Fire destroys South Los Angeles commercial building, damages second

VIDEO: A massive fire destroyed a commercial building in Historic South-Central Los Angeles early Thursday morning and spread to a second building, officials said. Firefighters responded about 12:50 a.m. to the 3700 block of South Grand Avenue, near 38th Street, and found heavy fire coming from a one-story 100-foot-by-200-foot building, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. At about 1:15 a.m., Stewart said the fire had gone through the roof and, due to the "possible loss of structural integrity, this is transitioning to a defensive operation.'' The flames spread to a nearby two-story, 50-foot-by-100-foot commercial building and caused significant damage, but a "closely coordinated operation'' allowed crews to extinguish that fire and save a large portion of the building, Stewart said. The first building was declared a total loss, she said. A total of 99 firefighters were assigned to the greater-alarm incident, and a knock down was called at about 3:30 a.m.
KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles

Contra Costa County Firefighter Delivers His Own Daughter Along Side Of Road

VIDEO: Welcome to the world! A California firefighter helped his wife deliver their daughter on Wednesday. Contra Costa County firefighter Karl Taugher and his wife were on the way to the hospital, but the baby couldn't wait. Karl put his skills to use, helping deliver her on the side of the road. The firefighter said his wife is really the one who did all the work. After delivering the baby, Karl called for firefighters and medics to assist with getting his wife and baby to the hospital. The baby came so fast, mom and dad haven't even picked out a name for her yet.
KFSN-TV ABC 30 Frenso/Visalia

East Palo Alto fire sends 2 people to the hospital, displaces family of 7

A residential fire has injured three people, two of whom were sent to the hospital, and displaced a family in East Palo Alto early Thursday morning, according to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. The blaze was reported on Almond Court shortly after 6:30 a.m., according to Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman. About 60% of the building caught on fire. Three people were injured, he said. Two of those individuals were transported by ambulance to a hospital and one of them had serious burn injuries. The two-alarm incident was deemed under control by about 7 a.m. A family of seven was displaced, Schapelhouman said.
Palo Alto Online

Victims Of Deadly South Lake Tahoe Fire Recall Rescue From Smoke-Filled Building

Helmet cameras on South Lake Tahoe firefighters were rolling as crews respond to a deadly apartment fire on Pine Boulevard Monday. “I knew it was serious. The smoke was getting intense so quick that I knew I had to get out pretty quick,” resident Don McMillian said. It was a scene that the property manager Shawn Mand and McMillian said was intense. “I did kick down the door but, as soon as I did that, a huge wall of smoke came out,” Mand said. “It was very traumatic and hectic when a great deal of smoke started rising up through my floor,” McMillian said. The Monday morning blaze killed one person as six others were rescued and another escaped on his own from the first floor. “It was immediately noticed that we had victims out the windows behind me and that an immediate rescue was needed,” Captain Tyler Jack, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, said.
KOVR-TV CBS 13 Sacramento

Bakersfield Fire Department donates most blood in Red Cross Battle of the Badges

Bakersfield Fire Department firefighters donated the most blood in the Red Cross Battle of the Badges two-day event that resulted in a total of 94 units of blood collected from Bakersfield and Kern firefighters, Bakersfield police and Kern deputies. Bakersfield firefighters donated 38 units of blood, police gave 28 units, Kern firefighters donated 20 units and sheriff’s personnel gave 16 units, according to the final tally. “Record-breaking cold and winter storms across much of the U.S. has forced the cancellation of hundreds of American Red Cross blood drives in about 30 states and caused more than 15,000 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected,” the release said. “The Red Cross is urging healthy individuals, especially those with type O blood, to give now to ensure blood products are available for patient emergencies when help can’t wait.”
KGET-TV NBC/CW+ 17 Bakersfield

Tiger Woods crash: Radio transmissions reveal emergency response by LA County deputies, firefighters

VIDEO: In the harrowing moments after a rollover crash in Rancho Palos Verdes that left golfer Tiger Woods hospitalized on Tuesday, radio communications by the Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire departments reveal the efforts by deputies and firefighter-paramedics to assess the incident and respond to the scene. Woods was alone in the SUV when it crashed into a raised median shortly before 7:15 a.m., crossed two oncoming lanes and rolled several times, authorities said. In an initial transmission, a Fire Department official communicates the location of the crash site, noting that sheriff's deputies have already arrived and that at least one person was trapped inside a vehicle that had veered off the side of the road.
KFSN-TV ABC 30 Frenso/Visalia

Chico Fire academy recruits become first group to practice skills under live fire training

VIDEO: For the first time, Chico Fire recruits trained in the department's new live fire training box. "We are the first academy that has been able to do this,” said recruit Mike Healy. Healy said getting real live training will help when it comes to battling fires for real. "On behalf of a lot of hard work, and dedication by members of this department, and putting in the work and the hours to get this ready for us so that we will actually be ready in just a few days here to experience similar situations serving the city," said Healy. Healy shared what it is like to be inside of the live fire box. He explained it as, "Pitch black, which is good. That is a realistic condition," explained Healy. "It is hot, it is difficult to see and maneuver around. So you have to be aware of your surroundings and have excellent communication with your team members and an understanding of what everyone's roles and responsibilities are." Chico Fire Chief Steve Standridge said training like this could save lives.
KHSL-TV CBS/CW+ 12 Chico

Pasadena Fire Department Emergency Reserve Answers the Call of Duty

PHOTOS: From a Hollywood film director to a renowned spacecraft engineer to lawyers, executives and medical students, the three-dozen or so volunteers that make up the Pasadena Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services Reserve come from all walks of life but are united by a selfless dedication to public service. Members of the EMS Reserve have been responding to emergencies and treating patients since the organization was formed in 1981. While they are required to have emergency medical technician training, at a minimum, and are held to the same standards as their full-time Fire Department colleagues, the reserves man the backs of ambulances and provide medical aid at major events in the city for no compensation, explained Pasadena Fire Department EMS Reserve Senior Lead Coordinator Austin Smithard.
Pasadena Now

Arrest Made For Arson Fire At Homeless Shelter In Oxnard

A Ventura County man has been arrested for an arson fire at a homeless shelter. Last Thursday, someone set a bag of clothes on fire and threw it onto the roof of the Oxnard Navigation Center. It’s a shelter set up in what used to be the Oxnard National Guard Armory. The fire was put out quickly. There were no injuries, and only minor damage. Oxnard Police arson investigators reviewed video footage of the area. They identified a man who had been helped by the shelter as the suspect. Jose Leyva was spotted by officers on patrol Monday, and arrested. Detectives say they are now looking to see if the 55-year-old man may have been involved with other arson attacks in the region.
KCLU-FM 88.3

Tuolumne County reserve firefighter left his own birthday party to rescue hikers at Pinecrest Lake

Brendan Danicourt was celebrating turning 23-years-old in a way many would recognize, having likely spent their own birthday's at home during the coronavirus pandemic. His birthday was on Thursday, Feb. 11, and on Monday, Feb. 15, he was sitting down to a special meal with family when suddenly the party was interrupted by something unexpected. Danicourt is a reserve firefighter and a member of Search and Rescue for the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department. That night, he was called out to help rescue two stranded back country hikers at Pinecrest Lake. He answered the call without hesitation. "We were just having a birthday dinner kind of deal, and then got the call out, and it was just like, well, might as well go," Danicourt said. The couple Danicourt helped rescue was stranded at Pinecrest Lake, having hiked for over four hours in nearly four inches of snow. One person even fell into the water at one point.
KXTV ABC 10 Sacramento

If wildfire ignites, plane with high-tech will hit Southern Californias skies

Is there a fire? How big? Where is it going? When it comes to fighting fast-moving wildfires, information is key, and until recently data from the sky had to wait. In the past, an air crew was dispatched to fly over the blaze, capture images and report back – soaking up crucial time as firefighters on the ground had to battle for a while without the vital data. But now a small plane equipped with a state-of-the-art camera and a satellite sits at the ready at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, poised to deliver real-time infrared video and photos to decision-makers on the ground – in seconds. Right to firefighters’ cell phones. The Beechcraft King Air 200 is staffed around the clock. An identical plane sits in Sacramento, though it is primed to go up only 12 hours a day. Between them, they can cover the entire state, each capable of hustling to a fire at 260-miles per hour, meaning the trip takes 45 minutes tops.
Torrance Daily Breeze - Metered Site