May 9—Five people were injured early Tuesday morning when flames engulfed a portion of a high-rise in San Francisco’s Sunset District near Mount Sutro, the SF Fire Department said.
The blaze was caused by a lithium-ion battery for an electric bicycle that caught fire, fire department spokesperson Capt. Jonathan Baxter told SFGATE.
The fire department said it was dispatched to Avalon Sunset Towers just after 1 a.m. for a report of a fire. Multiple people were rescued; firefighters reached one man standing on a balcony with a ladder, Baxter said.
Baxter said that two people jumped out of windows on the second floor to escape flames. Three of the five injured people were taken to a local hospital and are expected to survive, SFFD said.
“Unfortunately, there was one deceased dog,” Baxter said.
Seven people were displaced by the blaze and are receiving assistance for the American Red Cross.
Two floors of the 11-story building were impacted by the fire; two and a half units were severely damaged, and 11 units were infused with smoke, Baxter said.
Lithium-ion batteries contain highly flammable materials and are found in consumer tech products such as smartphones, laptops and electric bikes, scooters and cars. Baxter said the batteries can catch fire when they are overcharged, used after being damaged or used after being exposed to extreme heat or extreme cold.
“What we’re seeing is the need to follow the manufacturer’s recommendation on storing them, using them and charging them,” he said.
May 8—The widow of a Buffalo firefighter says her husband was killed when allowed to enter a burning vacant Theater District building, despite “unreasonably dangerous conditions.”
Sarah Tierney, in a notice of claim against the City of Buffalo and the Fire Department, said her husband, Jason Arno, 37, and other firefighters entered the building at 745 Main St., despite department officials knowing the building was vacant.
Tierney also cited other issues:
—Failure of the city to sufficiently train and supervise Arno and his supervisors.
—Failure to adequately inspect firefighting equipment.
—Failure to follow proper mayday, evacuation and man-down procedures.
—Failure to provide Arno and other firefighters with proper and adequate equipment, including gloves, turnout gear, panic buttons, mayday equipment, helmets, hoses and radios.
She is represented by attorney Charles S. Desmond II of the Gibson, McAskill & Crosby law firm.
Destroyed in the blaze was DC Theatricks, a costume shop, which listed its address as 747 Main St.
The notice cites conscious pain and suffering and wrongful death, among other claims, which the notice states were caused by the “negligence, recklessness and carelessness” of the city and the Fire Department.
The department did not comply with the “two in/two out” policy, failing to ensure that at least two firefighters remained in visual or voice contact with one another at all times, according to the notice of claim.
As the first fire crew arrived at the March 1 fire, according to radio dispatches, firefighters reported heavy smoke pouring out of the first floor of the three-story building on a part of Main Street filled with commercial storefronts.
“At this time, let’s start a second alarm,” a fire official told dispatch.
As more crews were called to the scene, several firefighters went inside to investigate the source of the fire.
They quickly reported to dispatch that there was “heavy fire” in the back of the building, and later reported it was about halfway into the building.
Within minutes, the commander on the scene reported “heavy, heavy fire,” and told dispatch to raise the fire to a third alarm.
Then, the commander can be heard saying: “Everyone out. Dispatcher, pull everybody out of here. The fire has too much of a head start. … We’re going to go defensive on this.”
It is believed debris fell on Arno as a blast blew a fellow crew member away from him.
A frantic exchange of dispatches followed.
“Engine 2, are you all accounted for?” a voice asked.
“We do have a confirmed missing member,” a voice can be heard telling dispatch.
A city spokesman said the city does not comment on pending litigation.
A Brooklyn woman died early Tuesday in a suspected arson fire that also badly hurt four children, all believed to be part of the same family.
An accelerant was found in a hall doorway of the three-family home on Fountain Ave. near Liberty Ave. in East New York, the NYPD told PIX11 News.
The cause of the fire has not been immediately determined, but FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Chuck Downey suggested the fire may have been intentionally set.
‘’We had very heavy fire at the front door, which extended up the staircase to the third floor, entered the second floor apartment and came out those front windows,” Downey told reporters.
The woman died at the scene.
The children, girls ages 10, 14 and 17, and a 9-year-old boy, were rushed by medics to Brookdale University Hospital, several of them in critical condition. A man was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in stable condition.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries battling the intense blaze.
Downey, his voice choked with emotion, said firefighters responding to a 2:14 a.m. 911 call encountered a car blocking a fire hydrant but were still able to quickly run two hoses into the home and up the stairs and search “aggressively’’ for the victims.
“Anytime you see a whole family like this together, this time of the night, and the amount of fire and the emotion outside…neighbors, family members.” he said. “It’s very emotional.”
Two members of the Leona Volunteer Fire Department were severely injured when their vehicles hit a downed tree while responding to another accident during Wednesday night’s stormy weather.
FOX 44 reported that the crash occurred on US Highway 75 at Fort Boggy State Park, north of Leona, around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday.
Department of Public Safety Sgt Justin Ruiz said the two men were in separate pickups driving to the Leona Volunteer Fire Department station to respond to the earlier crash when they struck the downed tree.
Ruiz said both men were transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan.
A prayer vigil for the firefighters, identified as Jacob McCurry and Danny Milliken, was held at the Leon County Courthouse Square in Centerville.
A mother and her two daughters were killed early Friday when a fast-moving fire tore through their Brooklyn apartment, police and FDNY officials said.
The fire broke out inside the third-floor apartment of a Gates Ave. building near Throop Ave. in Bedford Stuyvesant just after 5 a.m.
Firefighters responding to the blaze found a 40-year-old woman and her two daughters, ages 8 and 10, inside.
EMS rushed the three to Woodhull Hospital, but none of them could be saved, police said. The names of the victims were not immediately disclosed as cops track down family members.
The fire was put out within an hour and did not progress past the victim’s apartment, officials said.
Fire Marshals were trying to determine the cause of the fire Friday.
Daily, people see Chicago fire engines racing through the streets responding to emergencies — blazes, motor vehicle crashes, industrial mishaps, medical issues.
But, another call is dominating firefighters’ day — assisting or lifting people, WGN reported.
They’re getting calls to help citizens in and out of their homes as well as into vehicles. Last year, crews responded to 41,539 calls to help, up 69 percent since 2019.
Records also show there were 1,094 structure fires last year.
Investigative reporters found people at 14 locations called for lift assistance more than 200 last times year. Of those, six called more than 300 times.
While firefighters take seriously their slogan: “We’re there when you need us,” there’s a new pilot program now that will involve folks at other city agencies answering the ‘lift assistance’ calls.
“We’re like problem solvers for everything, If you have a problem and don’t have a solution – call the fire department,” Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 spokesman Patrick Quane told a reporter.
No firefighters were injured Friday morning when this engine was hit along I-95.
A Prince William County fire engine was hit along I-95 early Friday as it was stopped for another crash.
The firefighters were about to get out when it was struck, according to IAFF Local 2598.
“Luckily, there were no injuries. But this is a very real reminder of the dangers our members face while operating on emergency scenes,” officials wrote.
The driver who failed to obey the Move Over law was cited.
Last February, an engine was struck on Prince WIlliam Parkway. No firefighters were injured. However, the civilian was transported to a local trauma center after the collision.
When the call was dispatched about a derailed train in De Soto Thursday, many things went through the fire chief’s mind.
“What’s actually derailed? What’s in these containers? Because I know that they carry so many various chemicals, hydrocarbons you name it. There’s telling what actually got hurt, what didn’t get hurt, and what’s leaking. All the things that run through your mind,” De Soto Chief Chris Mussatti told reporters.
Two cars carrying paint went into the Mississippi River, but they have since been secured to the bank. Other cars carrying lithium-ion batteries and oxygen containers are on shore.
“At this time, the response is no hazard to the public. There is no hazardous material we are concerned about for public safety,” Jim Hackett, Crawford County Director of Emergency Management, said.
Four railroad workers on the train were transported for treatment.
Hacket praised this community response from volunteer fire and EMS fire companies saying it was ‘nothing short of amazing.’
He added that he was impressed not only by the number of volunteers who responded but how fast they initiated incident command. “It also was nothing short of phenomenal.”
Three firefighters were injured at a house fire Thursday night.
Three firefighters were injured – one of them seriously – while battling a blaze in Birmingham Thursday night.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service responded shortly before 10 p.m. to a structure fire in the 1200 block of Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Boulevard. Battalion Chief Jackie Hicks said that location is a duplex that appeared to be vacant at the time the fire broke out.
There was a substantial amount of fire coming from the duplex when firefighters arrived. Crews quickly made entry and tried to know down the fire from inside.
“Conditions worsened a little bit so crews started to back out,’’ Hicks said. “Unfortunately on the way out of the fire, the porch gave so we had three firefighters that were trapped up under some debris.”
A Mayday call went out – which is used only when a firefighter is trapped, injured or missing.
“They got them out pretty quick, a couple of minutes maybe,’’ Hicks said. “Crews were right there with them so once they saw them go down, they acted quickly to get them out.”
Two of the firefighters sustained minor injures while the third suffered serious injures. Hicks said all three were taken to UAB Hospital but are expected to be OK.
As of 11:30 p.m., firefighters were still working to put out hotspots. Hicks said they would do a thorough search to make sure no one was inside.
Just six days ago, another Birmingham firefighter was injured at an apartment blaze in east Birmingham. The erupted about 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, at 1417 Montclair Road. That is the large, two-story complex across the street from Fair Haven Nursing Home.
That firefighter remains hospitalized at UAB but is also expected to make a full recovery. “We’re still praying for him,’’ Hicks said.
Apr. 27—MORRISON — The widow of a Sterling firefighter killed in a December 2021 residential fire has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Rock Falls and the two lead firefighters at the scene.
Brittney C. Ramos maintains in her lawsuit that Lt. Garrett Ramos died as a result of the fire chief and deputy fire chief not following proper procedures.
But the city of Rock Falls, Fire Chief Cris Bouwens and Deputy Chief Ken Wolf, who are all named as defendants, counter that they have immunity under Illinois law. They also said Ramos was partially responsible for missteps he made that contributed to his death in the Dec. 3, 2021 fire.
Brittney Ramos, who is seeking in excess of $50,000 in damages, filed her suit in Whiteside County Court on Dec. 1, 2022 — three days before the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death.
A year ago, in April 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration released its initial incident report, dated March 8, outlining multiple “willful” errors made during the fire. The final report was released in December, and as a result, the cities of Sterling and Rock Falls paid a combined $36,000 in fines for “lapses” in each department’s policies and procedures.
Those lapses that contributed to Ramos’ death from “asphyxia caused by inhalation of products of combustion due to a structure fire,” the report said.
Brittney Ramos lawsuit by Joe Biesk on Scribd
While the direct cause of Ramos’ death was “exposure to respiratory hazards,” the indirect causes were a failure “to identify the presence or absence of a basement,” and a failure to ensure that firefighters entering the home “were operating on the designated [radio]frequency,” among others, OSHA said.
Among other things, Ramos’ suit cites the OSHA findings, and also cites Bouwens’ failure to assess that the home at 10031 Ridge Road had a basement.
“One of the most basic responsibilities of a supervising firefighter is to immediately determine if a structure has a basement before directing firefighters into the structure,” it says.
“This information is vitally important because a basement increases the risk that the fire will damage the floor beneath the firefighters, and in-turn increase the risk of the floor collapsing resulting in serious injury or death …”
The suit also accuses Bouwens and Wolf of failing to call off firefighting efforts when the garage was destroyed and the home was engulfed, when part of the roof collapsed, when part of the floor collapsed and when the fire was deemed under control.
Each time, “there was absolutely no need to risk RFFor SFD personnel to remain in a home that contained no occupants and was not salvageable,” it says.
It also cites their failure to identify and find Ramos after he made two mayday calls in the wake of the floor collapse.
Such errors constitute “willful and wanton violations of accepted firefighting practices,” the suit says.
That language is important, because under the terms of the Illinois Tort Immunity Act, neither the city nor its employees can be held liable”for any injuries cause by any acts or omissions while engaged in fighting a fire, absent proof that the defendants engaged in willful and wanton conduct,” their attorneys, Michael Kujawa and Deborah Ostvig of Schain, Banks, Kenny & Schwartz Ltd. of Chicago, say in their response to Ramos’ complaint.
The same holds true for any failure to supervise or negligent supervision, or for using their discretion in deciding how, when and where to fight a fire, the response says.
“Clearly, the decisions made by defendants in determining how to fight the fire … all necessarily entailed the balancing of competing interests, i.e., available resources, its obligations to the owners of the subject property and the safety of the firefighters. This balancing process, and all the decisions stemming therefrom, are discretionary in nature.”
Rock Falls Response by Joe Biesk on Scribd
The defense also asserts that Bouwens, Wolf and the city were not the proximate cause of Ramos’ death, and that he “was under a duty to exercise reasonable care and caution for his own safety.”
Ramos “failed to ensure that his radio was on the correct channel; failed to remain with his partners while fighting the subject fire; failed to refill is oxygen tank in a timely manner; and otherwise failed to exercise reasonable care and caution for his own safety,” it says.
“Because decedent Garrett Ramos is more than fifty percent (50%) at fault in causing his own accident and injuries, his recovery is barred,” the defense maintains.
Should Brittney Ramos win a judgment for damages, it should be reduced based on her husband’s role in his own death, the response says.
A motion to dismiss the suit was denied on March 29. The next case management conference is July 17.
