VA LODD report to be released; Large Vegas hotel fire; 3 FDNY FFs hurt, fireground audio; FF/torch out; FDNY stay home; FF’s disability save an issue
(Updated at 2:59 PM, Saturday)
Video of the day: This is raw video of a house fire in Austin, TX on January 17. It is in the West Campus area at the University of Texas. The students who live next door to the burning home began the recording before the first firefighters arrived. The electrical service is arcing and the home is well off. Read more and see additional video, here.
FF crashes SUV into station
In Syracuse, NY a medical condition is being blamed for a firefighter crashing his SUV into the firehouse. This happened as the firefighter was leaving work Saturday morning. The station was heavily damaged and the firefighter was conscious and apparently uninjured by the crash when medics got to him. Read more from WSYR.com.
Another multi-alarm blaze for DC
Master streams in play as the DC Fire & EMS Department dealt with heavy fire conditions in a large 2-story apartment building. The location is the 5400 block of 1st Street, NW. The fire was reported around 10:30 PM Friday.
Report on Technician Kyle Wilson’s death to be released on Saturday
At 2:00 PM on Saturday, we will finally know more about the LODD 9-months ago of Prince William County’s Kyle Wilson. Here is the announcement of the briefing for reporters:
The Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue will hold a media briefing, during which Fire and Rescue Chief Kevin McGee will review the report recently completed by the Department for the line of duty death of Technician Kyle Wilson. Wilson died on April 16,2007, while fighting a fire in Woodbridge. This is the first line-of-duty fatality in the 41-year history of the Department.
Volunteer suing over firing by employer for being late
Maine has a law passed in 2005 aimed at protecting volunteers who are late or miss work because of a fire emergency. What may be the first test of that law is underway with a lawsuit filed by Clinton volunteer Katherine Billings. Billings was fired in February, 2007 after failing to report to work at a nonprofit corporation following an overnight fire. Click here for the story.
Hotel fire on Las Vegas strip. Large fire on roof and upper floors of Monte Carlo now out. Almost entirely exterior fire fought from the interior. Full coverage below.
Watch 10 minutes of raw helicopter video from KLAS-TV via wusa9.com
Click here for KTNV-TV live coverage of a fire in the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino. Looks like fire along two wings of the massive complex. Fire has consumed a large part of the roof area and portions of the upper floors.
The AP picture above was taken earlier. Since this image was shot the fire spread most of the way down the wing on the right of the picture (these are two of three wings of the hotel, the third wing does not appear to be involved) and dropped down to lower floors on that wing (see Las Vegas Sun photo below, probably taken about a little more than an hour after it began).
Fire is reported to have started on the roof or penthouse area of the building and in spots dropping down at least 5 floors below (appears to be about a 30 story hotel … website says more than 3000 rooms … when it was built it was the world’s 7th largest hotel). An interior attack has been underway with much of the fire being extinguished by leaning out windows on the upper floors with hose lines. The bulk of the fire appears to be traveling along the exterior of the building. Speculation on TV is that this is a stucco and foam exterior.
As of 3:00 PM most of the fire appears to have been knocked except at either end of the burned portions. Looking at live coverage on CNN you can still see fire on the top floor at the far edge of the burned area on the wing to the right.
No injuries reported, but there is concern on the news coverage about the whereabouts of some workers. CNN reporting there had been welders working on the roof.
Las Vegas Sun confirms it is a 32-story hotel. The fire began around 11:00 AM Las Vegas time and is at 3-alarms. As of 12:23 PM it was reported contained. More here.
Around 3:30 PM Clark County Fire Chief Steven Smith confirms this was almost entirely an exterior fire. No injuries and no one trapped. There had been welders working on the roof, but the cause is under investigation. A hotel spokesperson says anything above the top row of windows is a facade with no rooms behind it.
KVBC-TV coverage including early video
KTNV-TV story and earlier coverage
As most of you know this is a completely different story than the largest fire disaster to hit Las Vegas. That, of course, was the MGM Grand fire (both the current MGM Grand and the Monte Carlo are owned by MGM Mirage) of November, 1980 that killed 87 people and injured almost 800. Watch below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I1jg1YapBw&rel=1]
3 New York FFs injured in house fire
Just after noon 3 FDNY members were injured battling a 2-alarm house fire in Elmhurst, Queens. At least two of the injured were taken to the burn unit at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Burn Center. It happened on Gorsline Street. Civilians have also been injured in this fire. WABC-TV has details.
New York State Fire Wire already has the fireground audio on this one.
2-alarms in Scranton
Decent video, still images and a running account of a fire in a building under renovation in downtown Scranton, PA. All of it is here from the Tines-Tribune.
FF on disability leave praised for rescue, but the mayor says he should have stopped there
Sean Curley is a hero for twice removing a woman from her burning home on Monday. The Johnson City, NY firefighter’s disability retirement is pending. Mayor Harry Lewis praised Curley for taking action after driving by and spotting the fire. After the rescue, Curley apparently grabbed gear from his car and starting fighting the fire. That’s where the mayor and other city officials draw the line. Read more.
The last time the Johnson City Fire Department received a lot of press attention was when its assistant chief decided to pay a visit to a firehouse dressed very, very casually.
Things are not peachy for FDNY in Georgia
Other than the FDNY Emrald Society’s Pipes and Drums, New York City firefighters are not welcome in Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Citing “drunken misbehavior” at past parades, FDNY members are not getting any Southern hospitality this year. Here’s the story.
Fire lieutenant/arsonist sentenced reduced for being a model prisoner
A Tribune columnist says Jeffrey “Matches” Boyle is out of prison way too soon. The former Chicago Fire Department lieutenant set eight fires, including one in a Catholic school. Boyle served one year and 9 months of a 6-year sentence. John Kass looks at how Boyle was promoted and his family’s political and criminal history. Read more.
For women and minorities only
97 percent of the members of a UK fire brigade are white males. To correct that problem the Avon Fire Service is doing some recruiting. But, “Only women and people from ethnic minorities are allowed to attend four of the five open days being held by Avon Fire Service to attract new recruits”. Now there is a claim of discrimination. Read the Telegraph’s story.
Brief FF’s strike
As we first told you yesterday, firefighters in Sydney, Australia had a two-hour strike today (leaving behind skeleton crews at the station). FireGeezer has the update.
And we posted this for everyone to see?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEEmCc-xwJI&rel=1][youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KAArCWmQSY&rel=1]
It takes all of the fun out of being an investigative reporter when the people pose for these videos and then allow them to be posted on the Internet. Chief Billy Goldfeder and The Secret List gave us the heads-up on these two videos. I don’t know how I missed them.
Over at Firefighter Spot they are taking a poll on what you think of the videos.
Oil transfer station fire
3 people were injured during a fire at an oil transfer station fire in Gilcrest, CO. Watch the story from KUSA-TV. See the slide show. Read the story.
Omaha FF talks about fall through floor
A basement fire in Omaha, NE led to a close call for one firefighter. Kevin Mandina says the floor felt spongy and the next thing he knew he was falling through. FF Mandina’s shoulders didn’t make it into the hole and other firefighters pulled him out as flames attacked him from below. He was uninjured. The firefighter tells his story to KETV-TV.
