SUMMERDALE, PA, NOV. 29—Northeast Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a garage fire, and units arrived to find heavy fire engulfing a two-story detached garage, which was in close proximity to a house and shed. The garage, which was used as a workshop, contained paint, propane tanks and other chemicals, which exploded during the fire. Firefighters from Squad 20 deployed three handlines to battle the blaze. Control was marked within 20 minutes. Mutual aid came from the Enola Fire Company, Hampden Township Volunteer Fire-Rescue, Marysville Fire Company and West Shore Bureau of Fire. Photo by Casey Saussaman
GARY, IN, NOV. 11—A fire at Innofuel Energy Solutions, which specializes in recycling and waste treatment, involved large piles of shredded plastic material. The Gary Fire Department received mutual aid from numerous agencies, including the Hammond Fire Department and the BP Amoco Whiting Refinery Fire Department. The latter provided a deluge unit. Its use for large foam application was critical in containing and bringing under control the fire, the thick, dark smoke of which was visible for miles. Firefighters worked on scene for at least eight hours. One employee of the refinery was hospitalized for serious burns. Photo by Gordon Nord, Jr.
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NY, DEC. 11—The Yorktown Heights Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire. The first-arriving chief confirmed a single-story dwelling that was fully involved and requested a tanker task force, because the area was nonhydranted. The first-arriving engine stretched two lines. It took approximately two hours to get the fire under control because of the water issues. An exposure in the rear, tough access up a hill and debris in the driveway also complicated the operation. Photo by Dave Kempter
NIXA, MO, NOV. 4—A fire that originated in or under a fifth-wheel camper that was parked adjacent to a multitenant warehouse spread to the warehouse and destroyed it and everything that it contained. The multitenant nature of the warehouse presented numerous fuel challenges, from potato chips and toilet paper to welding gas cylinders and propane tanks for forklifts. A single hydrant that was in the area had almost no water, so water had to be trucked in with the help of mutual aid departments via 11 tankers. Ultimately, mutual aid to the Nixa Fire Protection District came from nine departments. In total, 65 firefighters were on scene. Photo by Joseph Thomas
