There are more than 80 firefighters involved in the operation that sent a plume of dark smoke over the Portsmouth area.
Eliza Noe
The Virginian-Pilot
(TNS)
A black plume of smoke rose over Portsmouth Wednesday morning after a fire started on the 900 block of Duke Street.
Multiple units responded to the fire at the warehouse, near the intersection of Interstate 264 and Effingham Street, when the call came in at about 9:30 a.m.
Battalion Chief Joseph Teartt of Portsmouth Fire and Rescue said about 80 personnel were on scene, and there are no reports of injuries for firefighters or civilians.
At this time, the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Researchers use models that combine how weather, topography and types of vegetation raise the risk that a fire will grow large and threaten neighborhoods.
Julie Johnson, Sriharsha Devulapalli San Francisco Chronicle
Feb. 25—With streaks of yellow, orange and red, Cal Fire’s new fire risk maps make plain the extent of fire danger in the Bay Area.
The origin of the maps date back to one of the first major wildfires to burn into neighborhoods in the state: the 1980 Panorama Fire in San Bernardino County. That fire triggered extensive research into which types of homes burned and which survived. Shake roofs made from wood shingles, for example, made homes especially vulnerable to flying embers.
Cal Fire’s maps, which are still in draft form, establish what the state calls fire hazard severity zones, which measure the likelihood of a major wildfire hitting certain areas and neighborhoods. State and local governments require homeowners to follow stricter building codes and landscape rules in some zones — such as banning more wood shake roofs in the riskiest areas.
What do these maps tell communities about fire risk?
Cal Fire’s maps characterize the threat of a potential fire that ignites in the wildland and comes into communities, said Dave Sapsis, a research manager with Cal Fire who was part of the technical team that developed the model.
They use models that combine how weather, topography and types of vegetation raise the risk that a fire, once ignited, will grow large and threaten neighborhoods. Steep terrain and eucalyptus trees, for example, add to fire risk.
But the maps have limits. They do not yet incorporate data for what happens once a wildfire becomes a true urban conflagration spreading from home to home, according to Sapsis.
“They’re modeling a buffer from the wildland to urban areas to account for ember cast,” he said.
He said that scientific models for urban conflagrations are still being developed.
The maps also aren’t meant to show that there is no risk from wildfires in areas not designated in a fire zone, and they focus on the heightened risk for places close to forests, grasslands, parks and other open spaces.
“The closer you are to that wildland edge, the higher the hazard is,” Sapsis said. “The more likely that wildfire that impinges will make it to you.”
Do Cal Fire’s maps require residents to make immediate changes to their properties?
No. Homeowners generally do not have to act until they make big changes, like when properties are built, renovated, purchased or sold. That’s when stricter building codes kick in requiring better roofs, fine mesh vents, multi-pane windows and fire-resistant siding to be installed.
Cal Fire provides a basic outline of the various codes.
The primary audience for the maps are city and county governments, and especially permitting departments, which inform residents about rules for the projects they undertake. For governments, the maps guide planning and development, and inform infrastructure requirements, such as those for roads.
But these zones could eventually impact a vast number of California yards.
The California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection is drafting new rules for the area within five feet of homes. The current plan is to ban most plants (apart from mature trees) and flammable materials like bark mulch and wood fencing within the five feet of residential structures. Studies have shown that embers that land in this area are less likely to set the home on fire if there isn’t material there to burn.
Called an ember-resistant zone, or “zone zero,” the rules would apply only in “very high” fire hazard severity zones in areas generally protected by local fire departments and in all areas listed on the maps as state responsibility protected by Cal Fire. Residents would not have to comply right away. Once adopted, zone zero requirements would first apply to newly built homes and then to existing properties three years after they are enacted.
Where did fire risk grow?
Some cities in the Bay Area gained more acres in the highest tiers of fire risk, including San Jose, Orinda and Half Moon Bay as well as counties including Sonoma and Napa, where multiple major wildfires have broken out in recent years.
In Sausalito, fire risk now extends nearly to the shoreline, according to Cal Fire’s map. The city has about 702 acres in one of the three fire hazard severity zones, whereas it had none listed in the earlier maps released between 2007 and 2011.
Marshall Nau, deputy fire marshal with the Southern Marin Fire Protection District, said the city’s steep terrain, dense neighborhoods and thick vegetation make it particularly fire-prone given the community’s proximity to wild open spaces.
The fire district considers fire risk to extend even further into the flatlands than Cal Fire’s maps show.
Nau said that he’s tried to reassure the many callers to the district who are more worried since the fires in Los Angeles. Residents can harden their homes in meaningful ways with fire-resistant materials and by clearing flammable brush away from structures, he said.
“We’re trying to bring the anxiety down so people can think clearly and take action,” Nau said.
What areas in the region show less fire risk?
Cities including Oakland, Berkeley, El Cerrito and Hillsborough have fewer acres designated in fire hazard severity zones.
In Berkeley, Cal Fire’s new modeling decreased the number of acres listed as having “very high” fire risk from 1,269 to 454. Some of those acres were spread into lower tiered categories, high and moderate.
Berkeley Fire Chief David Sprague said he was surprised to see homes along Panoramic Hill mostly designated as “moderate,” though the city considers this area to be at a major disadvantage should a wildfire ignite. The neighborhoods are densely packed on steep terrain with thick vegetation. Many of the homes are over 100 years old and weren’t made with modern fire-safe standards. Evacuation routes are very limited.
“Cleary, that’s not accurate,” Sprague said.
Cal Fire’s map is just a draft. Local jurisdictions will submit feedback and Cal Fire is expected to finalize the maps at some point later this year.
When will Cal Fire release the next batch of fire risk maps?
The maps released Monday covered cities and towns protected by local fire departments in 17 counties in the San Francisco Bay Area and along Northern California’s coast.
Cal Fire will release another batch of maps March 10 covering central California including Sacramento, and then a final group of maps covering Southern California will be published March 24.
Cal Fire published fire hazard severity zone maps for the areas of the state it protects , which includes most but not all of unincorporated California.
Firefighters entered the Hillyard plant but backed out when conditions were determined to be too dangerous.
Alexandra Duggan and Amanda Sullender
The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
(TNS)
Feb. 25—A lithium battery factory was heavily damaged by fire Tuesday morning, temporarily forcing widespread evacuations in the Hillyard Neighborhood over environmental concerns.
A neighbor called 911 to report the fire at 4019 E. Central Ave. just after 4 a.m., said Spokane Fire Department spokesman Justin de Ruyter.
The business, MaxAmps Lithium Batteries, was founded in 2004 and assembles batteries for drones, vehicles and robotics, according to its website. The warehouse was built in 1993 and is owned by H&E Rental, which is based in Buckeye, Arizona, according to Spokane County property records. H&E bought the building in 2012.
Firefighters entered the building but backed out when it was determined conditions were too dangerous, de Ruyter said. The surrounding area was evacuated in the early morning, but by midday a perimeter had been set at the edge of the property.
It was the largest battery fire in Spokane, de Ruyter said.
Three residents in a home north of the building remain evacuated and may be displaced for several days as the residence is decontaminated. Nearby businesses remain unaffected, and de Ruyter said the Fire Department is “feeling pretty safe” regarding the possible health impacts to Hillyard residents close to the fire.
No injuries were reported related to the incident as of Tuesday afternoon.
Because of the chemicals involved in the battery fire, it is expected to continue smoldering for a day or two. The Fire Department will remain on-site to put out any flare-ups. The large flames observed in the early morning were in part caused by a damaged gas meter during the building’s partial collapse, causing an ignited gas leak.
The fire department’s equipment will have to be decontaminated, de Ruyter said.
Department of Ecology hazardous materials specialist Sean Thompson said it is a “blessing” that contamination hasn’t gone beyond the property. Water runoff is contained on the site, and air quality in the area does not seem to have been impacted, he said. But many questions remain over what kind of contamination can be caused by a lithium battery fire.
“What’s in the smoke? What’s in the fire? What is the contamination? All those things you would expect an answer to at a national level are not there,” Thompson said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Officials said the fire is a reminder to the public to dispose of lithium batteries found in electric devices at a transfer station rather than a trash can. Improperly disposed batteries can cause fires in garbage trucks and landfills. More information and a list of local transfer stations can be found at batterysmartspokane.com.
A Roberts Park fire chief said the roof of the three-story building collapse as firefighters battled the Justice fire.
Firefighters spent hours battling a fire that ripped through an apartment building in Justice Saturday morning.
The fire was reported on South 88th Terrace in a three-story building with a Mansard roof.
Roberts Park Fire Protection District Chief Jeffrey Ketchen told CBS News Chicago that firefighters found heavy fire on the top floor of the building when they arrived.
As firefighters poured water on the blaze, much of the building’s roof collapsed.
A resident told the television station that the apartment’s management would not allow the displaced residents to take shelter in their office.
“We were told we have to go to the police station for shelter. It’s very cold out here. I have a lot of things in my apartment, and I have lost everything,” Jaclin Jackson told CBS.
Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, is a suspect in the slaying of her wife, Rebecca Marodi, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Rebecca Marodi, 49, was found stabbed to death Monday at a residence in Ramona.
Rebecca and Yolanda Marodi were married for slightly more than two years, according to sheriff’s Lt. Michael Krugh. According to public records, they also shared the same address.
Yolanda Marodi was sentenced in 2004 to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of her then-husband, James Joseph Olejniczak, according to court records. She served time in prison from 2004 until 2013.
Marodi, 53, is currently at large and authorities are asking for the public’s help in locating her. She is described as 5 feet 2, about 166 pounds with brown hair, according to a Sheriff’s Department news release.
Rebecca Marodi started her career as a volunteer firefighter in 1993 in Moreno Valley and worked as a seasonal firefighter in Riverside and San Bernardino counties from 1994 to 2000, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Riverside County Fire Department. She was a fire apparatus engineer in 2007 and promoted to captain in 2022.
Marodi was among the many firefighters who helped battle the deadly Eaton fire last month, according to an Instagram post.
An Instagram account for Yolanda Marodi included a reference to Rebecca Marodi as her wife.
“No special occasion is ever needed, to express my love for my amazing wife,” Yolanda Marodi wrote in a January 2023 post. “I’m so lucky to have married someone that loves me for ME. She truly helps me be a better me, and my life has never been better since she’s been in it. So glad I gave love another chance.”
Rebecca Marodi responded by commenting: “I love you my beautiful wife.”
As piles of mattresses and furniture burned, Chicago crews called for additional manpower.
Credit: Caroline Kubzansky – Chicago Tribune
A firefighter was in good condition Thursday night after he became disoriented fighting an extra-alarm blaze at a furniture store in the Roseland neighborhood, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
The fire appeared to have broken out in the basement of Elegant Furniture and Linen, in the 11200 block of South Michigan Avenue, around 6 p.m. according to Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford. Six people were in the store and directed firefighters to the basement, where one of the firefighters lost his bearings in the smoky fire and called “Mayday,” an emergency call for firefighters in distress.
Another team of firefighters were able to find him and move him away from the scene, Langford said. He was in good condition, though dazed, Thursday night. None of the other people in the building were hurt.
The smoky conditions were due to masses of furniture and mattresses stored in the basement, Langford said. All of those materials ignited at about the same time in what is known as a “flashover.”
The fire department upgraded the fire to a 2-11 alarm, which summons additional manpower and firefighter equipment to the scene. It was still burning around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Langford said.
The city will no longer require that two paramedics respond to emergency medical services calls, prompting pushback from the firefighters union.
By Olivia Stevens Source Daily Southtown (Tinley Park, Ill.) (TNS)
Country Club Hills will no longer require that two paramedics respond to emergency medical services calls, prompting pushback from the firefighters union.
The Country Club Hills Fire Department Local 2720, in a Jan. 26 Facebook post, said it was notified of the change to require only one paramedic along with an emergency medical technician basic with less training and experience, on each ambulance starting Feb. 3.
“Local 2720 strongly disagrees with these extreme changes in services being provided to the residents,” the post stated.
The union did not respond to requests for comment beyond their post.
The union said the city also now counts EMT basics toward minimum staffing levels, allowing it to cut its daily staffing from six people per day to four.
Mayor James Ford said by staffing ambulances with one EMT basic and one paramedic, rather than two paramedics, the city still complies with requirements set by the Illinois Department of Public Health and follows the same minimum staffing levels as neighboring municipalities.
The changes follow concerns from the Frankfort fire union about staffing in its village, going so far as posting on social media to notify the public when fire stations were left unmanned as a matter of safety.
“Everyone knows the south suburbs are struggling because of the high taxes,” Ford said Thursday. “So we have to make adjustments to make sure we continue to stay in business.”
Since Feb. 3, Ford said he has not heard of any reductions in the quality of service provided on the two ambulances that serve the city of about 17,000 people. He also criticized the firefighters union for airing out its concerns on social media, as they are working with the city to negotiate a new contract.
“For them to go to the news media or social media — it’s totally unheard of,” Ford said. “I’ve never heard that in my whole life as an elected official.”
EMT basics, beyond having a high school diploma or GED, are trained through a one semester course that allows them to assess vital signs, provide CPR, operate an automated external defibrillator, deliver oxygen to patients, bandage wounds, splint injured limbs and assess a patient’s medical condition through a series of questions, according to the city of Chicago’s EMT and paramedics information.
Paramedics typically must have experience as EMT basics and complete advanced training and extensive clinical experiences that allow them to intubate a patient, defibrillate patients in cardiac arrest, administer medications and gain a greater understanding of anatomy and physiology, according to the city of Chicago.
Chicago EMT basics typically make earn between $30,000 and $50,000 per year, where Chicago paramedics make between $42,000 and $63,000, according to the Lifeline Ambulance Network.
Ford declined to divulge details on savings brought by changing minimum staffing within the Fire Department, but said the decision was made with taxpayers in mind.
The Local 2720 post received support from the Oak Forest Fire Fighters Union Local 3039, which posted that it was a “sad day for our neighbors to the east.”
“Lowering the bar or the level of care is never the answer and only makes the administrator’s and elected officials’ lives easier!” the union wrote in their post.
Oakland officials are looking to take money from insurance and other programs to reopen two fire stations closed last month.
By Sarah Ravani Source San Francisco Chronicle
Feb. 13—Oakland officials announced a plan that they said would prevent the closure of additional fire stations as the city struggles to address its massive budget deficit, by shifting money from other city funds.
On Thursday, Council Members Janani Ramachandran, Rebecca Kaplan and Zac Unger introduced an ordinance that, if approved, would also reopen two fire stations that were temporarily closedearlier this year to save money.
“Oaklanders are united in wanting safer communities. Firehouses are our bread and butter for keeping our communities safe,” Ramachandran said at a news conference Thursday.
Unger said more fire station closures would be catastrophic for the city and the fire department. Seth Olyer, the president of the firefighters association, said the closure of fire stations is “detrimental to public safety.”
Their proposal would use about $8 million taken from the city’s self-insurance liability and other funds. The city is already using a portion of those funds to address the deficit. Their proposal also uses $2.6 million from the Joint Powers Authority, the governing body that oversees operations at the Coliseum, to keep the stations open.
Though council members originally said some of the money would come from the city’s affordable housing trust fund, and the proposed ordinance named the fund in its title, Ramachandran later said the fund would not be tapped. Unger said the council members are still finalizing the funding that they will use. City staff still need to analyze the proposal.
Damon Covington, the city’s fire chief, said in a statement that he’s encouraged by the city’s consideration of “viable options” to reopen closed fire stations and prevent additional closures.
“Oakland residents understand the value of our department and its ability to respond 24 hours a day to over 80,000 calls per year, and they deserve to have the full complement of fire and medical service resources available when they call us,” Covington said. “I will continue to work with the City Council and City Administration to reinforce this message.”
The City Council will vote on their proposal on March 4. The move comes as the city grapples with a nearly $130 million budget deficit that is eviscerating basic services.
The budget deficit has already resulted in the layoffs of nearly 100 city staff members, the elimination of grants to arts and violence prevention organizations, slashing police overtime and closing two fire stations. The city planned to close four more fire stations this month.
Jestin Johnson, the city administrator, told city staff in an email last month that more harsh cuts remain to address the city’s budget woes. Other proposed cuts have not been released.
“We will be guided by our systems and values, and by our strategic plan, and we will continue to work with our departments, our mayor and city council, and our community to chart the path forward,” he said.
Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins will release a budget plan in the spring that will be amended and voted on by the City Council by June 30, per the city charter.
Legislators in both bodies of the North Carolina General Assembly have introduced bills to help protect firefighters, who face a high risk of cancer exposure in the line of duty.
