SC Chief Collapses, Dies After House Fire Call

From wistv.com:

A Lancaster County volunteer fire chief collapsed at his fire station Tuesday morning and later died after he took part in fighting a house fire.

According to Lancaster County Fire Marshal Stephen Blackwelder, 54-year-old Dennis J. Cauthen was the Fire Chief with the Elgin Volunteer Fire Department with more than 31-years of fire service in Lancaster County.

The volunteer fire department had just returned from fighting a fire in an old mill house at 937 15th Street in the Gooches area. Blackwelder says the fire sparked around 2:45 a.m. Tuesday morning and crews were on scene for nearly three hours.

Blackwelder says that Chief Cauthen began feeling sick when the crews got back to the station and collapsed. His fellow firefighters called for paramedics and began to give him medical attention.

He was rushed to Springs Memorial Hospital where he died around 8 a.m.

Fire crews on scene told WBTV that the heat was so intense, firefighters had to move their trucks further away from the house fire to prevent the trucks from catching fire.

Read more HERE.

Code Violations, Safety Issues at Complex Where Dallas (TX) FIrefighter Died

From nbcdfw.com:

The Dallas apartment complex where a firefighter died has a history of "numerous and persistent" code violations, city officials said Monday.

Lt. Todd Krodle fell through a second story roof of the Ridgecrest Terrace Apartments on Walton Walker Boulevard near Keeneland Parkway on Sunday. He fell as he tried to approach a fire that started in a ground-floor unit, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman said.

It took time for firefighters to rescue him from the burning unit below, and he was later pronounced dead at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

The blaze was one of two fires at the complex Sunday that were both blamed on electrical problems, residents said.

Tenants and outreach workers who helped residents with landlord complaints said better attention to ongoing maintenance problems could have prevented the fires and the roof accident.

Residents of both apartments that burned Sunday said they complained to the landlord about electrical problems before.

Read more HERE. See a remembrance piece on fallen firefighter Lt. Todd Krodle HERE.

Asheville (NC) Fatal Fire Update: Water Pipes Appear to Have Worked

From citizen-times.com:

A pipe system designed to carry water from a street hydrant to the inside of an office building where a firefighter died battling a blaze appears to have been working, the Fire Department's commander said Friday.

In his first interview since the July 28 fire, department Chief Scott Burnette said the standpipe system at 445 Biltmore Avenue will be investigated, though he has no indication of problems.

“It is critical to us to understand whether or not that was functioning as it was designed,” he said. “We have no information, as of today, that there were issues with that standpipe system.”

Nearly 25 minutes passed from the time the first trucks left their stations about 12:30 p.m. until a crew reported they were finally putting water on the blaze from a ladder truck, according to recordings later published on a website.

Firefighters, in a recording of their transmissions during the fire, repeatedly made references to a lack of water.

Capt. Jeff Bowen, a 13-year department veteran, died from cardiac arrest after exposure to heat and smoke.

Federal investigators said Thursday that the fire had been deliberately set.

Read more HERE.

Fire That Killed Asheville (NC) Firefighter Was Arson, ATF Says

From WSPA.com:



The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with criminal investigators from the Asheville Fire and Police Departments and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), have determined that the fire on July 28th, at the Medical Office Complex Building in Asheville was deliberately set. Asheville Fire Department Captain Jeffrey Scott Bowen was killed in that fire and several other firefighters had to be treated at area hospitals.

Over $20 million in damage occurred as a result of the fire. The investigation is being conducted jointly by ATF, the Asheville Police and Fire Departments and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI).

For more details go HERE. For more on this fatal incident, CLICK HERE.

AZ Wildland Firefighter Found Dead

From abc15.com:

Authorities say a firefighter was found dead while working on a lightning-caused fire near Whiteriver last weekend.

Fort Apache Hotshot crew member Deon "Dino" Classay was found deceased after he failed to return to an established camp on the evening on July 23, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Classay, 43, was part of a crew fighting the Diamond Fire on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

As resources returned to camp for the night, the incident commander determined Classay was not accounted for and initiated a search.

After attempts to locate Classay were unsuccessful, local, county and state law enforcement agencies were called in.

Classay's body was found at 6:18 a.m. on July 24, according to authorities.

Fire Board: Firefighters Made Mistakes at Fatal MO Fire

From fox4kc.com:

A group of Weston residents are questioning how firefighters tackled a fire that left a business owner dead earlier this month, and on Wednesday evening they took their concerns to the West Platte Fire Board to try and get some answers.

George Treese, owner of Old Geezer's Mantiques in Weston, was killed in a fire that swepted through his business and attached apartment on July 4th. A Weston resident shot video of the fire, and now many people say that the fire department waited far too long to start putting water on the fire.

"We know there was a delay of 5 minutes of pressurized water to the fire line at the side door, which also delayed entry into the building. The cause of delay was an incorrect pumping procedure," said Kenny Clemens, president of the West Platte Fire Board. The board asked the Riverside, Missouri, Fire Captain Dave Johnson to review the video to study the department's procedures.

"The firefighter that was assigned the pumping the fire was not 100 percent familiar with the apparatus, and the error occurred," said Capt. Johnson, who says that by his assessment, it took over eight minutes for water to be put on the fire.

View our pump operator simulator HERE, or read up on training pump operators HERE.

Amtrak Train Hits Tractor Trailer in ME

From the AP via The Washington Post:

An Amtrak train smashed into a tractor-trailer Monday, causing an explosion that set both on fire and sent flames more than three stories high, a witness and officials said. The truck driver was killed.

Some of the train’s 109 passengers were injured, but it’s not clear how many or how seriously they were hurt, said Steve McCausland from the Maine Department of Public Safety. The crash happened at about 11 a.m. in North Berwick, about 40 miles south of Portland.

NIOSH Urges New Rules After Chicago (IL) Firefighter's Fall from Fire Escape

From the Chicago Tribune:

The Chicago Fire Department should create and implement standard rules regarding the use of fire escapes and review its safety policies, especially those concerning carrying heavy equipment, a federal report has concluded following an investigation into the falling death of a firefighter from a fire escape 10 months ago.

Christopher Wheatley died Aug. 9 when he fell 53 feet from the the fire escape behind a four-story West Loop building that housed an upscale restaurant.

Dressed in his full firefighting gear and clutching a 63-pound manual hand pump in his right hand, the firefighter/paramedic lost his grip on the metal structure as he tried the climb a vertical fire escape ladder leading to the roof, officials said.

Read it all HERE. Download the NIOSH report HERE.

Dallas (TX) Firefighter Dies After Being Found Unresponsive at Station

From WFAA.com:

A Dallas firefighter has died after he was found unresponsive. The 32 year-old firefighter was attached to Fire Station 49.

Reports indicate other firefighters found him Thursday morning and performed CPR.

He was rushed to Methodist Charlton Medical Center where he later died. The cause of death has not been released.

Read more HERE.

Chicago (IL) Fire Kills Infant Girl

From the Chicago Tribune breaking news blog:

An infant girl was killed this morning in a house fire on the city's West Side, authorities said.

Firefighters found 2-month-old Tiniya Coleman in a first-floor bedroom during a search of the 1-1/2 story home in the 800 block of North Laramie Avenue in the Austin neighborhood at about 2 a.m., officials said.

The child died at the scene.

Read more HERE.

TX Firefighter Found Dead After Fire

From the AP, via chron.com:

A veteran East Texas volunteer firefighter has been found dead after a blaze in a wooded area near his residence.

Angelina County Sheriff Kent Henson says an autopsy has been ordered on 47-year-old David Goins. Goins was assistant chief of the Huntington Volunteer Fire Department

Get more details HERE.

Firefighter, 23, Collapses and Dies at MN Fire Hall

From the Star Tribune:

A 23-year-old firefighter went to exercise at his central Minnesota fire hall, collapsed and died, authorities said Tuesday.

Glenwood firefighter Matthew Chan died Monday evening, said Police Chief Dale Danter.

While a cause of death has yet to be determined, Danter said that there is "nothing criminal in nature or suspicious" about Chan's death and there were no signs of trauma suggesting an accident of some sort.

For more, CLICK HERE.

Boy Killed in IL Mobile Home Fire; Relatives Injured

From stltoday.com:

Investigators have not found the cause for a fire Tuesday night fire that killed a young boy and seriously injured his mother and two brothers, but authorities believe the blaze was accidental, said Chief Steve Plocher of the Highland-Pierron Fire Protection District.

Six-year-old Braedyn Schmitt died at the scene from smoke inhalation, said Alan Young, the Bond County coroner.

Plocher said the fire happened at about 10 p.m. Tuesday in the home of George and Candace Schmitt in the Country View Mobile Home Park off Illinois 143.

Braedyn's brothers and mother had severe injuries including burns and smoke inhalation, Plocher said.

Read more HERE. Read an article by Jay Lowry about mobile home fires HERE, and another by Joseph Polenzani HERE.

Dad Leaves to Check on Kids in Joplin, MO; Son Dies in MI Fire

A tragedy, from the AP via the Detroit Free Press:

A 1-year-old boy whose father was out of town checking on the well-being of his other children in tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo., was killed Tuesday in a fire that destroyed the family’s mobile home in southwestern Michigan.

Firefighters were called to Leisure Estates in Holland Township at about 2 a.m. Trenton Harlen died of smoke inhalation and his 6-year-old sister Jasmine VanderHulst was hospitalized, the Grand Rapids Press reported.

Read the rest HERE. See a video about it HERE.

Woman Killed, 2 Injured in Tulsa (OK) Warehouse Fire

A firefighter was also treated at the scene of this incident for heat exhaustion, according to the Tulsa World:

A woman was killed in a warehouse fire that sent two other people to a hospital suffering from smoke inhalation Tuesday night.


Tulsa Fire Department spokesman Tim Smallwood said the woman was found on the ground outside the building, which is on Trenton Avenue just north of Interstate 244, and that medics administered CPR before they took her to a hospital.

EMSA public information officer Chris Stevens said the woman was in critical condition when she was taken by ambulance to Hillcrest Medical Center. Smallwood said she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The two other people went to a hospital on their own and told a fire investigator there that they had been in a vehicle outside the warehouse and got blocked in by firetrucks.

Read more HERE.

1 Killed in Fire, Explosion at TN Ammo Shop

A report from News Channel 5:

One person was killed in a fire and explosion at an ammunitions store in South Nashville [TN]. A second person was injured.

The fire broke out around 3:30 p.m. Monday at Well Done Bullets at 4813 Nolensville Pike.

Engineers were called out to determine if the building is structurally sound enough for fire crews to get back in the building to search for another possible victim.

Fire officials said there was some sort of explosion, and when they arrived on the scene the bottom corner of the building was full of flames.

Read more and see video HERE.

AR Building Collapse Kills 1, Injures 6

From the Associated Press via fox.16.com:

Authorities say a building in a central Arkansas city has collapsed, killing a young girl and injuring at least six other people.

Investigators have not determined what caused the building in downtown Morrilton to collapse Monday.

Conway County Sheriff Mike Smith says rescue teams are searching the wreckage for possible survivors but that he thinks most people escaped. The building housed a beauty parlor.

Read it all HERE.

Woman Dies, Son Critical Following Rash of Indianapolis (IN) Arsons

From wthr.com:

In all, Indianapolis firefighters battled ten overnight blazes. One turned out to be fatal, and a man is in critical condition at Wishard Hospital.

Flames ripped through a home on the 1100 block of State Avenue home at around 6:00 am, sending the family into panic and killing Anna Richards. The 63-year-old woman tried her best to warn the three other adults in the house.

"I could not even smell anything, you know what I am saying? So I told her she was crazy and go back to sleep and just a few seconds later the windows started popping," said Gary Allen, fire victim, speaking tearfully.

"We tried to get my mom out and we can't find her. I tried to get my brother out of bed and we can't lift him up and he caught on fire," said Mary Whitlock, Richards' daughter.

Whitlock told firefighters where her relatives were located, and firefighters went in and rescued Whitlock's 47-year-old quadriplegic brother Jerry Richards. Paramedics took him to the hospital in critical condition. Both Jerry and Anna Richards required CPR at the fire scene.

Firefighters had been to the home before on EMS runs and knew the layout of the home, which aided in the quick location of the victims

Read more and see video HERE.

Cornell Student Dies in Apartment Fire

Via democratandchronicle.com:

A Cornell University student who would have graduated at the end of this month died in an early morning fire Friday at an apartment building in Collegetown, an official with the Ithaca Fire Department said.

Brian Lo, 21, a senior from East Rockaway, died in the fire that is believed to have started by accident. Fire officials said unattended cooking in a communal first-floor kitchen is suspected to have caused the blaze at 107 Cook St.

The building is a three-story wood-frame house with eight apartments and 13 residents, all of whom are Cornell students, said Deputy Chief Tom Parsons at a Friday morning press conference. Lo's body was found in the rear of the building. He was apparently attempting to escape when he succumbed, Parsons said.

Read more HERE and get tips on campus fire safety from the Center for Campus Fire Safety HERE.

Woman Trapped in Basement of Burning MA Home Dies

From boston.com:

A fire that broke out Friday night in a two-family home on Melrose Avenue killed a woman trapped in the structure’s basement, a fire official said.

The woman, whose identity was not released pending notification of her family, was believed to be a "visitor" in the house at 75 Melrose Ave., said Brockton Deputy Fire Chief Timothy Murphy, in a brief phone interview this afternoon.

The woman called 911 and reported that she was trapped about 11 p.m., he said. Eight trucks responded to the two-alarm fire, he said.

...

A search team of fire fighters swept the basement searching for survivors, but failed initially to find her. A second search team located a door to a room where the woman’s body was found, Murphy said.

A witness to the scene last night, who lives nearby but declined to give her name, said she saw emergency medical personnel attempt to revive the woman for more than 15 minutes in the back of a waiting ambulance after she was pulled from the building.

Read MORE.