Raw video of back-to-back 2nd alarms; PGFD busy with junk yard & arsonist; Truck barely escapes firehouse fire; Burglar escapes fire chief; Chief sues

(Updated at 10:15 AM)

West Coast video of the day: Actually it is from late Monday night. LA County firefighters have fire through the roof of a furniture store. Details, here.

East Coast video of the day: A tanker fire in Everett, MA at 1:00 this morning spread to nearby homes. Click the image above to see raw video from WBZ-TV. WCVB-TV raw video can be found here.

Busy afternoon in Montgomery County, MD

Above, the first of two, 2-alarm fires in Montgomery County on Tuesday afternoon. This was in the 3800 block of Bel Pre Rd. in Aspen Hill. Fire started in a second floor apartment. Fire investigators believe there was a delay in reporting the fire.

At least five people needed help from firefighters in getting out of apartments above and below the fire. STATter 911 counted 11 ground ladders on side A and at least 4 more on side C. Add to this 5 aerial ladders or tower ladders in use on sides A,C and D. You can see my story, here.

Click here to watch raw video of the Bel Pre Rd. fire by Carlos Alfaro Montgomery County FRS

As crews were finishing up at the apartment fire, a lot more ladders were raised at this 2-alarm house fire, 6 few miles away, on South Belgrade Rd. in the Kemp Mill area of Montgomery County. More details on this fire from wusa9.com.

Click here to watch raw video of the South Belgrade Rd. fire by Carlos Alfaro Montgomery County FRS

Junk yard fire and Accokeek arsonist keep PGFD busy


2001 Kenilworth Avenue is a well known address in Prince George’s County. Smith’s Recyclers has been the scene of many multi-alarm fires over the last few decades. The latest was Tuesday evening at 6:15 PM. Two alarms were needed to handle the fire just across the Prince George’s-DC line at Eastern Avenue. The image above is from PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady who describes the fire in a press release: “… a pile of debris about 60 feet high and 60 feet long with a deep-seated fire near the bottom of the pile. The pile included materials destined for metal recycling and included discarded autos, water heaters, stoves, etc. and combustible materials.”

In the very early hours of Tuesday morning, firefighters in Southern Prince George’s County responded to house fire at 16,930 Livingston Rd. in Accokeek. There, they found fire in a house under renovation. While working on that fire, crews discovered a smaller fire next door at a house under construction. This has been prime territory for an arsonist, or arsonists, since March of 2004. Tuesday’s blazes make the 14th and 15th fires being looked at by investigators. Click here to watch the story from reporter Gary Reals.

More pictures from Fairfax warehouse fire

The pictures keep coming in from Sunday’s 3-alarm warehouse fire in Springfield, VA. You can find even more, here.

Firehouse fire in NJ

The Washington Valley firehouse in Warren Township, NJ was damaged by fire Tuesday morning. The chief got to the scene first and was able to get the tower ladder out even though he was unable to raise the bay door. More details, here and here. By the way, the articles report the firehouse had no smoke alarms.

The call for consolidation in San Diego County

It is the largest county in California without a unified fire department. The wildland fires in 2003 and this year have increased the calls to change that situation. The New York Times has the story.

Fire chief chases burglar out window

Harrisburg, PA’s fire chief gets a lunch break. It was during his Tuesday lunch at home that Chief Don Konkle found he wasn’t alone. A burglar with an 8-inch hunting knife was in the house. The man dumped the weapon when he saw the chief and jumped through a closed second-floor window. Click here for the story.

Fire chief sues town

The chief spoke up. The chief was punished. Now the chief is suing. In Randolph, MA, Chief Charles Foley is claiming his rights were violated when he was suspended for three weeks after talking about department staffing following a fire that killed two boys. Click here to read the article.

Inmates restore fire truck

At the Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in California, inmates made a project of a 1923 REO Speed Wagon fire truck. See the results, here.

NJ 5th alarm

This is raw footage from a fire on November 1st in Union.