrow, dead-end street along with 20 engines and 3 aerial trucks to contain the fire.  When they arrived there was fire showing on the 4th and 5th floors and the roof.  They were able to contain the fire to the upper floors, but water running down the stairs and through the ceilings, along with the smoke, increased the damages considerably.  The servants at the home stayed on scene helping to remove the more valuable items from the house while the firefighting was in progress.

Press Association

There were no reports of any injuries from the fire.  There has been no report yet on the cause of the fire or the amount of damages.

The Georgian house was built in 1722 and has been renovated over the centuries, most recently in 2007, to maintain its high status.

BBC News has an early report HERE.
The Telegraph has MORE.

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Mid-Day Fire Destroys Building

A FRIDAY MORNING FIRE DESTROYED the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Festiva visitor center.  The fire was reported just before 10 am and when the first units from Horry County Fire Rescue arrived they had fire showing.

Herald photo

The fire apparently originated in the roof or attic because the employees in the center were unaware of the fire until passers-by started coming into the shop to alert them.

Herald

As of Friday afternoon there was not yet a determination on the cause of the fire.  There are several of these privately-operated visitor centers around the resort city.

The Herald has the story and a photo gallery HERE.

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Fire is Out

Updated, Noon:  Fire is out, but plant shut down temporarily.  Scroll down for update.

A WELL-KNOWN LOCAL CANDY MANUFACTURING company in Washington County, Pennsylvania, is burning this morning just south of Pittsburgh.  The Sarris Candy plant in Canonsburg caught fire in the ice cream portion of the factory around 7 am.  The first-arriving units found smoke coming from all the top-floor windows and roof vents in that wing and called a 2nd alarm.

WTAE-TV

KDKA-TV posted this early video taken from their helicopter:

The firefighters were able to contain the fire to that one section by surrounding it with hose streams and had it under control around an hour later.

There are apartments on the 2nd-floor above the ice cream parlor and all residents are believed to have escaped safely.

WTAE-TV

Sarris Candy is a favorite destination for western Pennsylvanians who visit the ice cream parlor and the candy store.  Sarris Candies are widely used for fundraising sales by schools and scout troops.

Update,  Noon Eastern:
WTAE-TV in an update tells,

Sarris said a significant amount of Easter candy was lost, but the building was not completely destroyed. He said they're trying to reopen the building's ice cream shop as soon as possible, and chocolate production should resume within a few days.

(Canonsburg Fire Chief Tom) Lawrence said there was minimal structure damage — most of it in the packaging area, where many boxes for the various chocolates were kept. He thinks the fire may have started in the furnace area, but the cause is still under investigation by a state police fire marshal.

The fire was contained mostly in the roof and the attic, concentrated at the ice cream end of the building.  No injuries were reported, either civilian or firefighter.  The state police fire investigator is on the scene.

WTAE-TV has additional video and more early details on the fire HERE.

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It Just Rolled Out of a Junked Car

AN AUTOMOBILE JUNK YARD NEAR HONOLULU, Hawai'i, was the scene of an explosion and fire Tuesday afternoon.

KHON-TV

When an operator of the yard excavator rolled over a car to be picked up, an acetylene cylinder rolled out breaking the valve.  As the leak began, a spark ignited the gas and it exploded.  The excavator operater was burned and had to be transported to the hospital in serious condition.

The explosion started a fire in the junkyard that involved a pile of tires and sent a column of thick smoke up that could be seen for miles away.  The Honolulu Fire Department responded and had the fire out in about an hour.  Damage is estimated at $300,000.

KHON-TV Ch. 2 has more in their story HERE.  They also filed this video report:

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Loss Extends Into the Millions

A LARGE PLEASURE BOAT STORAGE building burned out Monday night and Tuesday morning near Hamburg, Germany.  The blaze consumed at least 50 private cruisers and an undisclosed number of "vintage" cars that were also stored in the 13,000 sq. ft. hall.

Bergedorfer Zeitung

The fire was discovered at 8:30 pm Monday night by a man who was in the hall working on his own boat when he saw the flames rising from another craft.  He tried to put the incipient fire out himself, but the flames were too large and growing.  After singing his hair and gettiing a dose of smoke inhalation, he had to leave.

Bergedorfer Zeitung

More than 180 firefighters with nine companies and a fireboat responded to the incident at the GTS Boat Storage building that has been there for 16 years.  The fire aided by exploding gasoline tanks consumed the entire premises that contained mostly high-value yachts. 

Bergedorfer Zeitung

Also lost were many trailers, a tractor and the crane used to lift and move the boats.  The fire brigades used a large quantity of foam in the extinguishment that required them to cut holes in the sides of the all-metal building to get their hose streams on the fire.

Bergedorfer Zeitung

The Bergedorfer Zeitung has the story and more photos HERE.

Thanks to Christian Lewalter, Feuerwehr Weblog.

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Extent of Area Involved Not Yet Known

A LARGE, SMOKY FIRE IN A WEST LONDON, England, industrial center is still burning.  The fire in the the Shepherd's Bush section of the city is burning through a former dairy complex that is now filled with multiple occupancies.  The smoke from the fire can be seen throughout the entire, large city.

BBC News

The fire brigade, concerned with the strong probablility of compressed gas cylinders being exposed, has set up a safety cordon around the area.

The fire was dispatched at 9:35 GMT Tuesday morning and has 15 engines and 75 firefighters on the scene.  The UK Press Association reports:

Station manager Rod Horton, who is at the scene, said: "The fire is affecting a range of industrial buildings on the dairy site. It's a challenging and developing incident at the moment and we're likely to be at the scene for some time."

An ambulance and a hazardous area response team is in attendance but a London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said no-one has been reported hurt. More than 100 people have been evacuated from the Unigate factory complex, according to a local petrol station worker Rashid Ansari.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known. A spokeswoman for Dairycrest said the company sold the building in 2002, but she did not know who bought it.

The incident is still working at the time of this posting.

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