Firefighter Close Calls

Two firefighters were injured in a north suburban house fire on Monday morning. There was a large response after a fire broke out in the basement of a home in the 1100 block of Florence Avenue in Evanston at about 9:45 a.m. The fire quickly spread to other floors. The first floor partially collapsed, trapping […]

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – The South Bend Fire department says five children died in a violent house fire on Sunday evening on South Bend’s west side. Crews were called around 6:30 p.m. to the 200 block of N. LaPorte Avenue, which is about a block from the Oliver Mansion, for a structure fire. When […]

On 1/22/1892 a fire at National Surgical Institute killed nineteen patients and injured thirty others at Illinois and Georgia Streets in Indianapolis, Indiana. “The fires occurred downtown shortly before midnight on a cold, snowy night. A newspaper headline told the heartbreaking story, “Helpless cripples perish in the flames or jump to their death on the […]

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — One person is injured after their car lost control, hitting to a Spokane Valley firetruck that was responding to a different crash. According to SVFD, a firetruck was responding to a two-car crash on eastbound I-90 near Sullivan Road Interchange. One person is in critical condition, and another is injured. While the […]

LAWRENCEBURG, Tenn. (WSMV) – Three firefighters were injured after they became trapped while fighting a house fire in Lawrenceburg. On Friday, around 6:22 p.m., firefighters with Lawrence County Fire and Rescue were called to a residential fire near 121 Redhill Center Road. The firefighters became trapped after a collapse of the structure and got separated. […]

Five firefighters were injured, two by falling through a floor into the basement, while battling a blaze at three buildings in a Pittsburgh neighborhood over the weekend, authorities said. Fire crews were called just before 9:30 a.m. Saturday to the Homewood neighborhood where the fire started in one home and spread to two adjacent buildings […]

On 1/21/1924 while operating at a major fire in a refinery storage yard, seven Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania firefighters died, they all suffocated when an explosion blew them into a large vat of paraffin. “Around 5:24 a.m. at the Atlantic Refinery Company, located at 57th and Butler Street along the bank of the Allegheny River in the […]

On 1/20/2004 a nursing (retirement) home fire in Maryville, Blount County, Tennessee killed three and injured twelve residents hours after passing a surprise inspection. Built before 1997 in a converted one-floor house, the nursing home was not required to have sprinklers. “Firefighters struggled in the bitter cold to put out a fire that spread through […]

A firefighter suffered second-degree burns while battling a fire in Hamden on Friday and a resident was treated for smoke inhalation, according to the fire department. Firefighters responded to a home on Wintergreen Avenue around 8:38 a.m. and found smoke coming from the eaves. They were able to evacuate a resident and three small dogs. […]

BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) — Two firefighters and a police officer were hospitalized after they were struck by a vehicle in Bristol, Tennessee. It happened just before 6:30 p.m. Thursday while officers and firefighters were on the scene of a crash in 1921 Highway 394, according to a release from the city. While working the crash […]

On 1/19/2000 the Boland Hall fire at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey killed three and injured more than fifty when two students set the fire as a prank in the freshman dorm around 4:30 a.m. while most students were asleep. Although no accelerants were used the fire rapidly spread across the third-floor […]

BOSTON (SOA) — January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month. The World Health Organization recently designated the job of firefighting as a carcinogen, putting it in the same category of risk as cigarettes. With young firefighters facing devastating diagnoses, we discovered failing protections, both in the gear they wear and in the insurance coverage for life-saving early screening. A […]

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Division of Fire confirms one of its members was injured while fighting a blaze in the Bellaire-Puritas neighborhood on Wednesday. Officials say the fire occurred at a house on West 149th Street south of Puritas Avenue. There were people inside at the time, and while all appear to have made it out safely, […]

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Norfolk firefighter fell through the second floor of a home while battling a fire on White Chapel Road Wednesday morning, officials confirmed to WAVY. He is going to be OK and actually continued fighting the fire after the fall. Norfolk Fire-Rescue said a second firefighter was injured assisting the firefighter […]

A firefighter and two other people were injured early Wednesday in a massive house fire in Hollywood, where a security gate trapped two men among the flames, requiring a difficult rescue amid the intensifying blaze. When firefighters arrived at North Cherokee Avenue just after 3:30 a.m., flames were already visible from outside the one-story, single-family […]

BROWNS POINT, Wash. – The Browns Point Fire Department is asking for the community’s help after someone broke into their fire engine and stole thousands of dollars in life-saving equipment. The theft, reported to Tacoma Police on Monday, happened in broad daylight as several firefighters were out grocery shopping. Lt. Dylan Tapia says the department is shocked and called […]

Video series debuts as part of Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month Firefighter occupational cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty death in the fire service. Unfortunately, many firefighters and their loved ones are still unaware of their level of risk and the best ways to prevent exposure to cancer-causing toxins. Wake County Fire Services and Emergency […]

UNION, N.J. — It has been more than six months since a cargo ship fire left two Newark firefighters dead. Wednesday, the United States Coast Guard continued a hearing where workers and officials, including Newark’s former fire chief, spoke about what they knew. The family of the fallen firefighters spoke after listening to the emotional testimony. Rufus Jackson, Newark’s […]

On 1/18/1938 a fire at the Sacred Heart College in Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec, a small manufacturing city about 30 miles from Montreal, killed Forty-one boys and five priests around 2:00 a.m. The blaze spread rapidly trapping up to 100 occupants, several were injured. Fire operations lasted over 3 hours in near-zero temperatures. “The fire followed […]

Today is Benjamin Franklin’s birthday, he was born on January 17, 1706; happy birthday Mr. Franklin, and thank you! The Father of the American Fire Service was born in Boston, Massachusetts. “The man who established the first community volunteer fire department also invented bifocals, wrote and printed Poor Richard’s Almanac, studied electricity, and helped draft […]