Lightning sparks house fires in Broomfield, Evergreen, Erie

Lightning is suspected behind house fires in Broomfield, Evergreen and Erie on Thursday as severe weather moved across the Front Range. Officials reported the separate fires sparked after 4 p.m., not long after the day’s sunshine was darkened by storm clouds that also brought a confirmed tornado to the Eastern Plains. The Broomfield fire happened on West 154th Avenue, North Metro Fire Rescue posted on social media. “Occupants escaped with their dogs with no injuries. Crews quickly extinguished the fire, containing most of the damage to the roof and attic,” the fire department posted on social media at 4:25 p.m. North Metro said it was uncertain whether the family can stay at the home because of the damage. Firefighters continued to check for hotspots around 4:45 p.m. but some crews had cleared the scene by then.
KDVR-TV FOX 31 Denver

Grand Junction Fire Department starts wellness podcast

Grand Junction Fire Department Captain James Kavanaugh has recently taken on a new and novel job for a firefighter: podcast host. ”Going Interior,” GJFD’s new wellness podcast, aired its first episode April 1. Kavanaugh, who oversees GJFD’s academy, said the department’s communications staff has had the idea for a podcast for a while, they just didn’t know the format. ”I think it’s been valuable, it’s felt like going out on a limb for sure,” Kavanaugh said. “This is an uncomfortable spot, but I’m hopeful pushing ourselves to this point and opening up and sharing these stories opens things up and creates a better connection with both the people we serve and the people within our workplace.” The show was created during some downtime in between the department’s academies.
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel - Metered Site

4-year-old girl honored by El Paso County first responders as ‘911 Hero’

VIDEO: A young girl in El Paso County was honored on Thursday for her role in helping first responders aid her mother during a medical emergency last year. According to officials, Everley was just four years old in September when she called 911 and answered crucial questions for dispatchers in order to aid her mother, earning her the title of “911 Hero”. She’s the most recent of a number of local children to receive the award, which honors young people who reach out to emergency services in a time of need, often helping the ones they love. Everley’s mom, Brooke Cottam, told 11 News that it was a moment of pride to learn that her daughter had called 911 and gotten her the help she needed. “I taught both my girls at a young age how to call 911,” Cottam said, “so when I found out that she actually did and she was able to get paramedics and firefighters to our house, I was so proud of her.
KKTV CBS 11 Colorado Springs

Arvada Fire Department buys 2 new tools to safely battle electric vehicle fires

VIDEO: Firefighters with Arvada Fire have two new tools to help them battle electric vehicle fires, including an electric vehicle fire blanket and the turtle fire system. These kinds of fires are very dangerous and challenging to put out. The battery is underneath the car and it's difficult to get water to that area. Plus, EV fires burn much hotter, reaching temperatures of around 2,800 degrees. "Some of the nightmare scenarios is an electric vehicle fire in a parking structure and trying to protect the structure, the columns and everything around," said Battalion Jamie Chief Dennison, with Arvada fire. Dennison said these two new tools will help protect life and property and make it safer to battle EV fires. The turtle fire system looks like a giant lawn sprinkler that can spray around 500 gallons of water a minute.
CBS News Colorado

Roaring Fork Fire Rescue responds quickly to wildland fire, preventing a potential disaster

On Wednesday, April 24th, the Roaring Fork Fire Rescue was dispatched to a wildland fire near 403 East Fork Lane, Basalt. Upon arrival crews were faced with a 1-acre wildland fire burning in grass, oak brush and timber at the base of Crown Mountain. Winds were gusting around 10 miles per hour and spread the fire up toward Crown Mountain. Firefighters hiked up the terrain in order to extinguish the flames and to lay a wetline around the fire. In doing so, they were able to contain the fire at approximately 5 acres. Due to the possibility of the spread, all available resources were requested from the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. “Firefighters quickly attacked the fire and were able to stop the fire from spreading,” said Incident Commander Chance Goldyn.
KKCO-TV NBC 11 Grand Junction