Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Four Fire Press Releases from the Last 24 hours


South Battalion House Fire
Incident #: 2013031270
Date of Incident: 07/15/2013
Issuing Officer: Bob Green/Battalion Chief
Narrative:
The Spokane City Fire Dept. dispatched firefighting crews and their apparatus to 410 W 31st Ave. at 00:09 hrs on Monday morning, July 15th,  for a reported structure fire at that address.  Rescue 9, from the neighborhood fire station located at 18th and Bernard, was the first apparatus to arrive on scene. The officer on that apparatus reported by radio that the rear of the house was fully involved by fire and that the fire was threatening a camp trailer and a boat that were stored in the back yard. That first arriving Officer radioed the Fire Dispatch Center and requested that the fire call be up-graded to a “working fire”.  This up-grade would add an additional fire apparatus to the incident. As fire crews began arriving on scene they were assigned to various tasks which included initial fire attack, a back-up hose line to protect the crew already going inside to attack the fire, a secondary fire attack lead, water supply, a ladder crew to go to the roof to open up the roof  to remove the heat and pent-up toxins that were developing in the attic space, another ladder crew to enter the structure to begin pulling down the ceilings in the main floor and to do a thorough search of the home for any potential victims, a Scene  Safety Officer was assigned, another attack lead was stretched to the rear of the structure where the fire was burning freely and that had already consumed the rear deck and much of the back of the home,  and the mandated RIT (Rapid  Intervention Team) was established for any needed rescue of a lost or down fire fighter.  Fortunately all the people who had been in the home had safely exited the building and were located outside. The coordinated work done by the fire crews on scene resulted in a knock-down of the fire which had spread very rapidly throughout the main floor and the basement of this split-entry wood/frame family home. Crews remained on scene for nearly three hours overhauling the scene and searching for any signs of hidden fire. A fire crew remained on scene through the night to locate and extinguish any stubborn fire that was still burning. There were no reports of injuries to any of the fire fighters at the scene. The building sustained very severe fire damage on all floors and part of the roof was burned away, most of the contents were damaged by either the fire or the heavy black smoke that was present in all rooms of the structure. The cause of this fire is being investigated by the Spokane City Fire Dept.’s Special Investigation Unit. Four engines, two senior ladders, one heavy rescue truck, and two Command Vehicles delivered 24 fire fighters to this incident. City Police were on scene to provide traffic control.

 
Cause:
Under investigation by members of the Spokane City Fire Dept's Special Investigation Unit.
Damage:
Very severe fire damage on all floors, part of the roof was burned away, many structural members of the building's framing were seriously damaged, a majority of the contents of the home were burned or suffered smoke damage.
# Firefighters Responding: 24
Dollar Loss: $ 100,000
Other Agencies Responding:
Spokane Police Department, AMR Ambulance crew
End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

South Battalion House Fire
Incident #: 2013031398
Date of Incident: 07/15/2013
Issuing Officer: Bob Green/Battalion Chief
Narrative:
The Spokane City Fire Dept. dispatched firefighting crews and their apparatus to 35 E 28th Ave. at 17:09 hrs on Monday afternoon, July 15th,  for a reported structure fire at that address.  Rescue 9, from the neighborhood fire station located at 18th and Bernard, was the first apparatus to arrive on scene. The officer on that apparatus reported by radio that there was light smoke coming from the roof area of the house and that they were going to force entry into the structure. As fire crews began arriving on scene they were assigned to various tasks which included initial fire attack, a back-up hose line to protect the crew already going inside to check for fire, water supply, a ladder crew to go to the roof  to be in position should roof ventilation be required, other crews were assigned to begin pulling ceilings in the main floor and to do a thorough search of the home for any potential victims, a Scene Safety Officer was assigned, and the mandated RIT (Rapid  Intervention Team) was established for any needed rescue of a lost or down fire fighter.  Fortunately the sole occupant of the house was not at home at the time of the call. Fire crews found some defective or damaged wiring in the ceiling and walls that had been producing enough heat, especially in the attic space, to actually have nearly burnt through some of the roof system's structural members. Avista was requested to respond and their crew disconnected the electrical power to the structure. The home owner arrived on scene after getting off work and mentioned that he had experienced some electrical problems in the home lately. Since electrical service to the home had been disconnected, Red Cross was requested to assist the homeowner with temporary lodging until the house could be repaired. There were no reports of injuries to any of the fire fighters at the scene. The building sustained damage on the main floor. The cause of this fire is being investigated by the Spokane City Fire Dept.’s Special Investigation Unit. Four engines, one senior ladder, one heavy rescue truck, and two Command Vehicles delivered 20 fire fighters to this incident. Some of the initial arriving crews were returned in service after being on scene for only a few minutes as the calls for service in other parts of the City were rather high on this particular afternoon.


 
Cause:
Currently under investigation by the Spokane City Fire Dept.'s Special Investigation Unit.
Damage:
Ceilings in the living room and kitchen were pulled and some walls were opened to find the smoldering fire. Some structural framing in the roof system was damaged by long term exposure to heat producing wiring.
# Firefighters Responding: 20
Dollar Loss: $ 30,000
Other Agencies Responding:
Spokane Police Department,
End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

South Regal grass fire
Incident #: 2013031382
Date of Incident: 07/15/2013
Issuing Officer: Joel Fielder/Battalion Chief
Narrative:
At approximately 3:30 PM Spokane City Fire crews were dispatched to the Palouse Highway and South Regal Street on a reported grass fire. Fire crews arriving on scene reported heavy smoke in the area with fire slowly moving through a vacant lot east of Regal Street. Station 11 crew initiated a direct fire attack at the head of the fire while crews from Fire District 8 assisted with water supply and indirect attack. Several workers from a nearby construction site were also on scene prior to our arrival using shovels to dig a fire line around the fire. Crews were on scene for several hours for mop-up and the size of the fire was determined to be 1/3 acre. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters.
Cause:
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Spokane City Fire Department Special Investigation Unit.
Damage:
Fire damage was confined to the vegetation in the vacant lot.


2627 N Howard Structure Fire
Incident #: 2013031440
Date of Incident: 07/15/2013
Issuing Officer: Joel Fielder/Battalion Chief
Narrative:
At approximately 9:00 PM on July 15, 2013 Spokane City Fire crews were dispatched to 2627 North Howard on a reported structure fire. Fire crews responding to this location reported smoke and fire showing from several blocks away. The first crew on scene reported a 2-car brick garage in the alley was fully involved in fire with fire extending to a second garage to the north. A quick initial fire attack using 2 attack lines for the fully involved garage and a 3rd hose line for the garage to the north resulted in a fast knock down of the fire. A female occupant of the home who had been working in the garage where the fire first started reportedly had burns to her legs and feet and was transported to a local hospital prior to our arrival. There were no injuries to firefighters. Crews remained on scene for 2 hours completing overhaul and assisting in the investigation process. Avista gas and electric crews arrived on scene and removed hazards as needed and Spokane Police assisted with traffic control.
Cause:
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Spokane Fire Departments Special Investigation Unit.
Damage:
The 2-car garage was a total loss with fire damage to the garage to the north.
# Firefighters Responding: 24
Dollar Loss: $ 30000
Other Agencies Responding:
Spokane Police Department, Avista
End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Fire Press Release

Fire damages several buildings

Incident #: 2013031038
Date of Incident: 07/13/2013
Issuing Officer: Battalion Chief Steve Sabo

Narrative:
At 2:30 in the afternoon of July 13, 2013 the Spokane Fire Department dispatched crews to a reported detached garage fire at 3132 S. Manito Blvd, in Spokane’s Manito Neighborhood. The first units on scene reported a two-car detached garage fully involved with a car inside. Neighbors stated that there may have been a victim inside the garage, so crews began advancing hose leads with the intent of attempting to locate and remove the possible victim. Fortunately, the homeowner, who was thought to be the victim, was identified outside the structure. He did suffer first and second degree burns to his hands, and was treated by Spokane Fire Department paramedics at the scene. Crews then directed their efforts to confine the rapidly spreading fire. In addition to the primary garage fire, a storage building, a neighbor’s house and garage, and the house associated with the primary garage were burning or beginning to burn. Because of the large volume of fire, the number and type of structures exposed to the fire and the burn victim, a second alarm was called. In all, 43 firefighters on 9 engines, 2 pumper ladders, 2 ladder trucks, 1 heavy rescue truck and 2 battalion chiefs responded to this incident. The main body of fire was knocked down within 10 minutes. Crews worked aggressively to cut off and extinguish fire in the exposed structures. All fire was extinguished within one hour, but crews remained on scene for 3 more hours completing overhaul and final extinguishment. One firefighter suffered a hand laceration and was transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center for treatment. He was later released from the hospital but was not allowed to return to work until further follow-up by a physician.

Cause:
The cause of this fire was investigated by the Spokane Fire Department’s Special Investigation Unit and determined to be accidental.

Damage:
The primary fire garage was a total loss, with the exposed buildings receiving varying levels of damage. The house at this address sustained damage to the siding and roof, as well as smoke and water damage throughout the interior. It will not be habitable until repairs can be made. One vehicle was destroyed and one was heavily damaged. Damage to the multiple structures and vehicles is estimated at $100,000.

# Firefighters Responding: 43

Dollar Loss: $ 100,000

Other Agencies Responding:
Spokane Police Department, American Medical Response for medical transport.

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

Fire Press Releases

Those of you who follow this blog are probably wondering why there have been no recent press releases, even though there have been a lot of fires the last week or two. When you see a press release here, its origination is directly from an official Spokane Fire Department press release. There have been no official press releases for the last two weeks.

Why is this? I don't know. Could be the incredible amount of fires lately. Could be the news that Station 9 attacked a fire with a garden hose because they no longer have a fire engine. All I know is that there haven't been any press releases published and mass distributed for a very long time.

 If anyone has any idea why, please feel free to comment.