Saturday, March 03, 2012

Fire Press Release

South Battalion Warehouse Fire

Incident #: 2012008970
Date of Incident: 3/2/2012
Issuing Officer: Bob Green/Battalion Chief

Narrative:
The Spokane City Fire Dept. responded fire fighting crews and their apparatus to 207 N Crestline at 16:51 hrs on Friday afternoon, March 2nd, for a reported structure fire. The first arriving company Officer reported a large 1 story high metal sided warehouse with smoke showing from all corners and the roof. Additional reports from that Officer stated that the warehouse was heavily loaded with pallets of paper products and that some of those pallets were burning freely and embers spreading inside the structure were igniting more fires in the stored material. As additional resources began arriving on scene they were given assignments that focused directly on getting more hose lines into the building to attempt to halt the spread of the rapidly growing fire that was still being contained in the warehouse. A second alarm was requested to get additional resources to the scene since it was becoming obvious that the fire was not going to be controlled by the initial crews already on the scene. The amount of material stored in the building, the manner in which it was stored, the type of building it was stored in, and the unknown status of the building's structural members were just some of the factors used to make the decision to pull all firefighters out of the structure and shift from an aggressive offensive attack inside the structure to a defensive strategy where the fire would be fought from the exterior. Stored paper goods are notorious for absorbing the water being used to control the flames and becoming dangerously heavy as they absorb that water. As they get heavier they almost always begin to start to collapse triggering a chain reaction that is every bit as dangerous to the fire fighters inside as an actual building collapse. Once the situation began to stabilize inside the structure crews were judiciously used to enter the building and drive the 5 vehicles that were inside to the exterior parking lot. The main body of fire was finally darkened down after about three hours, but flare ups and smoldering fires would continue throughout the night so City Fire crews were to remain on scene until daylight. Members of the Spokane City Fire Dept. Special Investigation Unit were going to begin the task of trying to determine the cause of this fire on Saturday morning. A decision on the removal of the burnt and/or water saturated paper products in the warehouse as well as the status of the building itself will have to be determined by the business owners. A fire fighter was injured slightly at this fire with a twisted ankle, but other than that there were no additional reports of injuries to fire fighters or civilians. Seven Engines, three Senior Ladder Trucks, one Heavy Rescue Truck, and two Command vehicles delivered 37 fire fighters to the scene of this stubborn fire.

Cause:
Currently under investigation.

Damage:
Total loss of the stored contents inside the building. Possible damge to the structural integrity of the warehouse itself from the high temperatures that were reached as the fires burnt freely inside the building.

# Firefighters Responding: 37

Dollar Loss: $50,000.00

End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAFF LOCAL 29!

On February 28th, 1918, Local 29 was one of the original founding members of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).

Here's a listing of all the locals in the USA and Canada, and a timeline of IAFF History.

Fire Press Release

Commercial Business Fire

Incident #: 2012008380
Date of Incident: 2/28/2012
Issuing Officer: AC Schaeffer

Narrative:
On Monday, February 27, 2012 at 11:36 PM, 7 Companies of Spokane Firefighters, 4 Engines, 2 Senior Ladders and 1 Heavy Rescue under the direction of Battalion Chiefs Green and Fielder responded to a building fire at 4009 East Mission Avenue (G & W Safety Supplies). The first 911 call came from a Good Samaritan that observed a fire from across the river, but initially was unable to determine the location. The citizen drove to the building and subsequently reported the fire. The first company arrived within 2-minutes and found an intense fire outside the northwest section of the large mixed use brick/masonry building. The incident was upgraded to a working fire early which added the SFD's remaining Ladder Company and additional off-duty resources. Ladder companies had to force entry into multiple sides of the building which allowed engine companies access to the building's interior where they successfully located and extinguished the fire. The Ladder companies also used their aerial ladder to access the roof and vertically ventilated above the fire to assist the fire attack and limit the horizontal spread of damage. Additional arriving companies also performed a quick, well-coordinated search of the premises for any victims in the entire building. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters on this incident.

Cause:
The fire is determined to be incendiary; and the cause is clearly intentional. The SFD's Special Investigation Unit is aggressively investigating this case.

Damage:
The interior of the building affected is primarily office space. The monetary loss to the facility is still being estimated with the assistance from the occupants. The SFD's aggressive efforts prevented the fire from traveling to bulk warehouse areas where a significant amount of ammunition and products were stored.

# Firefighters Responding: 26

End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Fire Press Release

Early Morning Fire

Incident #: 2012008146
Date of Incident: 2/26/2012
Issuing Officer: Craig Cornelius / BC

Narrative:
On Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 03:30 AM, the Spokane Fire Department dispatched 4 Engines,1 Senior Ladder, 1 Heavy Rescue and two Battalion Chiefs to 404 E. Rockwell for a reported kitchen fire. Engine 2, under the direction of Lt. Kurt Cole was first on the scene and reported that he had a one story, residential with heavy smoke and fire coming form the rear of the home. He verified that everyone was safely out of the home and along with firefighter Steven Harms, extended a hose line through the front door and attacked the fire. Simultaneously, Ladder 2 went to the roof and ventilated above the fire. Additional arriving companies provided support with back-up hose lines. Engine's 8s crew located and rescued a dog that was still inside the home. Although the main body of fire was knocked down within 20 minutes, firefighters were on the scene for several hours overhauling the scene to verify the fire was out. There were no injuries at this incident. One tenant and two dogs were displaced. The kitchen and rear portion of the home sustained heavy fire damage. At this time, the fire is still under investigation, but the cause appears to be accidental in nature.

Cause:
Final cause is still under investigation.

Damage:
Entire rear portion of home sustained heavy fire damage.

# Firefighters Responding: 23


End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002