Off-duty Miami Beach firefighter helps extinguish blaze after car in front of him erupts in flames

VIDEO: An off-duty Miami Beach firefighter jumped into actions when a fire erupted right in front of him. The firefighter was driving on Coral Way and Southwest 117th Avenue when the car in front of him burst into flames. The vehicle was on fire, sending heavy smoke into the air. The firefighter sprung into action, getting out of his car, found a hose after entering a backyard, and worked to extinguish the blaze. “I looked, and I saw a backyard right there, so I jumped it, I knocked on the door, nobody answered, I jumped it, and I saw, it was perfect, it was just a super long hose, and then I was able to pull the hose, go over, and try to put it out,” said Michael Saavedra, Miami Beach Fire Rescue. The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue showed up moments later to also help extinguish the flames.
WSVN-TV FOX 7 Miami

Rare donation from Bonita Springs fuels future firefighting careers for high school students

VIDEO: A rare donation from the city of Bonita Springs poured fuel on future firefighting careers at Ida Baker High School, Monday. That's when the Bonita Springs Fire Department donated a 2004 Pierce Quantum Pumper to the school's Fire Fighting Academy. They believe it will provide a richer hands-on experience for students in the early stages of their firefighting education. "This is actually unbelievable," said Chase Barnhill, a student who has been taking fire safety courses for two years. "We'll have plenty of time to be hands-on with this thing and do all kinds of tricks and toys and play with everything on it," he added. The Lee County School District praised the donation, emphasizing how it will offer unique training opportunities for students increasingly interested in the career path.
WFTX-TV FOX 4 Cape Coral

A New Beginning: Daytona Beach fire station construction could be complete by late 2025

PHOTOS: The design of the new Fire Station No. 1 is nearing completion, and construction could start this summer. The city recently released near-final design renderings of the new fire station complex, which will be close to four times as large as the current Station No. 1 that's been located on the southeast corner of Beach Street and Orange Avenue since the 1920s. The new 28,000-square-foot fire department headquarters, which will be built on Ridgewood Avenue a little south of City Hall, will have a very modern design with a roof contoured like a wave, red accents, floor-to-ceiling windows and exposed steel supports. The design will be in stark contrast to the current 99-year-old Station No. 1, a quaint 8,000-square-foot station with a Mediterranean look and bell tower that sits on the western bank of the Halifax River.
Daytona Beach News-Journal - Metered Site

Family and 3 dogs escape from San Carlos Park house fire

VIDEO: A family and their four dogs escaped a house fire in San Carlos Park on Tuesday morning. The San Carlos Park Fire Protection and Rescue Service District responded to the fire at the 7000 block of Jasmine Road around 11:30 a.m. Smoke could be seen pouring from the home. Everyone inside the home was able to get out safely. No one was injured. “I went and checked it out and it was smoking so first thing I did, obviously I got the dogs out the house,” homeowner Eric Nieves said. Fire crews worked to put out the smoke and search the home again. The fire was extinguished and confined to the attic, but smoke damage was prevalent throughout the home. The fire marshal is working to determine the cause of the fire. Lee County Public Safety, Estero Fire Rescue, Lee County Sheriff's Office and Florida Power & Light were at the scene.
WZVN-TV ABC 7 Naples

Man found dead after fire erupts inside southwest Miami-Dade County home

Miami-Dade police are investigating after a man was found dead inside a home Tuesday morning after a fire erupted inside, authorities confirmed to Local 10 News. According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, firefighters extinguished the fire at the single-story home in the 15800 block of Southwest 143rd Court. Miami-Dade police Detective Luis Sierra confirmed that the victim was found dead during an inspection of the residence. The victim’s son identified him as 68-year-old Kenneth Mark Pirraglia. “I love my father with all my heart,” he said. “My father will always be my hero.” Anthony Pirraglia said he got a call Tuesday morning while working his overnight security job and was told there had been a fire at his home and that he needed to come speak to police.
WPLG-TV ABC 10 Miami

Car crashes into Haines City home, sparks fire

A car crashed into a home in Haines City before bursting into flames and catching the house on fire, according to the city's fire department. The driver responsible is now facing charges, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said. It happened just before 2 a.m. Saturday at a home near the intersection of Kalogridas and Miss Helen roads. Deputies say 19-year-old Raciel Martinez, the driver of a red Chevy Camaro, was speeding eastbound on Johnson Avenue East and passed a marked patrol vehicle going the opposite direction, revving the engine and accelerating more as he did. The deputy said in the affidavit they turned their car around to follow the Camaro but kept their emergency lights off. From there, the officer said he saw the Camaro turn left onto Kalgridis Road at a rate of speed that made the tires skid and screech.
WTSP-TV CBS 10 St. Petersburg

’Perfect and entire ruin’: How Tallahassee survived after 1843 inferno

PHOTOS: It’s 5 p.m. on May 25, 1843, in Tallahassee. For the next three hours, the city would be engulfed in flames. Blocks of downtown were turned to ash as a fire broke out on the grounds of the Washington Hall Hotel, east of the Capitol. For $2 a day, the hotel provided room and board for guests during Florida’s territorial period (1822–1845) and served as a place for civic and religious activities. The hotel fire spread north, claiming stores, a blacksmith, numerous homes, offices and other businesses, including those owned by Gov. Richard Keith Call. The courthouse caught fire multiple times but was spared by alert citizens who extinguished the flames. The wooden buildings of the Planter's Hotel, Dorsey’s Auction Room, Perkins Drugstore and the Log Cabin shoe maker’s shop were burned to the ground.
Tallahassee Democrat - Metered Site