Fire Wire 12/13

Dec. 1, 2013

OCT. 12: COOKVILLE, TN – Damage was estimated at $15,000-20,000 after a fire at a downtown business. The quick response of firefighters was credited with saving the building from further damage.

OCT. 22: BRENTWOOD, NY – Nine departments battled an early-morning blaze at a recycling facility. No injuries were reported. Heavy machinery was used to pull apart piles of debris in search of pockets of fire.

OCT. 25: PORTLAND, ME – Unattended cooking was the cause of a fire that caused minimal damage and injury due to a residential sprinkler system. Responding to the building’s alarm system activation, the department found residents evacuating and smoke on the second floor. One person suffered minor injuries.

NOV. 6: ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL – An elderly woman, her live-in caretaker and the caretaker’s daughter (who was visiting for the night) perished in a fire that began in the first-floor kitchen of the woman’s home. Investigators found a smoke detector with no batteries on the second floor.

NOV. 8: FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA – Units from Fairfax and Arlington Counties responded to a fire in a high-rise building. Firefighters encountered an active fire on the second floor. A second alarm was struck bringing over 50 fire department personnel to the scene. Firefighters extinguished the fire and rescued an adult male from the apartment where the fire originated and transported him to the area burn center. The smoke alarm did not activate due to a dead battery.

NOV. 11: OCALA, FL – Crews responded to a vehicle collision involving a tractor-trailer shortly after midnight. On arrival firefighters used hydraulic extrication equipment to gain access and safely remove the driver of an SUV that struck the rear of a tractor-trailer.

Thanks to contributors: Jay K. Bradish, Timothy E. Nangle, Bo Power and Brian Stoothoff.

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