VIDEO: Massive fire burns at Salvation Army thrift store in New Jersey

A massive fire broke out at a Salvation Army store in Union City Thursday night. Newscopter 7 was over the scene as firefighters battled the raging inferno at the Salvation Army thrift store and donation center located at 900 John F. Kennedy Boulevard. The fire devoured the roof with shooting flames that destroyed the building. Inside the thrift store, where it started, the merchandise burned to ashes. From the lowest angle they could get to, to the highest perch they could manage, firefighters tried in vain to drown the blaze for hours, but it kept on burning. Just as it started, Anthony Lamont smelled the smoke in his apartment. A police officer came to help residents get out. Two of Lamont's cats were outside with him Thursday night, a third cat was still in the apartment.
WABC-TV ABC 7 New York City

Fire department in New York welcomes 1947 Mack fire truck back

PHOTOS: It was a symbol of strength, power and durability. The 1947 Mack Model 45S was a pioneering apparatus at the time, and was heavily used in efforts by fire stations across the country to fight blazes — including right here in Oceanside. But this particular Mack truck has returned to the Columbia Engine Company No. 1 after crossing many miles of America and undergoing years of restoration. It was a journey that started simply enough 16 years ago with senior members of the fire department — Bill Lynch, Paul Facella and Fredrick Robinson — reminiscing about fire engines of yesteryear. The 1947 Mack was quite high-tech for its time because of a booster reel used to easily drench the many grass fires in the salt marshes of Oceanside. It was then they came up with an idea: Let’s track down that old truck the Oceanside fire department replaced in the late 1950s that had, up until that moment, been lost to obscurity.
Long Island Herald

Firefighter support networks and resources dedicate January as Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month

As we end the year, the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network have designated the first month of the new year as Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month. 348 of the 469 names added at the 2022 IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial for line-of-duty deaths were from occupational cancer. The month-long campaign includes factsheets, training briefs and survivor stories to focus on the scope of cancer in the profession and to help departments reduce the risk for the now leading cause of death among firefighters. “As we continue to learn more about the link between firefighting and cancer, it is more important than ever that we take steps to minimize the risk firefighters face every single day,” explains FCSN CEO Bryan Frieders.
KEYT-TV ABC 3 Santa Barbara

Bones, bike found near area where former Texas firefighter disappeared 5 years ago

VIDEO: A man out on a hike in Rains County discovered an old bicycle and bones that could possibly belong to a former Dallas firefighter who went missing 5 years ago. The hiker, Michael Ramsey, says he was walking into a part of the woods he had previously believed to be inaccessible because of the swamp in the area. Ramsey says he noticed an old mountain bike under a fallen, rotted tree. Some presumed human skeletal remains were found in the area, according to the Hunt County Sheriff's Office. The Texas Rangers were called in to investigate with the Hunt County Sheriff's Office and the Rains County Sheriff's Office assisting. The remains were found in the area near where the cell phone of former Dallas firefighter Michael Chambers was last tracked on the day he disappeared.
KDFW-TV FOX 4 Dallas

It’s a crime: Hoax threats against schools across North Carolina not just pranks

VIDEO: After dozens of reports of active shooter situations on school campuses rolled across North Carolina on Thursday, law enforcement officers issued this reminder: Any threat against a school is not simply a prank. It is a felony. From east in little Washington to west in Brevard County, North Carolina schools were targeted by false threats and deceptive calls. In no case was a threat actually found. Lt. Patrice Bogertey, spokesperson for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, said, "It wasn't an actual threat. There never was. We're seeing that this is a trend throughout our state here recently. "What this does to law enforcement, and any first responder, is it puts us on high alert because we don't know that it's a false threat until we get there." Bogertey said, "It's a threat of mass violence is what it is. Even though it's a hoax, it's still a felony." Firefighters and police swarmed to Hillside High School in Durham in response to the report of an active shooter.
WRAL-TV NBC 5 Raleigh

VIDEO: Fire spreads through truck stop in Texas, destroys building

San Antonio firefighters responded to a massive fire at a Flying J and Denny’s along Interstate 10 on the East Side on Thursday morning. SAFD Chief Charles Hood said they initially got a call about a fire in the restaurant’s kitchen at 5:15 a.m. The restaurant is attached to the Flying J in the 1800 block of Foster Road, near I-10. The flames quickly spread throughout the building, Hood said, and the fire was fueled by the wind and grease in the kitchen. Customers and employees inside the building were able to make it out safely. The building, however, was destroyed and firefighters were trying to let the fire burn out and burn away the metal roof, Hood said. The flames burned near some fuel lines and also reached a fire truck, causing some damage. About 50-60 big rigs were in the parking lot at the time of the fire, and they were in the process of moving out of the lot.
KSAT-TV ABC 12 San Antonio

Mississippi fire station destroyed in tornado; no injuries reported

PHOTO: The District One Volunteer Fire Station was hit last night and destroyed. There were no injuries but there were two fire trucks in the station. One of the trucks had heavy damage and the other only had minor damage. Lowndes County Fire Coordinator Neil Austin said that the fire department is a necessity and plans to do what needs to be done to get the station fixed. “Of course, we are going through the insurance process, but right now we have the trucks located in another safe location where we can assess them better there and we will start to look through the process of rebuilding because of our fire ratings, we have to have a fire station here so that will be our next step is to start looking at the recovery phase of this,” said Austin. Austin said he is thankful that there were no injuries during the storm.
WCBI-TV CBS/MyNetworkTV/CW+ 4 Columbus

Minnesota firefighters surprise kids in hospice with sleds for snow emergencies

VIDEO: A snowy day turned into a day of fun for some kids at a Brooklyn Center hospice home. Crescent Cove is a place where families find help near the end of life and for respite care. On Tuesday, they received a surprise visit from two Brooklyn Center firefighters with a box full of sleds. "When we saw Brandon [Gautsch] and Royce [Wetterhahn] walk up with a box of sleds, we're going - what do they have up their sleeve today?" said Katie Lindenfelser, the founder and executive director of Crescent Cove. The sleds were immediately embraced by all the kids staying at Crescent Cove. Milo, who has a complex medical condition and shortened life expectancy, was getting rides around the halls inside, while Lauren, who is also getting care at Crescent Cove, was getting pulled around in the snow outside, while her care attendants cheered her on.
WCCO-TV CBS 4 Minneapolis

Wisconsin woman renovates 1915 firehouse into a home

VIDEO: A regular home just wasn't interesting enough for one Kenosha woman. So instead of the white picket fence or home in a cul-de-sac, she bought a firehouse built in 1915, fixed it up, and has been happily living in it ever since. Rhonda Dutton wanted to find a unique home, just like her sister Terry Evans. But we will get to that later. So when Terry told Rhonda about a firehouse for sale in Kenosha, Rhonda knew she had to check it out. "We went upstairs, and I made an offer, and before we came downstairs there was a deal," Dutton said. She bought the home for about $110,000 back in 2008. There have only been three owners of the building including Rhonda. Before she purchased it, another individual owned it and used it as storage for his motorcycles. Before him, the firehouse belonged to the fire department.
WTMJ-TV NBC 4 Milwaukee

New Jersey lawmakers want to require training to help first responders fight electric vehicle fires

When a veteran correctional officer crashed his electric car in May, it took firefighters an hour and a half and 30,000 gallons of water to douse the blaze. That was too late for Daniel Sincavage, who died when he got trapped in his burning Tesla after it veered off the road and hit trees as he drove between facilities at Southern State Correctional Facility in Cumberland County. Now, several state lawmakers want to make sure firefighters and other first responders are better armed to fight fires that ignite in electric vehicles, which require specialized training and gear to extinguish because their lithium-ion batteries burn hotter and longer than gasoline engines. One bill would require firefighters and emergency medical technicians in New Jersey to be trained on the risks of electric vehicle fires and how to safely and effectively put them out.
New Jersey Monitor