Hot Shots 8/21

Aug. 16, 2021
Hot Shots include the Seattle Fire Department battling heavy smoke coming from a vacant building nearby to the city’s Seattle Center and Space Needle.

SEATTLE, JUNE 8—The Seattle Fire Department Fire Alarm Center received multiple calls concerning heavy smoke coming from a vacant building nearby to the city’s Seattle Center and Space Needle. When crews arrived, bystanders informed them that there might be a person inside of the fire building on the second floor. Firefighters acted quickly to attack the fire and search the building, but as they made entry, they encountered high heat, heavy smoke and unstable floors. Because of the deteriorating conditions, crews were forced to retreat outside to a defensive position. They utilized thermal imaging cameras to peer through the smoke that billowed from the windows. No person was in the building.

Photo by John Odegard

FORT WORTH, TX, MARCH 5—When firefighters from Fort Worth Fire Department Station 16 arrived, they found fire engulfing four units and burning through the roof of a two-story, U-shaped condominium building. Firefighters went door-to-door to ensure that residents were out while others began to attack the fire with hoselines. As parts of the building collapsed, crews went defensive, using hoselines, one tower ladder and three aerial master streams to contain the fire in two hours.

Photo by Peter Matthews

CARVER, MA, JULY 11—Members from Companies 1 and 2 of the Carver Fire Department responded to a crash with two trapped occupants. Soon after, members from Rescue 1 and Engine 2 formed into multiple groups to simultaneously work to stabilize the vehicle which rested on its side on a wooded hill, to remove the windshield to access the patients, and to staff a charged hoseline to protect the trapped occupants and firefighters in the event that the vehicle caught on fire. Engine 1 was staged down the road in preparation for a possible MedFlight landing zone, which ultimately wasn’t needed.

Photo by Rob Reardon

AMHERST, NY, JULY 20—Racks and racks of burning combustible products in the warehouse of a PPE manufacturing facility required at least 50 companies to battle a blaze that burned for many hours. The warehouse was shared by multiple business, including one that’s involved in industrial chemicals. The state’s foam supply cache was requested from Rochester, which is about 80 miles away from the scene.

Photo by Donald Cialone

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