$400,000 after a fire department tanker truck totaled

SHELTON -- The city will likely be out $400,000 after a fire department tanker truck full of water overturned on Chamberlain Drive on its way to a residential fire alarm in a non-hydrant area.

Assistant Fire Chief Mike Ullrich said the eight-year-old truck, carrying 300 gallons of water, was traveling south on Chamberlain toward the Deerfield Drive alarm at about 12:45 p.m., when "either mechanical failure or something happened and it rolled over."

The two firefighters inside received minor injuries and were taken to Bridgeport Hospital.

Their names were not immediately released.

The Deerfield Road automatic alarm was in a non-hydrant area, which was why the tanker truck was needed, Ullrich said.

Police and fire officials spent hours investigating the crash, and the truck was still lying on its driver's side near North Hemlock Road at 3 p.m., with Chamberlain closed on both sides.

Ullrich said the tanker appeared to have slid for an unknown distance before coming to rest.

"That can be replaced," he said, expressing his relief that no one was seriously hurt.

"But a life can't be replaced."

It took several hours to clear the scene.

No one at the Shelton Police Department was available for comment.

Ullrich said fire resources were redeployed around the city to compensate for the lost truck. It was the first major crash involving a Shelton fire truck that he knew of, he said, adding that the truck would likely be totaled and city is self-insured.

Arizona: RV destroyed in fire

An investigation is continuing into the cause of a Friday morning fire that destroyed a recreational vehicle on Interstate 8 west of Yuma.

A Winterhaven firefighter was sent to Yuma Regional Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation suffered while fighting the fire at 8:30 a.m. Arizona time, the Winterhaven Fire Department said.

The 24-foot RV was being driven to Pilot Knob when the fire started near the off-ramp of the Winterhaven Drive exit at I-8, the fire department said.

No other injuries were reported. The name of the RV driver and the firefighter were not available.

The Winterhaven Fire Department sent a fire engine and water tender to the scene. Yuma Fire Department also helped knock down the flames.

The RV was a total loss, the Winterhaven Fire Department said.

Source: RV destroyed in fire YumaSun - Link

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: " A late-night fire tore through the crematorium Thursday night at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park on Hecker Pass.

The 11:42 p.m. two-alarm fire leveled the more than 1,000-square-foot building that was attached to the rear of the historic 1932 Pajaro Valley Mausoleum.

Battalion Chief Greg Estrada of Pajaro Valley Fire said that, when firefighters arrived at the scene, they were met with 30- to 40-foot flames rising up into the night sky above the mausoleum. Estrada said he quickly learned that the fire was actually coming from the back of the building, where the crematorium stood. He said firefighters went into a defensive attack because the building was engulfed in flames.

In fact, at one point, Estrada said, the crematorium building caved in on itself. The fire was not fully contained until 3:30 a.m. Friday. Firefighters had to use three rotating water tenders to haul in a lot of the water they needed.

No injuries were reported. Estrada said the cause of the fire is still under investigation and that foul play is not suspected.

Estrada added that firefighters took extra care to ensure that any possible trace of human remains at the crematorium was not disturbed. He said a worker at the facility informed him early on that no human remains were anywhere near the burn area and that the crematorium had long been switched off.

Firefighters and investigators were on the scene for a total of 12 hours.

By Friday afternoon, a Santa Cruz County building inspector had already cleared the mausoleum as being sound, without any sign of structural damage. Pat Carroll of Pajaro Valley Memorial Park said that, though the interior of the mausoleum sustained minor smoke damage, the integrity of all the crypts was intact and that cleanup operations were well under way Friday.

“It will probably take us about a week to get the building back in tidy order,” Carroll said. “We’re thankful the firefighters saved the mausoleum from damage.”

Estrada said firefighters used squeegees to clear away water and soot from the mausoleum.

Estrada said a caretaker on the property was awoken by a barking dog about 11:40 p.m. That’s when the caretaker spotted the flames and called for help.

Twenty-five firefighters from the Pajaro Valley, Cal Fire at Corralitos, Watsonville, Aptos/La Selva, Central, South Santa Clara County and North Monterey County Fire departments responded to the incident. Six engines, three water tenders and three chief officers were also at the scene.

Estrada said that the mausoleum contains 300-400 crypts and urns, but none of them were damaged.

“Because we wanted to maintain the integrity of the mausoleum, and not chase the flames into that building, we fought the fire from the rear and forced it away from the main structure,” Estrada said. “It was a coordinated effort that also involved slowly opening the mausoleum and then pushing the fire out away from the main building. Our efforts paid off.

“I’m really happy with the overall effort by all these agencies,” Estrada said. “When you bring all these people in from three different counties, it can get complex. But we were all working with the same goal, and it went smoothly.”

Source: Pajaronian.com - Link
*Photo by Tarmo Hannula*
Tags: Water tenders, Hecker Pass, Pajaro Valley Fire department, CAL FIRE, Corralitos Fire department, Watsonville Fire department, Aptos/La Selva Fire department, Central Fire department, South Santa Clara County Fire department, North Monterey County Fire department

Texas: Fire engulfs home, responders run out of water

Texas: Fire engulfs home, responders run out of water

Photo by Gary Rhodes, The Midland Reporter-Telegram
By Audrie Palmer, The Midland Reporter-Telegram
A family of four watched in shock and horror Wednesday night as their doublewide mobile home was reduced to a pile of rubble and ash after an accidental fire broke out in a bedroom.

Jean Holley Cunningham, a mother of two, said her husband, children and a friend had just sat down in the living room when they heard a popping noise coming from a back bedroom.

Her 15-year-old daughter, authorities later said, had left two unattended burning candles on a shelf and on a dresser. The fire then spread from the bedroom down the hallway and within minutes had engulfed the entire three bedroom, two bath home.

Cunningham choked up as she recalled trying to gather animals, including a 7-week-old Chihuahua puppy and several cats, and get them out of the burning home as quickly as possible.

She added that she and her husband John have lived in the residence, located in the 11000 block of West County Road 149, for the last four years. Friends told the Reporter-Telegram the husband had just built the fencing around the front of the house and building a writing room near the back of the home for Jean and was in the process of completing the front deck.

Units with the Midland Fire Department responded to the scene around 7:23 p.m. The first responders, Tankers 2 and 4, can only carry a limited supply of water and each brought 2,000 gallons, which were quickly used up, Battalion Chief Ken Whitting said.

With no fire hydrants and a limited water supply — well water pumps in the area only pump out a few gallons of water per minute and cannot supply the fire trucks — Whitting said, crews had to wait for volunteers from both the Greenwood and Northeast Volunteer Fire Departments to bring in extra water.

A total of 12 units were brought in to help control the blaze. By press time, Midland County Fire Marshal Dale Little said the fire was contained and firefighters were mopping up hot spots.

The Midland County Crisis Intervention Unit was dispatched to the scene as well. The Cunningham family, with their home a complete loss, said they will be staying with other family members for the time being.

Source: http://www.texas-fire.com
Raw footage and video from KWES, Midland

Department handles field fire

Department handles field fire: Department handles field fire

Kevin Howell
Reporter

YEOMAN - Monticello Firefighters responded to a field fire Wednesday morning in Carroll County between County Roads 825 North and 875 North on the east edge of Yeoman.
Monticello Fire Department Captain Steve Fisher said the cause of the blaze, which burned through several acres of corn stubble on the Scott farm, was unknown at the time.
Firefighters were hampered a bit by a moderate breeze said Fisher as a water truck ran back and forth across the field to control the burn along the edges of the fire.
Fisher also said there was little loss to the recently harvested corn field, and nearby structures including grain bins, a barn and house were protected from the fire.
A next door neighbor noted that the corn had been harvested just a day or two before."