Firehouse.com

PITTSBURGH

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A former volunteer firefighter who police said sprayed lighter fluid on a burning couch during a Super Bowl celebration got his charges reduced Monday after completing a program for first-time offenders.

DENVER --

The Denver Fire Department has appointed a woman to its command staff for the first time.

Angela R. Cook was sworn in as the division chief at Denver International Airport Monday.

She is highest-ranking female firefighter in the department's history.

Cook became a Denver firefighter in 1992. She also is a national speaker and instructor on incident management systems, strategy and tactics, as well as career development, according to the Denver Fire Department.

DANIA BEACH, Fla. --

Two people were injured Monday morning when a tire flew off a Dania Beach fire truck that was responding to a call.

A representative of Dania Beach Fire Rescue said the truck was moving east in the 2300 block of Griffin Road with its lights and sirens on when it lost a tire.

LOVELAND, Ohio --

Loveland's fire chief said something Rozzi's workers didn't know was under their feet was partly to blame for an explosion that injured two workers Friday.

Chief Otto Huber said that workers were using a Bobcat in an old barn on the property when the Bobcat knocked over a container of picric

LOCKLAND --

A firefighter is recovering after being injured while fighting a business fire in Lockland.

The fire started at J.R. Trucking on Columbia Avenue around 2:45 a.m.

It took several units over an hour to bring the fire under control. A second alarm was called, bringing units from Forest Park, Reading, Sycamore Township and Woodlawn.

The firefighter was not badly hurt. Authorities did not say how he was injured, but he was walking around.

A duck hunter who rolled his kayak near Jewell Island in Casco Bay on Saturday night set off a chain of events that caused three rescue boats to run aground, including Portland's new $3.2 million fireboat.

There were no injuries, and the hunter who called for emergency help complaining of hypothermia was expected to be OK.

Less certain were the conditions of the boats.

Portland Fire C

ATLANTA

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A fire at the Baptist Towers senior apartments in Atlanta caused approximately 200 people to be evacuated Monday morning.

The fire started around 9:15 a.m. at the complex on Myrtle Drive.

Atlanta fire investigators said everyone was evacuated safely, although three people were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

A fire fighter was also transported for exertion, officials said.

KETTERING, Ohio

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Charges are expected to be filed soon against a woman who drove a truck into a Kettering apartment building without a valid driver's license, police said.

Two people were hospitalized when a truck slammed into an apartment building on Devon Avenue in Kettering Sunday afternoon.

Jennifer Ireland said she was cooking lunch when she heard a loud screeching sound.

OMAHA, Neb. --

Mayor Jim Suttle said that half of the city's 2009 $9.5 million budget shortfall is linked to the city's fire department.

Suttle said that a large number of firefighters turning in claims for sick and leave time played a major factor in the department's $4.7 million contribution to the shortfall.

Suttle's office said fire department accountants will now report to directly to the city's finance director.