BROOKLYN, NY, JAN. 4, 2014 – Five tower ladders, three deck guns and four handlines were used to battle a five-alarm fire in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. Firefighters were hampered by frozen hydrants, temperatures in the single digits and wind chills below zero. Companies remained on the scene being rotated throughout the night because of the cold weather.
Photo by Bill Tompkins
PATERSON, NJ, DEC. 27, 2013 – Crews arrived on scene just before noon to find heavy smoke showing from the basement and first floor of a two-story home. Fire was running the walls on the first floor and extending to the second floor. The fire on the first floor and basement was knocked down, but gas-fed flames forced crews to evacuate the building as heavy fire vented from the second-floor windows and through the roof. The fire was placed under control in about two hours. Two people were taken to the hospital.
Photo by Chris Tompkins
WESFORD, MA, DEC. 20, 2013 – Five residents were left homeless when a four-alarm fire destroyed a private dwelling. No one was at home, so the fire had gained great headway upon arrival of the first firefighters. The hydrant was about one mile away. Seven fire departments responded on mutual aid. The fire was controlled in 90 minutes.
Photo by Scott LaPrade
LOS ANGELES, CA, DEC. 24, 2013 – A greater-alarm structure fire in the South/Central section of the city brought Task Forces 64 and 33 and Engines 57 and 79. The fire started in a converted garage and extended to exposures on both sides of the building. Firefighters had to force their way in by using circular saws to get through chain link fences and security gates.
Photo by Jeff Zimmerman
