VIDEO: 3 dead, 1 hospitalized in explosion, fire at Ohio auto shop

Three people were killed and one hospitalized after a large explosion and fire at an auto shop in Hillsboro, officials say. Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire Chief David Manning said the victim who was taken to the hospital is in stable condition. The fire started around 4 p.m. Tuesday at Jimbo’s Auto Shop on 502 S. High Street, according to Highland County dispatchers. Black smoke from the explosion and fire could be seen for miles as the blaze fully engulfed the building. Fire crews had to rescue everyone inside and were seen loading a man into an ambulance. The fire chief said crews felt the force of the explosion from as far as four blocks away at their firehouse. Multiple first responders and the State Fire Marshal’s Office remained on the scene overnight investigating the cause.
WXIX-TV FOX 19 Newport

Drive-thru light display raises money for a volunteer fire department in Maryland

VIDEO: Let's set the record straight: it's the end of November, and it's definitely not too early for holiday lights. A volunteer fire company opened up its drive-thru display of lights Friday - about a million of them, according to the company. WMAR-2 News got a full tour just before it opened. "We have a little over a million lights throughout the carnival grounds up here," said Scott Warner, public information officer for the company. "It started out as a dream, looking at other peoples' light displays, and we said 'you know something, we can do this. We have the property to do it.' And it started, and each year keeps getting bigger and bigger." Volunteers started all the way back on October 1 to put the displays together. The results speak for themselves. Folks drive around the roughly half-mile track, and enjoy the holiday classics, all in lights.
WMAR-TV ABC 2 Baltimore

VIDEO: Florida ambulance overturns in crash with bus, pickup; 15 injured

PHOTOS: Fifteen people were injured Tuesday morning in a crash involving an ambulance, a pickup truck and a small bus carrying special needs students, according to Marion County Fire Rescue. MCFR said they were dispatched to a crash involving the three vehicles around 9 a.m. at the intersection of SW 90th Street and SW 80th Avenue, an area near a lot of neighborhoods and also next to Marion County Fire Rescue Station 21. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the ambulance was responding to a call as the driver was working his way across the intersection, when it was struck on the right side by the Bridge to Hope adult community bus, and then the pickup truck. Video showed the emergency lights and sirens were on when the crash happened. Firefighters from the nearby station were able to get to the crash a minute later to help.
WKMG-TV CBS 6 Orlando

Police and fire departments in one Pennsylvania city to use underwater robot for search and recovery missions

VIDEO: The City of Chester's Police and Fire Departments are using new technology for search and recovery missions. They're among the first departments in the Commonwealth to have their own underwater robot. Chester Fire Captain Kevin Postlewait went through training with the state-of-the-art robot he says will make his job as a diver easier. "Our plan is to use it for recovery of weapons, vehicles, people," Postlewait said. The 40-pound submersible has lights and arms that can grab objects and a remote control camera. Postlewait uses a joystick to move the device as he tries to pick up a pair of milk crates placed in the Springton Reservoir for practice. "With the sonar, we can, I believe, reach out to about 300 feet, which you will never be able to see with our own eyes underwater, so it will make a drastic difference in visual sight," Postlewait said.
KYW-TV CBS 3 Philadelphia

VIDEO: 2 hospitalized with burn injuries after large fire at South Los Angeles construction site

Two people were hospitalized with serious injuries after a fire broke out overnight at a construction site in the Central-Alameda neighborhood of South Los Angeles. The fire at a multi-family residential building construction site was first reported just before 3:30 a.m. in the 1500 block of East Vernon Street. Two people, a 66-year-old man and 64-year-old woman, were hospitalized with serious burn injuries. A 30-year-old man was checked out by firefighter-paramedics at the scene. At least 17 people living near the fire site had to be evacuated. Although fire officials did not have the exact number of evacuees, they said people would be able to return to their homes soon. "Someone climbed on top of our garage and banged on our window to wake us up," one neighbor said. "We grabbed our dogs and came out here."
KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles

New York bill would require fire safety precautions in e-bike shops

Shops in New York state that peddle e-bikes would be required to implement enhanced fire safety precautions under a newly introduced bill aimed at curbing New York City’s e-bike fire crisis. The legislation, which would mandate automatic fire monitoring and Class B extinguishers in e-bike shops, is part of a package of e-bike safety bills proposed by state Sen. Iwen Chu, a Brooklyn Democrat. Another bill would set new standards for e-bike batteries. “There is an urgency here,” Chu said in an interview. “We’re working to save lives.” Since New York City lifted its e-bike ban in 2018, the devices have proliferated across the city, posing a growing safety challenge. E-bikes are powered by flammable lithium-ion batteries that can spark fast-moving infernos.
Olean Times Herald - Metered Site

The deadliest nightclub fire in the world occurred 81 years ago in Massachusetts

VIDEO: Tuesday marks the anniversary of the deadliest nightclub fire in history, which occurred right in Massachusetts. On November 28, 1942, more than 490 people were killed in a fire at the Cocoanut Grove on Piedmont Street in Boston. The Cocoanut Grove was a restaurant/club that was very popular in the 20s, became less popular in the 30s due to the prohibition of alcohol, but became popular again during the early years of World War II. According to the Boston Fire Historical Society, the Cocoanut Grove was a single-story building, where the first floor was a restaurant with a ballroom floor and the basement contained a bar called the Melody Lounge. During the warmer months, the roof in the dining room was retractable to let guests dine under the moon and stars. The main entrance to the building was a revolving door facing Piedmont Street.
WWLP-TV NBC/CW+ 22 Springfield

Made in Arizona, Fido Bags are shipped to fire departments across the country as a lifesaving tool for pets in emergencies

VIDEO: First responders lacked the tools needed to give pets the best chance of survival in emergencies for decades, but now, a Valley nonprofit is providing those tools to fire and police departments across the country. "We pull out more dogs and cats and stuff than actual humans." Phoenix firefighter Bobby Laufer said. About 40,000 pets die in fires every year, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Marie Peck wants to lower that statistic. Peck founded the Fetch Foundation and went on to create The Fido Bag. Each bag is filled with essential items needed to help save pets. “What it means to our firefighters and police officers, knowing they can do something now," Peck said. "There’s some of our older guys who have told me 'if they only had it back in the day.'”
KPNX-TV NBC 12 Phoenix