Funeral Details for Fallen Dallas (TX) Firefighter

Funeral details for Lt. Todd Krodle are as follows:

Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 10:00am
Funeral Service:
Highland Terrace Baptist Church
3939 Joe Ramsey Road East
Greenville, TX 75401

Burial following the service:
Memoryland Memorial Park
808 W. Jack Finney Blvd
Greenville, TX 75402

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.

Woman Caught in the Middle of TX Warehouse Fire

From kfox14.com:

Smoke could be seen as far as Horizon City after an abandoned warehouse caught fire in south central El Paso. One woman found herself driving right in the middle of the fire.

At around 11:15 a.m. Sunday, traffic was flowing along in south central El Paso.

"We were gonna go straight to get Alameda Street," said Josefina Cedeno.

Cedeno was on her way to check on her daughter.

"I have to go to the hospital because I have my daughter in the hospital," she said.

Around the 2300 block of East Mills Avenue she found herself unable to go anywhere.

"The car stopped right there and we couldn't move," she said.

Things didn’t get any better for Cedeno,“we saw some explosions from the wires," she said.

Several transformers started exploding, and a vacant, abandoned building at 2316 East Mills Avenue became fully engulfed in flames.

"The fire department started screaming at us to stop the car, don't do nothing cause the car could explode," said Cedeno.

Cedeno ran for cover. With the roof collapsed firefighters had no choice but to battle the flames from the outside. Hoses had to be pulled over the railroad tracks forcing Union Pacific to shut down for 45 minutes. Those were minutes that felt like hours for Cedeno, whose car couldn't be seen because of the thick smoke.

Read the complete story and see video HERE.

TX Firefighters Injured in High-Rise 'Fire'

From WFAA.com:

Three Irving firefighters were hurt battling what was originally described as a three-alarm fire at a Las Colinas high-rise office tower Sunday morning.

But the white "smoke" seen billowing from the top of the 26-story central tower in the Williams Square complex at 5215 North O'Connor Boulevard turns out to have been water vapor from a malfunctioning sprinkler system.

Two of the firefighters were hospitalized after a hose popped off a standpipe and struck them. A third firefighter was also taken away in an ambulance for treatment. Their injuries were said to be not serious.

Irving Fire Department Assistant Chief R.W. Wilson confirmed that the 7:30 a.m. incident was not a fire. He said a "deluge system" designed to extinguish fires had been triggered by a malfunctioning sensor. The water then cascaded down on the fan blades of the building's air conditioning system, which spun the water into a cloud-like vapor seen rising from the top of the tower.

Read more HERE.

TX Firefighters Rescue Man from Cell Phone Tower

From WFAA.com:

A cellphone tower worker is in stable condition after a long and harrowing rescue by Burleson firefighters, who climbed 760 feet of hot metal to bring him down.

Officials say the man became disoriented in the heat and took off his safety harness, collapsing on a ledge at the top of the tower late Wednesday evening.

Firefighter Dallas Fowler reached him first.

"I was cramping," he said. "I had to stop, but I had to keep pushing on through."

Two more firefighters joined him at the top. Their arms, hands and legs burned in pain while the wind blew their ropes sideways. Since they couldn't get to the stricken worker out onto the platform, they tossed him a bag of saline intended for an IV, which he drank.

"When we got to him, I didn't know we could get him down," Fowler said.

They started their climb at about 8 p.m. and the rescue lasted nearly seven hours.

Dallas (TX) Firefighters Injured in Collapse at House Fire

From the AP, via chron.com:

Four Dallas firefighters have been injured battling an early morning house fire.

Dallas Fire Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said when firefighters arrived at the vacant, one-story wood-frame house shortly after midnight Wednesday they saw flames rising from the back of the roof.

Evans said a firefighter working on top of the house was injured when the roof collapsed beneath him.

He landed near a firefighting team working inside the house and was immediately helped out.

Evans said that firefighter suffered facial burns and smoke inhalation and was taken to Parkland Hospital where he was in stable condition.

Two other firefighters had minor burns from falling debris while a third suffered from smoke inhalation. All were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Fire Forces Rihanna Concert in Dallas (TX) to End Early

From CNN:

A fire broke out at a Rihanna concert in Dallas on Friday night, forcing the event to end early.

A video posted on YouTube shows a fire burning at the top of the stage at the American Airlines Center, with some sparks falling toward the floor. Some people begin to stream out.

The fire reportedly began due to pyrotechnics that were part of the show. There were no indications of any injuries.

Five Firefighters Taken to Hospital After Series of TX Fires

From the Beaumont Enterprise:

Lightning is suspected as the cause of at least two Beaumont fires and one store evacuation Wednesday afternoon. While about two inches of rain fell in places, around 100 lightning rods were reported in the northern Beaumont area within a 15-minute period, said Patrick Vaughn, chief meteorologist at 12 News HD.

While residents and shoppers escaped injury, five firefighters were taken to the hospital in relation to extinguishing the fires.

Beaumont firefighters responded to the house fire on Oakleigh Boulevard at 3 p.m. The fire caused heavy damage with fire damage to the attic and smoke and water damages throughout the house, Beaumont Fire Capt. Brad Pennison said.

One firefighter at the house fire was taken to the hospital for heat-related injuries, Pennison said, and the fire was put out before 5 p.m.

Lightning was suspected in another Wednesday fire at a Beaumont apartment complex that sent four firefighters to the hospital.

Read MORE.

TX Firefighters Injured in Ceiling Collapse at Mexican Restaurant Fire

From the AP, via chron.com:

hree Texas firefighters have been slightly hurt battling a blaze at a restaurant in the Lake Travis area.

The Austin Fire Department says the fire broke out around 3 a.m. Tuesday in the attic of Los Pinos, at a time when the Mexican restaurant was closed.

Battalion Chief Thayer Smith says two Lake Travis firefighters were hurt when part of the ceiling collapsed. Smith told The Associated Press that both made it out of the building on their own with non-life threatening injuries. They were transported to a hospital to be checked.

Read more HERE.

Pasadena (TX) Warehouse Fire Prompts Shelter-in-Place Order

From chron.com:

A two-alarm fire destroyed a warehouse in Pasadena on Sunday and forced a shelter-in-place order for some residents.

A transformer blew during the blaze at Global Plastics Co., 6224 Spencer Highway, temporarily putting a Pasadena sewage treatment plant out of service. In addition, one of the more than 60 firefighters at the scene had to be treated for heat exhaustion. No other injuries were reported.

Officials said the last employee left the facility around 3 p.m. Passers-by noticed the smoke from the recyclable plastics facility around 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order that from the site to Beltway 8 and Red Bluff. It was later canceled. Hazmat was called to the scene because officials had concerns about hydrocarbons in the building.

Read more 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.

Mother, Two Sons Die in TX Fire

From the AP:

A woman and her two young sons have died after flames swept through their rural mobile home in East Texas.

Firefighters found the bodies of the victims after extinguishing the flames. Read the full report HERE.

Badly Burned Houston (TX) Firefighter Back on the Job

From www.khou.com:

Darin Unruh is a survivor. And that’s pretty good for a man who died.

Houston firefighters responded in November 2008 to a frantic 911 call about a burning home at Linder and Tuscon in northeast Houston.

The caller insisted that someone was trapped inside the house, half of which was already up in flames.

Unruh, a captain at Station 39, was one of the firefighters who donned full protective gear to rush inside to search for victims. But the caller had been mistaken. There were no victims inside. Unruh became a victim instead.

The heavy smoke and super-heated air left Unruh with zero visibility. The firefighter’s co-workers still don’t know what happened, but when they found Unruh he was lifeless on the floor. He was no longer wearing his mask and breathing apparatus. His neck and face were severely burned. He wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse.

After extensive surgery and rehab, Unruh is back on the job, but his first call was a rough one. Read the rest of the story HERE.

Houston (TX) Fire Department Strives to Avoid Firefighter Layoffs

From KTRK, Houston layoffs could come as early as today:

Houston Mayor Annise Parker is discussing ongoing negotiations between the city and the firefighters union as they try to prevent layoffs of classified employees. Close to 700 civilian workers were laid off last week.

Mayor Parker says she doesn't want to add classified firefighters to the list of city layoffs. She says she's prepared to say she won't be laying off police officers this go-around and hopes to do the same with the city's firefighters.

Read more HERE.

Houston (TX) to Lay Off 238 Firefighters, Union Says

From khou.com:

The City of Houston plans to lay off 238 firefighters as part of ongoing budget cuts, union officials said Thursday.

Firefighters gathered outside of their monthly union meeting Thursday and spoke with KHOU 11 News. They requested anonymity because they feared for their jobs.

"We’re literally losing sleep over it," said one firefighter, who expects a phone call Friday notifying him that he will be pink-slipped. “I’m dreading it so much. I have a family back home. I got a wife, a kid, a mortgage to pay. (I have) a lot of commitments -- and this job is really all I’ve got.”

Firefighters said they started to get phone calls Thursday notifying them about special meetings next week. That's when employees with the least seniority expect to get official notice they will be let go on July 1.

Mayor Annise Parker’s office would not confirm the number of potential layoffs, but it released a written statement late Thursday.

Read more HERE.

TX Firefighter Burned While Rescuing Colleague

From WFAA.com:

Injured and in pain, Matt Clark is having trouble with his new label.

"I don’t feel like I'm a hero," he said. "I did what any fireman would do."

Clark has only been a firefighter for six months. He's a volunteer. His full-time job is as a prison guard in Abilene.

But when a raging brush fire broke out near his home in Gorman on Friday, he answered the call with his chief.

Almost instantly, they were surrounded by the flames.

"At this point, we are at a dead sprint, trying to outrun the fire," Clark said.

A blast of flames scarred his face with first degree burns. He suffered third degree burns to his hands.

The fire truck they were on was destroyed.

And that's when he saw one of his fellow firefighters collapse.

Read it all and watch related video HERE.

Firefighter Critical from Burns in TX Wildfire

The AP reports via www.chron.com:

A firefighter is hospitalized after being critically burned while battling a wildfire in the Texas Panhandle.

A nursing supervisor at University Medical Center in Lubbock says Cactus firefighter Elias Jacquez remained in critical condition Tuesday.

Jacquez suffered third-degree burns over 60 percent of his body Saturday while fighting a fire that charred 60,000 acres about 40 miles north of Amarillo.

Read MORE.