Jan. 3, 2023 Wilkes-Barre crews needed one ground ladder to reach the porch and a second to reach the third-floor windows to save 5 people.

By Bob Kalinowski Source The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Jan. 3—WILKES-BARRE — Eleven people were displaced and three cats died as a result of a blaze that broke out Monday morning at a New Hancock Street apartment building.

Five people, including two children — a boy, 3, and girl, 5 — were rescued from the third floor.

Tim Trupp, 33, said it seemed like his family waited a long time for help as smoke from the fire, which began on the first floor, infiltrated his apartment.

“I was hanging out the window. It was a while. I was trying to get my children down to them,” Trupp said.

Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney said that fire crews had to use one ground ladder to get onto the front porch roof and another ground ladder to reach the third floor windows to get the trapped victims.

Because of the way the trucks arrived and other obstacles, crews could not use the aerial ladder truck to reach the trapped victims, the chief said.

“These decisions made are split decisions. It was a tedious call. It was a dangerous call. It was not easy to do what was done today. The firefighters risked their lives to save those people on the third floor,” Delaney said. “It’s not often you have to use two separate ground ladders to get to the third floor.”

The fire was reported around 9:15 a.m. at 273-275 New Hancock St., a multi-unit apartment building.

Wilkes-Barre Fire Crews were on another call at the time at a high-rise apartment building, so Plains Twp.’s fire department was called to assist with other Wilkes-Barre crews. The Kingston-Forty Fort Fire Department was already on an automatic response with a rapid intervention team.

Upon arrival, firefighters were met by heavy fire and smoke, Delaney said.

“They had a lot to get done. There was a lot to do,” the chief said. “They all worked like one fire department.”

Wilkes-Barre fire Capt. Francis Evanko, the city’s fire inspector, ruled the fire was accidental due to an electrical issue in a first-floor closet. The property was posted as unsafe for human habitation after the inspection.

The American Red Cross assisted the displaced tenants in finding lodging.

Delaney said the fire could have been a lot worse and he was happy there were no civilian injuries.

“They train for this,” Delaney said of his fire crews. “The firefighters are experts in what they do.”

Jan. 3, 2023 Coastside Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Brian Pottenger didn’t expect to find any survivors in the car.

By Rachel Swan Source San Francisco Chronicle (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Jan. 2—A Tesla plunged off of a cliff at Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County on Monday, falling 250 feet onto rocks and critically injuring the four people inside, according to Cal Fire’s San Mateo- Santa Cruz unit.

When firefighters and paramedics responded to a 911 call at 10:50 a.m. they found two children, ages 9 and 4, and two adults trapped in the vehicle that apparently careened over the road’s edge while traveling south on Highway 1, just past the Tom Lantos Tunnels. Witnesses told Cal Fire crews that the car simply veered off the highway and over the dirt shoulder before it plummeted.

Rescue teams used ropes to rappel down the slope carrying Jaws of Life tools to breach the doors of the wrecked car, where they didn’t expect to find anyone alive, said Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief for the Coastside Fire Protection District who served as the incident commander.

“We go down there quite a bit for vehicles off the cliff, and normally they’re not alive,” he said. But on Monday, rescuers peered through binoculars as they descended the bluff and glimpsed an arm moving in the front window.

“That’s how we knew that we had at least one person alive in the vehicle,” Pottenger said.

Remarkably, all four people were alive and conscious. Teams were able to extricate them and put the two children on stretchers and using ropes and pulleys to hoist them up to the road. Helicopters later arrived for the two adults, and all four crash victims were transported to hospitals.

As of 3 p.m., efforts were still under way to retrieve the wrecked and crumpled car, which landed on a jagged outcropping just above the water’s edge, California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Andrews said.

Dramatic video from Cal Fire showed a helicopter flying in over the choppy waters of the Pacific Ocean to pick up the car’s occupants and take them to a landing area, where firefighters and other first responders stood waiting. They had managed to steer a complex operation in spite of gusting wind and rain beating down.

A CHP spokesperson said investigators from the agency do not believe the vehicle was operating in self-driving mode.

Emergency crews warned motorists to expect delays as firetrucks packed the road and rescue teams assessed the wreck.

Jan. 3, 2023 EMTs administered CPR after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during the Monday Night Football game.

Source Firehouse.com News

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is in critical condition after collapsing on the field during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bills say the 24-year-old suffered cardiac arrest and his heartbeat was restored on the field.

CBS Mornings co-host Nate Burleson, a former NFL player himself, read a statement from the Bills that said, “Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in the Buffalo Bills’ game versus the Cincinnati Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”

As players gathered around Hamlin on the field, viewers immediately sensed how serious the situation was. 

The players from both teams formed a human wall around Hamlin as EMTs fought to save his life.

Some players were visibly sobbing and others took to their knees to pray as CPR was administered and Hamlin, who was given oxygen, was loaded into an ambulance.

Initially, the word from league officials was that the game would resume after a brief 5-minute warm-up.

The head coaches of the two teams gathered their players together and the decision was made that they would not play.

The league finally officially suspended the game, which will be finished at a later date.

Jan. 3, 2023 Buffalo fire officials reported the four girls and boy ranged from 2-10 years old.

By Stephen T. Watson Source The Buffalo News, N.Y. (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Jan. 2—Cornerstone Church Ministries Pastor Duane Price usually holds an online service on Facebook Live from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturdays.

When he saw that one of his congregants, Clarence Liggans, was phoning him at 8:30 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, “I’m thinking he’s calling to let me know he’s going to be at the service, or to crack a joke for me,” Price said.

Instead, Liggans, calling from work, was crying and screaming because he just learned a fire was raging through his house.

“I canceled services and came straight over,” said Price, who has since been busy helping a devastated family that lost five young children in a house fire that gutted their rental house on Dartmouth Avenue.

Clarence and Lisa Liggans lived at the home with two of their adult children and six grandchildren ranging in age from 7 months to 10 years old, Price said during a Monday afternoon press conference outside the 1 1/2-story structure off Bailey Avenue.

All the children except the infant died as a result of the fire.

Three girls — ages 7, 8 and 10 — died Saturday at the scene.

The family learned only hours before the press conference that a 4-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy died earlier in the day at Oishei Children’s Hospital, where they were taken by rescue crews.

The infant was released to family members Monday. Clarence Liggans and his two adult children who lived in the house also are staying elsewhere with family, Price said.

Lisa Liggans, 63, remained at Erie County Medical Center in critical condition with third-degree burns to her body, the pastor said.

Price and city officials have not released the names of the fire victims.

The pastor said the family appreciates the support it is receiving from the community, but needs more time to mourn.

“They are not ready to talk about this, and they asked that we give them time to do some healing,” Price told the media assembled outside the house.

“They are not my direct relatives, yet every time I think about them, it’s hard for me to fight back the tears,” he said. “And if it’s difficult for me, imagine how difficult it is for them.”

The fatal fire began at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Lisa Liggans was able to rescue the infant from the home, and another adult woman also made it out safely, city officials said. Buffalo firefighters got the other children, who were all in cardiac arrest, out of the home.

By late New Year’s Eve morning, the light green house with dark green trim was cordoned off with police tape, which continued to flutter around the property Monday in the early January chill.

Buffalo fire investigators have ruled the fire accidental, said Michael DeGeorge, spokesman for Mayor Byron Brown. Fire officials previously said the fire began in the dining room, and that the home had working smoke detectors.

Property records show the owners live in New York City.

Clarence and Lisa Liggans rented the home, according to a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of the family by their church. Price said the Cornerstone fundraiser is the only one authorized by the family, and it will assist with funeral expenses for the children, as well as basic needs for a family that lost everything.

Price said the church, at 410 East St., is also accepting donations of clothing, furniture and food for the survivors.

“Every dime and every morsel of food donated through this fundraiser will go to help that family,” he said.

Larry Scott, a Buffalo School Board member, tweeted on Monday that the district was preparing to provide additional support for students at the schools the children attended.

“We are deeply saddened by the heartbreaking tragedy where the lives of five young, innocent children perished in a fire. Four were enrolled in Buffalo Public Schools,” the district said in a statement Monday. On the GoFundMe Page, several supporters commented that “Your PS 89 family is here for you,” referring to Dr. Lydia T. Wright Elementary School.

“Crisis support will be available Tuesday and as long as needed to provide support for all students and staff at the respective schools,” the BPS statement said. “The district is reaching out to the family to offer support and will remain respectful of the family’s wishes.”

Price said the fire added another horrific tragedy to 2022, a year that held a devastating racist massacre in May and the Christmas weekend blizzard that caused some 40 deaths in Western New York.

“With each of these tragedies, Buffalo has stepped up and helped those in need,” Price said, “and we ask that you continue to do that for this family.”

Jan. 3, 2023 Two sisters died in the Lancaster fire despite quick rescue by firefighters.

Source Firehouse.com News

An electrical malfunction in an outlet is being blamed for sparking a blaze that killed two sisters in Lancaster this past weekend.

Firefighters pulled the sisters from a second-story bedroom, Lancaster Chief Todd Hutchinson told WGAL, adding that crews made fast entry to perform the rescues. 

But the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office said Anna Leavitt, 18, who was a senior at McCaskey High School, died at the hospital from smoke inhalation.

Anna’s sister, Ariana Leavitt, 13, an eighth-grader, was taken to a burn center in critical condition. She died from her injuries Monday morning, just after midnight.

“It hits a lot of the firefighters hard. They did everything possible to give those girls a fighting chance,” the chief said.

A fire marshal ruled the fire an accident, saying an electrical malfunction in an outlet on the first floor was to blame.

Jan. 3, 2023 Orange County Fire Rescue technicians train for these types of rescues.

By Alison Cutler Source The Charlotte Observer (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

More than 60 people spent New Year’s Eve hundreds of feet in the air after a Ferris wheel broke down in Florida, Florida rescuers said.

Just after 7 p.m. on Dec. 31, Orange County Fire Rescue reported that there was a power failure at “The Wheel” at Icon Park in Orlando, according to a Tweet.

No injuries were reported, but video obtained by WFLA shows sparks and smoke coming out of the Ferris wheel.

Firefighters scaled the wheel and riders began getting off around 8 p.m., Spectrum News reported.

The wheel is 400 feet tall and offers views across Orlando, according to the park’s website.

“As we rotate it down, we’re having to manually open the door, so it takes about 10 to 15 minutes for each pod, for us to get it open and to get people out,” Division Chief Martis Mack told WESH. “We’ve trained hours and hours on this type of rescue, so we were ready for this.”

“All guests in The Wheel have safely disembarked after the attraction lost power on Saturday night,” ICON Park said in a statement, according to Spectrum News.

In March 2022, a 14-year-old boy died at ICON Park in the Free Fall ride after he plummeted more than 400 feet to the ground, McClatchy News previously reported.

An investigation revealed that the Free Fall ride operators did not follow proper procedures on the ride, according to WESH. The ride’s operator was issued a $250,000 fine, the outlet said.

Jan. 2, 2023 Crews throughout Southern California were busy as floodwaters inundated the area.

By Tony Saavedra Source San Gabriel Valley Tribune, West Covina, Calif. (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Jan. 1—The New Year of 2023 arrived in a deluge of rain that flooded streets throughout Southern California, stranding motorists, drenching celebrations and causing overnight havoc. And another heavier storm is expected later in the week.

The downpour contributed to a low turnout at Los Angeles’ big New Year’s Eve celebration at Grand Park in Downtown L.A. Organizers expected about 40,000 people to attend, but little more than 6,000 showed up.

The soaking also caused Santa Anita Park to cancel its New Year’s Day racing program on Sunday. But the horses were expected to be back on the track on Monday, and the popular Corgi dog race was delayed until February 19. Track officials said all tickets sold for Sunday will be fully refunded automatically with no further action required by purchasers.

In San Bernardino County, raging floodwaters trapped two adults and a child in a stalled car in Lytle Creek. Several 911 calls alerted the San Bernardino County Fire Department to the stranded vehicle about 2:30 a.m. Sunday at Forest Service Road and South Lytle Creek Road.

A specialized water rescue team was dispatched to save the trapped people, who were uninjured in the ordeal.

Battalion Chief Mike McClintock said the waters were “gnarly.”

“It was a pretty risky situation they had going on,” McClintock said. “The water was rushing pretty fast. For our crews to get at them by foot was pretty risky.”

In Jurupa Valley, firefighters rescued a woman at 3:16 a.m. Sunday who was trapped on an island in the Santa Ana River bottom, surrounded by a 40-foot-wide river that had swelled to waist deep. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department reached the woman in the river near West Market Street at Via Cerro and rescued her in an inflatable raft that was guided back to shore.

Firefighters said the woman refused medical treatment. No further information was available.

In Tustin, the Orange County Fire Authority rescued five people from two vehicles on the flooded Fourth Street offramp from the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway at 11:53 p.m. Saturday. Authorities said one adult was sitting on top of a vehicle and four adults were sitting inside a second vehicle. No one was injured.

A downed tree almost fell onto a house in Beverly Hills and blocked Coldwater Canyon Drive, near Cielo Drive for several hours. Police said the tree fell at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday and was cleared from the roadway by 7 a.m. Sunday.

Also in Los Angeles, the Universal Studios Boulevard onramp to the southbound Hollywood (101) Freeway was closed due to flooding but reopened late Sunday morning, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Thick mud oozing onto the roadway forced the closure of State Route 138 between the Los Angeles-San Bernardino County Line ( 263rd St.) and State Route 18. Traffic was being diverted Sunday.

In West Covina, two people were pulled by emergency workers from a car that got stuck in three to four inches of water under Interstate 10 on Saturday.

The rains prompted a voluntary evacuation alert in Orange County on Saturday for the burn area in Silverado and Williams canyons. The alert was lifted at 7 a.m. Sunday.

While the storm cleared for New Year’s Day, more strong rain is expected this week, according to David Sweet at the National Weather Service.

Two low-pressure fronts are heading toward Southern California, the later expected to bring extreme winds, heavy storms and flooding, Sweet said.

The first storm will likely bring light rain by Monday night or Tuesday. The second front arrives Wednesday night or Thursday, bringing two to four inches of rain to the lower areas and eight to ten inches in the mountains, Sweet said. That storm is forecast to generate winds of up to 50 mph.