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National Fire News

VIDEOS: Crews fight fire at Michigan metal recycling center for over 10 hours

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) was on the scene of a fire at 1525 King Highway.

Crews were working to extinguish the fire.

KDPS said the fire was contained to an exterior pile of material.

There was heavy black smoke and flames were visible for miles.

King Highway remained open to traffic.

KDPS told a News Channel 3 crew on the scene that no one has been hurt.

Firefighters were trying to separate the debris piles so the fire did not continue to grow.

Crews remained on scene as of 6 a.m. Tuesday. Kalamazoo Public Safety has yet to provide any updates.

There was still smoke, but crews were mostly dealing with hot spots.

WWMT-TV CBS 3 Kalamazoo View Full Story

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‘History Comes Home’: First motorized fire truck returns to Pennsylvania firefighters museum

VIDEO: History comes home.

“Reading had probably the largest volunteer fire company in the country. Ten thousand members during its height,” said retired Reading Fire Chief Richard Boyer.

From manpower to horsepower.

“The early apparatus were pulled by the firemen,” Boyer said. “As they got heavier, naturally, you had to add horses.”

There are many significant signs of the passage of time and history for the Reading Fire Department and the Reading Area Firefighters Museum.

“1771, that is five years before the Declaration of Independence,” Boyer said.

But now, across decades, many miles and a Sotheby’s auction…

“We’re still shocked that we were able to do that, but it’s coming,” he said.

The first motorized fire truck in the city’s history, circa 1911.

“You can feel the emotion,” Boyer said.

By way of a flatbed truck from Florida, the engine is once again back home. It may be tired from the long journey but it’s looking like a beauty nonetheless.

WFMZ-TV 69 Allentown View Full Story

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Massive fire destroys large home in Georgia

PHOTOS/VIDEOS: A massive house fire destroyed a large home in a Ringgold neighborhood Tuesday morning.

Viewers have shared photos of the major flames that drivers could see from Interstate 75.

Neighbors tell WTVC the home was under construction, and no one was inside when the fire broke out.

The fire happened at a home on a cul de sac on The Pointe Drive in Ringgold in the early morning hours.

Several area fire agencies were on the scene working to put out hot spots as of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

WTVC-TV FOX/ABC 9 Chattanooga View Full Story

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VIDEO: Iowa petroleum plant catches fire, causes explosions and evacuations

The Corydon Fire Department spent much of Saturday night and Sunday morning battling a massive fire at a petroleum plant.

Fire Chief Josh Cobb told KCCI they were first called to a fire at Stubbs Petroleum around 9:15 p.m. When they got there, Cobb said, two propane trucks and one fuel delivery truck were also on fire. He says many 55-gallon barrels filled with assorted fuels exploded over the course of several hours.

Cobb noted that one explosion was so massive that it sent a large fireball several hundred feet into the air that could be seen as far as 20 miles away. The fire department evacuated six city blocks while they worked to put out the flames.

Cobb said the response to the fire and explosions was nearly perfectly executed, and they were able to avoid a “catastrophic” event. Firefighters cleared the scene around 4 a.m. Investigators aren’t sure what caused the fire, but Cobb said it was likely electrical.

KCCI-TV CBS 8 Des Moines View Full Story

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Florida’s largest fire rescue vessel launched in Destin

VIDEO: It’s that time of year when visitors begin flocking to the panhandle for spring break. With the popularity of our beaches also comes risk, from diving accidents to medical emergencies miles offshore. “Spring break is definitely the start of what we call our trauma season. It goes from the spring break time, March, through about Labor Day,” HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Trauma Surgeon Dr. Cathy Ho said.

That’s why leaders at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital and the Destin Fire Control District introduced a state-of-the-art rescue and trauma vessel Friday. The 52-foot fire rescue vessel is the largest of its kind in the state.

This vessel is essentially a floating emergency room. First responders say instead of waiting to reach land, they can now begin advanced life-saving treatment right here on the water. “The patients, once they get pulled from the water, will have access to advanced resuscitation and monitoring. And then it’ll be a seamless transition to us in the E.R.,” Ho said.

WMBB-TV ABC 13 Panama City View Full Story

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International News: Huge fire at Scotland’s busiest train station prompts evacuations as building collapses

VIDEOS/PHOTOS: A huge blaze engulfed a building at Glasgow Central Station on Sunday causing it to partially collapse.

The fire started in a vape shop on Union Street on Sunday afternoon, with the B-listed Victorian building collapsing several hours later as flames spread.

All train services at Glasgow Central, Scotland’s busiest station, are expected to be cancelled until at least the end of Monday. National Rail said there was “no estimate on when the station will reopen”.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service urged people to avoid the area as crews continued to battle the blaze at 05:00 GMT, more than 13 hours after firefighters were first alerted. No injuries have been reported.

Following a meeting at midnight, Network Rail said: “As things stand we’ve not identified any significant damage to the station. We’ll get this fully assessed at first light.”

BBC News View Full Story

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VIDEO: Crews battle massive 5-alarm fire at Florida warehouse

PHOTOS: A massive five-alarm fire broke out at a warehouse in northwest Miami-Dade on Thursday, prompting a huge response involving more than 100 firefighters. The fire was reported around 10:45 a.m. at a warehouse in the 20600 block of Northwest 47th Avenue.

Aerial footage from Chopper 6 showed the warehouse engulfed in flames as a large plumes of black smoke rose into the air from the scene. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said firefighters arrived to find flames and heavy black smoke coming from the warehouse.

Footage showed firefighters spraying water on the building and attacking the flames from multiple angles. The call began as a two-alarm fire but by the afternoon, it had been upgraded to a five-alarm fire, with over 48 fire rescue units and over 100 firefighters at the scene, officials said. Crews were conducting a defensive attack to extinguish the fire due to structural integrity concerns.

“From the arrival of the initial companies, the fire had already taken possession of the entire building, making it too dangerous for us to go inside,” Miami-Dade Deputy Fire Chief Danny Cardeso said.

WTVJ-TV NBC 6 Miami View Full Story

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Volunteer fire departments in New York urging governor and lawmakers to allow part-time compensation for firefighters to combat staffing shortages

VIDEO: We have reported on the dwindling number of volunteer firefighters here in New York and efforts to recruit new members for volunteer fire departments and companies.

And now some fire officials are asking Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to provide authorization to go beyond current incentives to draw in volunteer firefighters and add new part-time compensation options.

Volunteer fire departments and companies face the dilemma of fighting more difficult to deal with fires like those from electric vehicles or handling hazardous materials incidents and that requires more state mandated training from the volunteers who are already donating their time for the fire service.

Getzville Fire Company public information officer David Morales explains: “The fires that we’re fighting have changed from the past which means that the way that we train to fight fires has to change as well to adapt to those new types of fires.”

WGRZ-TV NBC 2 Buffalo View Full Story

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Fire marshal issues warning after western Pennsylvania teen injured trying viral ‘fire-breathing’ trend

VIDEO: Fire officials are issuing a warning after a teenager was seriously injured attempting a dangerous social media trend where people try to “breathe fire” by drinking isopropyl alcohol.

Wilmerding Borough Fire Marshal Al Hussey says the teen is lucky to be alive. “We are not meant to breathe fire as human beings,” Hussey said.

Hussey said the teen attempted to “breathe fire” using isopropyl alcohol inside a Pitcairn apartment unit Friday night. The building has about 40 units. Hussey says the teen is now intubated and being treated at a burn unit with 8% burns to the face and chest.

“First and foremost, you can lose your life. Second, you can have life-altering injuries to your appearance. Third, you could injure others in a building where you’re in, or a room, or the home. At the least, you’re going to have life-altering injuries, end up in the burn unit,” Hussey said.

Hussey is now urging parents to pay close attention to what their children have access to, especially when it comes to flammable household products.

WTAE-TV ABC 4 Pittsburgh View Full Story

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VIDEOS: Massive explosion in New Jersey felt across Philadelphia region

A massive blast at an industrial facility in Logan Township, New Jersey, sent five people to the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. The explosion occurred around 2:36 p.m. at Savita Naturals, a commercial facility on the 600 block of Heron Drive in Swedesboro that processes cocoa butter for the chocolate industry.

Gloucester County officials said four of the injured individuals were taken to the hospital in critical condition. One of them is the owner of the facility, according to a relative who spoke with Action News. Another person from a nearby facility had a medical emergency and was also hospitalized. There was no word on their condition.

A county spokesperson added that all employees at the facility were accounted for. Several propane tanks are on the decades-old site for production, but the exact cause of the blast remains under investigation. The explosion was felt across the immediate area – even across the river in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia View Full Story

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Here’s how much firefighters make in every state in the United States

Every day, firefighters in communities across the US risk their lives responding to emergencies. And in the age of worsening wildfires driven by the climate crisis, their jobs have become more important than ever.

So how does pay correlate to such a key job? As we’ll see below, firefighter wages fluctuate dramatically across the 50 states, with some states recording six-figure earnings for the highest earners, while others in the 10th percentile of earners barely scratch the $25,000 mark.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics provides data on firefighter wages. Using the most recent data from May 2024, Business Insider identified the median annual salaries of firefighters in every US state.

We also identified the overall salary range of firefighters in each state, ranging from the low-end 10th percentile to the high-end 90th percentile of salaries.

Chris Lake, the director of collective bargaining for the International Association of Firefighters, told Business Insider that many factors contribute to pay differences from state to state. For starters, every state has differences in cost of living, housing prices, taxes, and other factors, so salaries will often reflect these characteristics.

Business Insider View Full Story

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Massive North Carolina fire at Outer Banks destroys condo units, disrupts traffic

VIDEOS: Traffic in Manteo faced major delays Wednesday morning following a large Roanoke Island condo fire on North Bay Club Drive. The fire broke out around 6 a.m. in one building of condominiums at Shallowbag Bay Marina.

The Dare County Sheriff’s Office said both lanes of travel in the area of McDonald’s on U.S. 64 were closed as a result of the incident. All lanes of travel have since reopened.

The massive fire destroyed several units in a four-story condo building at Shallowbag Bay Marina. The large fire could be seen from a great distance on Roanoke Island. One man saw the fire from a distance and tried to help those at the scene early Wednesday morning.

“I was here about 6:15 (a.m.), and I could see the flames before I got here,” said Charles McKenny. “When I pulled in, I saw that building two was on fire — pretty much the whole thing engulfed. So I just ran around trying to get everybody accounted for that I knew that lived there.”

WNCN-TV CBS 17 Goldsboro View Full Story

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Texas fire chief: Hot air balloon rescue was combined effort

VIDEOS: The Saturday morning rescue of two people hanging off a radio tower in a hot air balloon was a combined effort of several agencies working toward a common goal. The Judson Fire Department didn’t have aerial rescue gear but did provide valuable logistical ground support in the operation.

Chris Jackson works for Longview Fire but is also Judson ESD 3 fire chief. On duty in Longview Saturday morning, he was one of those called about a hot air balloon. “They initially told us that there was a hot air balloon stuck. We were thinking probably in a tree or some type of high aerial. When we got on scene it was much more than that,” Jackson said.

They knew power to the tower had to be shut down because of the dangers. “Anything from electrical to also F.M. radiation that could come off the tower. So, anything we could do to mitigate, make that situation better, that’s kind of the process that we started when we first got there,” Jackson said.

KLTV ABC 7 Tyler View Full Story

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Georgia: Robotic dog helping Robins Air Force Base firefighters answer calls

VIDEO: While lots of police departments use K9’s, it’s not often that you see firehouse dogs these days. However, a member of the Robins Air Force Base team traded wagging tails for wired processors.

Spot is the installation’s robotic dog created by Boston Dynamics. He cost the department $275,000 and is a monthly tool for the crew.

Spot is made of metal, but what he lacks in fur, he makes up for in functionality.

Using cameras and sensors, he can navigate through smoke, debris and hazards — giving firefighters critical information before they ever step inside a risky scene.

“We don’t have to get our guys in hazmat suits to collect air samples,” Beal explained. “Spot can go in first and give us everything we need before we send in an action team.”

Each month, firefighters at Robins use Spot in hazardous materials scenarios. Crews can mount gas meters, oxygen sensors and high-resolution cameras on his back.

WMAZ-TV CBS 13 Macon View Full Story

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Pilot, passenger who crash landed in ‘another miracle on the Hudson’ made jokes after swimming ashore

VIDEOS: The pilot and passenger who miraculously survived a small plane crash in the icy Hudson River were in “good spirits” and cracked jokes after they swam to shore Monday night. The pair was found by first responders in Newburgh inside a waterfront warehouse, where they had changed into dry clothes they had found.

“The pilot was making jokes to us about the clothes he was wearing because they had taken clothes from the warehouse that weren’t theirs — obviously to get out of the wet clothes,” Carrie Massari-Carey, Assistant Chief at the Town of Newburgh Emergency Medical Services, told The Post Tuesday.

“They were definitely in good spirits.” Their Cessna 172 went down in the frigid river near New York Stewart International Airport around 8 p.m. — with the pilot and passenger swimming to safety in a feat Gov. Kathy Hochul called “another miracle on the Hudson.”

Video from the scene Tuesday morning shows the plane submerged in the river with its tail sticking out, surrounded by ice. Moments after the crash, first responders were deployed to the shoreline up and down the river to account for the strong current that could quickly whisk away the plane and passengers.

New York Post View Full Story

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VIDEOS: At least 9 firefighters hurt as rowhome collapses during fire in Pennsylvania

Officials say nine firefighters were hurt overnight when a rowhome collapsed as crews worked to extinguish flames that tore through a row of homes in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia.

Security camera footage obtained by NBC10 shows flames erupted at a rowhome along the 5300 block of Hazelhurst Street in West Philly’s Wynnefield community at about 10 p.m. on Monday night. That fire spread to neighboring homes and kept crews working to extinguish the fire busy overnight.

As crews were working to put out the fire, nine firefighters were hurt when a building “collapsed in a lean-to fashion from the second floor to the first shortly after the main body of fire was knocked down,” officials revealed in a statement Tuesday morning.

Several of the firefighters, officials said, alerted mayday situations as they were pinned by debris following the collapse. All of those who were trapped were removed and transported to area hospitals, officials said. All of the firefighters are in stable condition.

WCAU-TV NBC 10 Philadelphia View Full Story

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VIDEO: Firefighters say 4 people injured in a truck fire at a Texas scrap yard

At least four people were injured in a truck fire at a scrap yard in Houston’s Second Ward on Monday, fire officials say. According to the Houston Fire Department, crews responded to a call at about 4:20 p.m. on Monday at a scrap yard located at 499 Lockwood Drive.

SkyEye captured video of firefighters working to put out the blaze, as well as spraying a nearby building. Authorities said that at least four people were injured in the truck fire. Officials said it is currently unclear what sparked the blaze.

KTRK-TV ABC 13 Houston View Full Story

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VIDEO: Firefighters rescue woman who crawled onto roof to escape South Los Angeles fire

Firefighters rescued a woman who crawled out of a second-floor window to escape a fire Tuesday morning at a South Los Angeles residence.

Video showed the woman facedown on a section of rooftop with a precarious hold onto an edge. Firefighters responded at about 2 a.m. to the scene near West 43rd Street and Broadway, where there were reports of people trapped and smoke coming from the second floor of the fourplex.

Firefighters raised a ladder to the woman on the roof and helped her down. One person was hospitalized, but details about that person’s condition were not immediately available. Firefighters ventilated the roof of the building and knocked the fire down in 39 minutes. Details about how the fire started were not immediately available.

KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles View Full Story

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VIDEO: Massive fire engulfs Missouri apartment building

PHOTOS: A fire late Sunday night at a south Springfield apartment complex drew a large response from emergency crews.

Just before midnight Sunday, a fire broke out at the Pebblecreek Apartment complex at 2835 S Fort Avenue. It’s a multi-building complex between W. Sunset Street and W. Battlefield Road.

A witness on scene sent Ozarks First several videos and pictures, showing the roof of one of the buildings fully engulfed in flames. Multiple agencies were also on the scene of the fire.

Firefighters had several ladders propped up to try and reach the upper floors of the building.

Crews could also be seen using ladder pipe to douse the roof of one building, which was heavily involved. It’s unclear how many buildings were damaged.

Medical personnel were also on scene, although it is unclear if there are any injuries.

There is no word yet on a cause of the fire.

KOLR-TV CBS 10 Springfield View Full Story

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Former firefighters in Florida pave way for women

VIDEO: For Women’s History Month, two former Bay area firefighters are being celebrated for paving the way for women.

Jenny Hayes was the first woman to be hired at the Lakeland Fire Department. And Betty Coleman was the first Black female firefighter to put on the uniform at Tampa Fire Rescue.

Both women were hired in the 1980s, when fire departments all across the country were actively recruiting women and other minorities.

“I mean, why not give us a chance?” Hayes said. “That’s how I saw it back then. I’m like, ‘If they’re going to give me a chance, I’m going to show them I can do it.'”

Hayes said a firefighter friend told her about the job. And once hired, some of the men had a hard time trusting her at first.

“You know, like, can she drag me out of a situation?” Hayes said. “I can definitely drag you, I may not be able to carry some of them, but I can definitely drag you.”

According to the National Fire Protection Association, women represent about 9% of firefighters nationwide.

But while the overall percentage may be low, firefighting has grown.

Spectrum News 9 View Full Story

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