Quick Rescue by Other FF's

A 3-ALARM FIRE IN MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, that destroyed an apartment house caused six firefighters to be temporarily trapped on the upper floor when a "flashover explosion" in the attic blew the ceiling down on them. 

WMUR-TV / Hastings

WMUR-TV reported:

The building is a seven-unit, multi-family building. Chief James Burkush described it as a wooden structure more than 100 years old.

The fire department said about seven minutes after their initial attack at the fire, a flashover explosion in the attic caused the ceiling to collapse. Six firefighters were temporarily trapped inside as visibility dropped to zero and heat increased significantly.

Firefighters who were not trapped were able to free their partners from the rubble, the fire department said.

One of the firefighters was treated for minor injuries but they all were taken out safely.

This home video posted by Jim Terrero catches some good fire footage that emphasizes how fortunate the six FF's were to be rescued so promptly on that top floor:

The FD estimates that the fire had been burning for about an hour before it was discovered and reported around 3:30 pm.

The insurance adjusters have already written it off as a total loss.  The owner of the building says it has been in her family for several generations.  It was currently being renovated.  Early investigation is considering that the fire started in the former stable attached to the rear of the house that you can see in the photo.

This Google Street View of the house illustrates the close exposure that the FD was able to protect.

Thanks to Mark Donovan.

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Seventh Annual Event

EARLIER THIS MONTH ON MAY 12 the seventh edition of Grimpday was held.  It is a competition for high-angle rescue teams from throughout Europe, representing fire, police and specialized teams.  This year's meeting saw 30 teams from 12 different countries competing in the primarily-rope rescue challenges and was held in Namur, Belgium.

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Each team has to complete six designated rescues and they are judged on swiftness, safety for the team members, as well as the security and comfort of the victim.  Timing of the evolution stops when the victim is safely inside the ambulance.

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The First Place winner was the team representing the Fire Brigade of Venice (Italy).  Second place was grabbed by the Alpine Caving team from Neuchatel, Switzerland.

The Vigili del Fuoco (Italian National Fire Service) has posted the story and photos HERE.
El Periodic (Spain) has MORE.
All unattributed photos via Vigili del Fuoco.

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2-Hour Rescue of Rare Survivior of Niagara Falls Plunge

Reuters

A MAN WHO CLIMBED OVER THE RAILING next to the top of the famed Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Monday jumped into the water just 10 feet from the head of the falls.  The Chronicle Herald reports:

Niagara Parks Police said witnesses reported seeing the man climb over a railing up to nine metres out over the Horseshoe Falls at 10:20 a.m. local time and "deliberately jump" into the Niagara River. Seriously injured, he surfaced in the lower Niagara River basin near the Journey Behind the Falls observation platform and managed to make it to shore on his own.

"He waded ashore," said Platoon Chief Dan Orescanin of the Niagara Falls, Ontario, Fire Department. "He must have gotten swept into an eddy, floated over there and was able to get out on his own.

"That’s another stroke of luck," Orescanin said. "If he was in the main current, he would have been swept down river."

Orescanin said the man was conscious and talking at first but got quiet. He appeared to have chest injuries, including broken ribs and a collapsed lung, Orescanin said.

The fire department was challenged in its efforts to retrieve the victim and get him back up on land.  He was waist-deep in water and unable to walk or climb and the location was not accessible from directly overhead.  The Chronicle Herald continues:

The man, believed to be in his 30s or 40s, was rescued about two hours later after fire department rescuers rappelled down the steep and rocky gorge and pulled him in a basket back up the cliff.

Reuters

"It was very difficult. Between the shale and the boulders, and everything is wet and slick. It’s slimy," Orescanin said.

About seven rescuers struggled to carry the basket up to a point where it could be lifted with ropes suspended from an aerial truck.

CBC

"We had to basically hand-carry him back up, a foot at a time, up the rope," the chief said.

The man whose identity has not been released by the police is only the 4th known survivor of a Falls plunge without wearing or riding in any safety device.

WNLO-TV Ch. 23 Buffalo has this good video report from the scene:

Read the full STORY HERE.

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At Least 18 More Injured

A RALLY CAR PARTICIPATING IN A ROAD RACE in Southern France near Toulon left the course and struck several spectators killing two of them on Saturday.

AFP

The race was the annual Pays des Maures rally at the Plan-de-la-Tour road course, and the accident happened at 4:30 pm local time.  The car was coming to an intersection and was supposed to turn right, but instead the driver made an error and drove straight ahead into a row of spectators.  One of the dead is reportedly one of the track marshals.  At least 18 people were injured, four of them critically, including a 21-yr.-old woman who suffered a serious spine injury.

Several of the spectators who were all behind the security tape barrier, were pitched several meters into a vineyard. The driver of the car, Yann Buron, is "shocked" but unharmed. His co-driver Jean-Luc Ferrero, injured his chest.

When the dispatch for the mass casualty was sent, the emergency services in the area were initially overwhelmed.  More than 60 firefighters were dispatched along with 20 ambulances and several helicopters.

BBC News

Varmatin has the STORY.
BBC News has an English language report HERE.

AFP has filed this video report from the scene:

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Horrific Crash in Germany Presents the Problem

A VIOLENT, FATAL CAR CRASH ON A HIGHWAY near Petersberg, Germany, Thursday evening created a unique problem for the police department.  Around 5:40 pm local time yesterday, a Honda Civic carrying a family of four people was going through a long curve in the highway at a too-high rate of speed.  The driver lost control and the car drifted to the right shoulder at the worst possible location.  The car smashed at speed into a stone highway bridge that carries another roadway over the path.

All photos credit Osthessen News

The impact destroyed the little car and a fire broke out immediately.

A passing off-duty paramedic stopped and managed to pull a 13-yr.-old boy out of the wreckage, but the other three people were trapped beyond help.  The boy was airlifted to the hospital, but is in extremely critical condition.

The Petersberg fire brigade was on the scene quickly, but were unable to do any more than put out the fire.  The victims were incinerated in the car which was wrecked so badly that extrication operations would have been tedious and lengthy. 

After a consultation with the prosecutor's office, the police decided that in order to mitigate the sensationalism that had created a media circus and spectator event, the car would be transported to a secure location where the bodies could be retrieved  and an investigation could take place without disruption or public display.  A roll-off container with high sides was brought in and the wreckage was placed inside and secured before taken away to the police yard.

The Petersberg Fire Brigade was very adamant in letting it be known that they did not agree with this decision.

Osthessen News has the story and an extensive, 41-image photo gallery HERE.
Osthessen TV has also posted a video report from the scene HERE.

Thanks to Christian Lewalter of Feuerwehr WebBlog.

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3rd-Floor Tenants About to Jump

A FIRE IN THE TOP FLOOR of a 3-story apartment building in Broadview, Illinois, had six people trapped when the firefighters arrived early Monday morning.  As the first units pulled in shortly after 1:25 am Central, they saw a crowd of people holding blankets under a window that had fire showing and several residents getting ready to jump out.  One was holding an infant and was just about to let it go when the FF's started throwing ladders.

NBC News

They were successful in reaching the six trapped occupants and removed them safely.  One of the victims was a man in his 70's who was caught in the smoke-filled stairwell and was led out by the firefighters.  He was transported with smoke inhalation problems.  The other five people were ok and checked out on the scene.

NBC News reports:

Broadview Fire Chief Thomas Gaertner said four or five people, including two children, were rescued by a ladder.

Gaertner said the blaze in the 2100 block of West 16th Street appears to have started by "unattended cooking." People living in the building said the person who left food on a stove ran around the 12 units and rang all the doorbells to get everyone out in time.

"It was scary, very scary," said resident Sharon Goins. "Neighbors were holding open a blanket ready to catch the baby until the firemen arrived with their ladders."

Firefighters went into the burning building to rescue a handicapped man on the third floor. The man was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where his condition is unknown.

WLS-TV has some fire footage in this video report:

The Chicago Sun-Times has MORE.

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Two Saved From Window Ledge

A FIRE IN A 5-STORY APARTMENT BUILDING in Toulouse, France, Tuesday burned through the stairwell and trapped several people inside the building.  The fire started around 11:30 am while most residents were gone but stranded seven residents on the upper floors.

Canal TV

Five of the people went to the roof and waited, hoping that the firefighters would arrive in time to remove them.  Two others, a man and a woman were unable to leave their 4th-floor apartment where the fire had started and blocked their exit.  They were forced to climb out onto window ledges where they got ready to jump to certain injury or death, but the bystanders yelled encouragement to them to wait for the arrival of the fire brigade.

Canal TV

Sixty-five firefighters responded and were able to initiate quick rescues utilizing an aerial platform to make the saves.  This citizen cellphone video captured the rescue of the two on the ledge:

The two people on the ledge suffered burns to their backs and arms, and two others were treated for smoke poisoning at the hospital.  The fire destroyed the top two floors and the attic space with collateral damage to the lower floors and a restaurant/bar on the ground floor.  The cause is still under investigation.

La Depeche has the STORY.

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A French Firefighter Uses Innovation to Make a Rescue

Last Tuesday at 23 hours at the Rhone region dispatch center, a dispatcher was on the phone with a young man who was threatening to jump from a crane 50 meters high. The dispatcher did not know where he was located and it was dark so that he could not look around for landmarks.

The operator then heard in the background, the sound of a siren from an emergency vehicle. He knew that a fire crew had just left The Duchère for a call to Vaise. He then contacted the detachment commander: "We need one of you units to search for a crane in the area. "

The mission was assigned to Sergeant Patrice Emery, 31, originally of Irigny and a career firefighter since 2003. He was able to find a site on the rue Saint-Simon. "I saw a white point above," he told. "It was his pants. I should ensure that recognition, but I immediately decided to go without waiting for rescue. I put my personal radio in my pocket, leaving the open mic, so that colleagues can hear me, and I started the climb to the top.

"The suicidal did not want me to approach, but gradually I was able to reach the platform. He had discarded the protective railing and was standing up on a triangular plate of 15 square centimeters, above the void, holding one arm.

"I had no other way than speech to keep him from jumping, so I talked the whole time trying to create a link, to understand his problems. He was lonely and had been a disappointment in love. I told him we could call his girlfriend and if he went down we would find a solution. I could sometimes feel, but I could not do anything until he was back on the ground. Besides, there was that night a very high wind, the height and the feeling of being alone in the world. "

Sgt. Patrice Emery  (photo DR)

Down below, his colleagues mobilized significant resources to make a rescue, but the decision was made to merge unobtrusively near the scene. "I did not even see them. They continued to hear me through my phone and felt that it was better to scare the person,"said Emery. It was again a wise and right decision.

After an hour of negotiations, the young man aged 19 climbed back down to the ground. "It was initially a huge relief, because he could have fallen ten times. The descent was long, even if the ladder is secure, and I stayed behind him so he does not go back. Below, we both sat down on a sidewalk before he was taken over by the ambulance crew. There, all the adrenaline died down. I was happy and relieved. If I failed, I would have lived very poorly. "

Le Progress has this STORY.

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Sudden Storm Cell Wrecks Sports Party in Seconds

A SUDDEN WIND BURST IN ST. LOUIS, Missouri, Saturday evening tore down a large tent being used to host a beer party near the city's baseball stadium.  There were between 150 and 200 patrons of Kilroy's Sports Bar inside the tent when the destructive winds of a thunder and lightning storm cell swept through the city center around 3:50 pm.  The tent was set up as a beer garden behind Kilroy's at 720 South Seventh Street. The storm wrecked the tent and blew it onto a railroad trestle next door.

KMOV-TV

"I thought a train fell off the track," Art Randall, owner of Kilroy's told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We all ducked for cover. Everything was going sideways. I had metal chairs ripping across the beer garden." Witnesses said the incident lasted only seconds. They said a sudden gust lifted the tent up, sending metal poles flying. Patrons rushed to help each other, Randall said, including one man who administered CPR to another who had suffered a head wound.

"People were pushing and shoving," said Christy Eilermann, 42, of St. Louis. "The wind just picked up, and they started dragging people inside."  The DJ operating the music machine was struck in the head by a flying woofer and was knocked unconscious.

The Associated Press prepared this video report that includes an informative interview with Art Randall, the bar's owner:

One man died immediately, possibly from a heart attack, and more than 100 people suffered injuries ranging from mild to at least five critically  injured.  Most of the people were treated on the scene by Fire & Rescue personnel with about 17 being transported.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

KMOV-TV reports:

Witnesses say more than two-hundred people, many who had attended the Cardinals baseball game at the nearby Busch Stadium, were packed into the large tent at Kilroy’s Sports Bar listening to music when the winds hit.

One witness told News 4's Mark Schnyder the music in the tent was so loud that no one heard the storm coming. When the tent ripped from its moorings tent poles were sent flying wildly through the crowd hitting many people in the head.

KMOV-TV

Several area fire departments assisted St. Louis FD, including Shrewsbury, Clayton and Richmond Heights, including 11 medic units.

RadioMan 911 has the dispatch and radio traffic posted:

 
Watch live video from Radioman911.com on Justin.tv

(Note:  Patience, the initial dispatch goes out at the 4:55 point in the tape.  Impressive dispatch of 11 truck companies on the first.)

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Head-On Crash of Passenger Trains

Update:  One passenger has died in the hospital.
A 68-yr.-old woman has succumbed to her injuries from the crash.

TWO PASSENGER TRAINS IN NETHERLANDS collided head-on Saturday evening resulting in more than 100 people injured, but fortunately no fatalities yet reported.  One was an intercity train on the same track as a local-service train, but it appears from the photographs to have not been a high-speed incident.

EPA

One report says that 56 people were seriously injured with 13 of them in critical condition.

AT5 / Buis

The collision occurred at 6:23 pm local time and it is still unknown why the two trains were on the same track.

Amsterdam tv station AT5 reports:

' We had one of the biggest collisions of the past few years. Two trains on the same track meeting is a nightmare ', according to (Rail Director) Meerstadt.

ANP

The Chairman thanked the emergency services and the train drivers and conductors on the train. According to Meerstadt in the first minutes after the impact they did a ' fantastic job ' by informing the emergency services and then helping all the injured passengers.

It will take several days, if not more, to properly find the cause of the accidental routing of the trains.  The wreck occurred within the city which provided fast response and easy access for the fire and rescue units.

HFV

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