Dec. 29, 2022 FDNY firefighters believe a space heater may have caused one of the fires.

By Graham Rayman, John Annese, Elizabeth Keogh, Larry McShane Source New York Daily News (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A 76-year-old man killed in a late-night Bronx building fire was fondly remembered Wednesday by neighbors for his upbeat attitude and great sense of humor.

The fire was one of two deadly fires reported in the city late Tuesday. The other blaze, in Brooklyn, took the life of a veteran city correction officer.

In the Bronx blaze, Milton Barnes was found unresponsive about 10:20 p.m. in his second-floor apartment in Norwood, on Rochambeau Ave. near E. 212th St. just south of Van Cortlandt Park. He was pronounced dead at the scene, fire officials said.

“Milton was generous and cheery,” said neighbor Pamela Smith. “He made you laugh all the time, telling jokes. He would put a smile on your face if you didn’t already have one.”

Longtime friend Michael Martin was still reeling after losing his buddy in the blaze.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “We’re in shock. He can’t be gone, he was so alive. He was a very good man. Everybody in the building will say good things about him, everybody.”

According to Martin, the victim’s wife was working at Montefiore Medical Center at the time of the blaze. Barnes had worked there previously before retiring, he added.

“We were very good friends for years,” he added.

Martin’s wife, Katerina, echoed her spouse, recalling how she looked forward to seeing Barnes around the building.

“He was a good man,” she said. “He cared about people.”

Resident Vinnie Moore, who remembered Barnes as a very religious man and a “wonderful neighbor,” said the blaze caused smoke damage on several floors that forced the relocation of mentally handicapped residents living in group homes in the building.

Meanwhile, another deadly blaze in Brooklyn late Tuesday took the life of a 54-year-old correction officer.

A neighbor watched as flames roared through the two-story brick rowhouse on Rochester Ave. near Lincoln Place in Crown Heights about 10:10 p.m.

“That smoke — heavy smoke,” recalled Kevin Robinson, 60. “I didn’t know what to think, it was coming out so bad.”

Firefighters found Marion Fisher-Cassidy, 54, unconscious. She was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital, but she could not be saved.

Fisher-Cassidy was a 14-year Correction Department veteran and was currently assigned to Rikers Island’s Robert N. Davoren Complex, according to a Department of Correction spokesperson.

“This is a tragic and heartbreaking loss and Officer Fisher-Cassidy will be deeply missed at the agency,” said DOC Commissioner Louis A. Molina. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and loved ones during this trying time.”

Fisher-Cassidy lived in the home with her older sister and one of her sons, Robinson said.

“She’s taking it very hard,” Robinson said of the woman’s sister.

FDNY fire marshals were looking into the cause of both deadly fires.

Dec. 29, 2022 Orange Beach water techs are taking advantage of slower winter months to practice.

Source Firehouse.com News

Orange Beach swift water techs are training with the U.S. Coast Guard in the Gulf of Mexico.

The crews are honing their skills as they work together to perform rescues.

“It’s a little bit nerve racking for some because they’ve never done this type of work before,” Orange Beach Fire Rescue’s Chief of Training Chance Ard told WKRG reporters.

The team is taking advantage of the slower winter months to practice this week, simulating a water rescue by boat with the help of air support from above. Ard says in some cases the department has responded to boaters in distress 50 miles out and every second is critical.

“Fishing vessels they can hold up to 50 people, so if you have one of those go down you’re going to need a lot more assets to be able to get the victims out of the water,” he explained adding that it’s a challenging task, working together with the Coast Guard in tough conditions as the helicopter hovers above.

Dec. 29, 2022 An ambulance shortage sometimes leaves Contra Costa County crews unable to handle life-threatening calls.

Source Firehouse.com News

As the ambulance shortage continues across the country, a California county is urging residents not to call 911 unless it’s a true emergency.

“There (are) a number of different circumstances in our jurisdiction that we have down to zero ambulances available to be able to respond out those life-saving incidents,” Contra Costa County Fire Captain Steve Aubert told ABC7. 

The county only has 30 ambulances to respond to emergencies, and that’s not enough. 

“Our ambulance services have been impacted by the pandemic, by the recent events that are going on, but also a large use of the ambulance service just for normal calls going to the hospitals,” he says.

Hospitals are overwhelmed right now with flu and other ill patients.

Those experiencing chest pains, trouble breathing or severe pain shouldn’t hesitate to call 911. Residents should go to urgent care for other issues. And, ride shares ae available.

“Just because you want to an ambulance ride, it doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s going to get you into an emergency room any faster,” he explains.

Dec. 28, 2022 Boston firefighters rescued several people from the house that had fire on all three floors.

By Rick Sobey Source Boston Herald (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A Dorchester woman accused of arson says “the devil” made her light the “haunted” house on fire Tuesday, which then led to Boston firefighters rescuing several residents from the heavy blaze.

Nikia Rivera, 45, has been charged with arson of a dwelling following the two-alarm fire at 74 Mora St., in Dorchester, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

“I’m sorry, I had to do it,” Rivera told a witness to the fire, who relayed the conversation to Boston police officers.

Rivera then left the scene on foot.

Officers later caught up with Rivera, and she told them, “I had to do it. That house is haunted. I lit the house on fire.”

She further told booking officers, “The devil made me do it. There are ghosts in my house.”

The three-story wood frame had fire on all of the floors. Several residents were rescued by Boston firefighters.

“It’s fortunate that this woman’s actions did not result in any residents or responders being seriously injured or killed,” Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden said. “Her statements are obviously disturbing and an immediate evaluation is the proper next step.”

A judge in Dorchester court ordered that Rivera undergo an evaluation at Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, a state Department of Mental Health facility. Rivera will return to court on Jan. 13.

Also developing in fire related news, officials on Tuesday said  a Malden blaze that injured two firefighters was caused by improper use of an extension cord.

Nine people were displaced in the Monday night fire on John Street taht reached 3-alarms.

“We’re extremely relieved that the two injured firefighters are recovering and that none of the residents were hurt or worse,” said Malden Fire Chief William Sullivan.

“This fire started with an indoor extension cord that was run through a window along the outside of the home, where it ignited the building’s exterior,” he added. “If you must use an extension cord outside, be sure it’s rated for outdoor use and keep it away from water, snow, and ice.”

North of Boston, state officials said a fire in Haverhill that destroyed a home on the Merrimack River was caused by improper disposal of smoking materials.

That  two-alarm fire on Coffin Avenue was was sparked after an ashtray was emptied into household trash in a screened-in hot tub room on the ground floor of the home. Combustible materials ignited, and the fire spread. The home is a total loss, but no injuries were reported.

“This is a pattern firefighters see too often in Haverhill and all across Massachusetts,” said Haverhill Fire Chief Robert O’Brien. “Cigarettes and other smoking materials can smolder undetected in an ashtray and ignite other materials when thrown in the trash, out a window, or off a porch. If you smoke or have guests who do, be sure to put it out, all the way, every time.”

Dec. 28, 2022 The cause of the Gatlinburg blaze remains under investigation.

Source Firehouse.com News

The investigation of a house fire in Cumberland County that claimed six people remains under investigation.

The victims include Trent McCoy, Karen McCoy, their son, Chris and his wife Melissa as well as their children, Bella and Ebony, according to Family members identified them as a family of six people, including two children, WBIR reported.

Kara Swallows said she received a phone call from deputies about the fire on the day after Christmas. “It’s just very traumatizing to the whole family.”

The house was fully involved in fire when the first crews from Cumberland County Fire Department approached the area.

No foul play is suspected, and authorities believe it was an accidental. However, it is still under investigation.