Retired Santa Barbara City Fire Captain and first responder mental wellness pioneer Anthony ’Tony’ Pighetti has died

Retired Santa Barbara City Fire Captain and trailblazer of first responder mental health Anthony "Tony" Pighetti has died. Just after 10 p.m. Tuesday the night of Oct. 8, Pighetti was reported missing by his family after leaving earlier in the day to go paddle boarding in the waters off Miramar Beach. Local law enforcement, fire crews, Santa Barbara City Harbor Patrol, and the U.S. Coast Guard conducted an extensive search through the night. Pighetti was located by members of the U.S. Coast Guard early Wednesday morning and he was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where he died shortly after 9 a.m. Oct. 9, 2024. Pighetti is survived by his wife Andrea; his son Josh and wife Cammie and granddaughter Quincy; his daughter Paige and her husband Dylan who are expecting a son in February; and his son Jake and fiancé Jenna.
KEYT-TV ABC 3 Santa Barbara

Firefighters douse vehicle fire near Palm Springs airport

VIDEO: A vehicle burst into flames just east of Palm Springs International Airport on Wednesday afternoon. At around 2:15 p.m., firefighters from the Palm Springs Fire Department quickly extinguished a car that appeared fully engulfed in flames at the intersection of North Gene Autry Trail and Artisan Way. A shirtless man who appeared to be the vehicle's driver stood nearby speaking on his phone. There did not appear to be any injuries. Once firefighters started dousing the vehicle with water, it took less than a minute for the flames to be extinguished. Shortly after the incident occurred, fire department spokesperson Ronald Skyberg said firefighters had fully extinguished the vehicle fire, but there was no other immediate information available. Traffic on Gene Autry Trail was mostly unaffected by the flames.
Desert Sun - Metered Site

3 homes catch fire in Coalinga

VIDEO: Firefighters responded to three homes on fire in Coalinga on Wednesday, according to Cal Fire, while Coalinga city officials urged residents to “please avoid the area to allow emergency personnel access.” The incident began around 1 p.m. in the area of Coolidge and Hayes streets. Cal Fire confirmed that at least three homes were on fire and the flames started on one home before spreading to the other two. Videos on social media showed multiple homes destroyed and smoldering as fire crews worked through each structure. Kings County Fire, Fresno County Fire, Coalinga Fire, North Central Fire, and an inmate crew all responded to the scene. No injuries were reported. Firefighters say multiple people will be displaced as a result of the flames. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Your Central Valley

Body found in fire leads to arson, homicide investigations in Pomona

Arson and homicide investigations are underway after a man was found dead inside a mobile home that caught fire in Pomona Tuesday night. Pomona police officers and Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel responded to the fire reported shortly before 10:30 p.m. at the Thunderbird Mobile Home Park in the 1700 block of East Mission Boulevard. Upon their arrival, the body of an unidentified man was found inside the residence, the Pomona Police Department stated. Video from the scene showed a woman being treated and then taken to a local hospital by ambulance. The woman’s condition was unknown. Arson and homicide investigators are conducting an investigation into the fire and the man’s death, which was described by police as a crime
KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles

Gas tanker overturns in El Cajon, forcing evacuations, power shutoffs

A tanker truck transporting some 8,800 gallons of gasoline overturned Wednesday at an intersection near Grossmont College, spilling fuel onto the roadway and forcing residential evacuations, along with a precautionary power shutoff in the area. The accident occurred at Fletcher Parkway and Navajo Road in El Cajon about 9:30 a.m., Heartland Fire & Rescue reported. Emergency crews arrived to find gasoline spilling from the damaged tank of the toppled vehicle and flowing into nearby storm drains, said Andy McKellar, spokesman for the agency. Paramedics took the driver of the truck to Sharp Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries of undisclosed severity. Authorities cleared people out of homes within a 300-foot radius of the site of the crash and advised some residents living farther away to remain inside until further notice, McKellar said.
KNSD-TV NBC 7 San Diego

Los Angeles firefighter falls through floor of abandoned Hollywood apartment

VIDEO: A Los Angeles firefighter was injured when he fell through the floor of an abandoned apartment building that caught fire in Hollywood early Tuesday morning. The fire was reported just after 2 a.m. at the two-story boarded-up complex in the 7700 block of Hollywood Boulevard. Heavy fire was showing at the rear of the building, which had already been damaged in previous fires, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Cody Weireter said. Plywood on doors and windows made entry difficult for firefighters, who initially took a defensive posture, but put out the blaze in a little over 30 minutes. One firefighter was injured after eventually making his way into the structure. “We had a firefighter fall through the floor that was conducting a primary search to see if we had any victims inside,” said Weireter, who described the injury as non-life threatening.
KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles

Suspect steals ambulance and leads police on highway pursuit in Southern California

VIDEO: The California High Patrol pursued a stolen ambulance near the Orange-Los Angeles County border Tuesday night. The suspect drove down the CA-91 Freeway after allegedly stealing the ambulance from Orange City Fire Department personnel at Foothill Regional Medical Center in Tustin. According to Fire Chief Robert Stefano, the suspect stole the ambulance as paramedics dropped off a patient at the hospital. After learning about the theft, police started chasing the car near Downey. During the entire ordeal, the ambulance's rear doors were wide open and a side door slid ajar several times. The suspect stopped on the side of the southbound 710 Freeway at East Carson Street just north of where the road splits to the 405 Freeway. He stepped out of the vehicle and surrendered to officers without further incident.
KCAL-TV CBS 9 Los Angeles

Oceanside Fire Department helps military members transition into life after service

VIDEO: The Oceanside Fire Department recently adopted the SkillBridge program, helping service members step into their professional lives outside of the military. “They’re able to work on the ambulance and get real world experience that really does matter for them to get that next job,” said Oceanside Fire Chief David Parsons. The Department of Defense program pairs with professions all over the country to give military members unique work experience, but locally there was nothing quite like this. “This is one of the few programs I saw that actually gives you the experience of actually treating patients and operating on a 911 platform, so that’s why I 100% went for this,” said Naval Petty Officer Reid Dillion. Dillion sees this setting the stage for his dream of being a doctor.
KUSI-TV FOX 5 San Diego

‘A part of the community’: Visalia Fire welcomes new station

VIDEO: Following the grand opening of a new fire station in the City of Visalia, firefighters say it is an opportunity to connect with the community they serve. On Tuesday, Visalia firefighters officially welcomed Fire Station 56 located near Lovers Lane and Tulare Avenue to the city. The building is approximately 6,800 square feet and it will house nine firefighters in total, split between three shifts. Visalia Fire says thanks to funding from Measure N, the crew was able to move from the Cal Fire campus up the road into this new building. Visalia Fire Chief Dan Griswald says the location of the station was brought to fruition by putting the needs of the community first. “You want to try to predict what the city is going to ask of this fire station for the life of this station, what services are they gonna need, how many people is it gonna need to hold, and all those types of things,” Griswald said.
Your Central Valley