A Ruffin family was displaced following an afternoon fire that destroyed half of their home Wednesday, 27-September. At 17:05, Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue was notified of the incident when a neighbor noticed flames coming from the roof of the home at 413 Double Churches Road. Engine 18 arrived minutes later to find heavy fire conditions on the west side of the single-story, residential dwelling. The roof over the garage had already collapsed.
Firefighter-Paramedics deployed two 1-3/4 handlines and forced entry through the front door. Crews made an aggressive interior attack and stopped the spread of the fire approximately half the way through the residence. The fire was under control within 25 minutes.
A search of the building found no occupants, however two canines perished in the fire. Firefighters buried the animals for the homeowner. The fire appears to have started in the area of the electrical panel in the garage. It moved into the attic from the garage. Firefighters stopped the fire approximately midway through the home, saving the rooms on the east side of the structure and some personal items. The remainder of the home suffered smoke, heat and water damage. Water supply was handled with a water shuttle using tenders. Fire units were on the scene for four hours.
Engine 18, Engine 26, Tender 4, Tender 7, Tender 18, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 18, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 105, Car 112 and Car 119 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.
Kitchener, Ontario firefighters responded to a report of an MVC with one vehicle upside down in the Grand River with entrapment, September 26, 2017 at 14:50. Three pumpers, rescue, aerial, haz mat, and chief responded to the call. Pump 2 arrived on scene reporting an SUV upside down in the river with an injured elderly women outside the car.
A passing motorist has been credited with saving the 80-year-old women’s life. The driver was unconscious with her head submerged in water when he cut her seat belt and pulled her from the vehicle. Firefighters and paramedics stabilized the patient on the side of the river. She was hoisted up in a stokes basket and transported to hospital.
Firefighters placed booms around the car to stop gas and oil from running down the river. A 60-ton rotator tow truck lifted the car from the river. Box 690 provided rehab to emergency crews on a very hot September afternoon. Southern Ontario was in a heat advisory with temperatures close to 100 F.
This was a real dandy. The Fire Alarm office calltaker and dispatcher was the late Dick Hyland. You can also hear Bob Phelan as well as Matt Tomlin briefly on the radio and Al Andersen was the switchboard guy that handled most of the radio stuff. I took this job in. What a night this was! The DDC was Ed Altman way before his commissioner days and the responding District Chief was Louis Galante (which explains why this wasn’t a 5-11). Some other voices you may find familiar Jim Corbett on truck 12, Bob Welch as “3a”, Bill O’Boyle on Squad 1.
I’m sure there are many more to be recognized upon further review. This fire turned into a real spectacle. It ignited a scrapyard at 14th & State that went to a box and it also burned up El ties along the tracks for about 2 blocks. To top it off Snorkel 1 got stuck in the partially raised position and members had to be rescued via ground ladder as the radiant heat was getting brutal. After the building collapsed they found a guy who was sleeping in a vehicle next to the fire building who had to be extricated with a hurst tool since the car was squashed by the falling wall.
I was standing too close at the time of the collapse and as I was running saw a member get knocked down by flying bricks. I believe he broke his leg … a narrow miss for me. This was a real all time classic job. I will never forget it.
A home is a total loss after a fire Saturday (9/23/17) morning around 9:30 a.m. at 11343 Buckbee Road in the Township of Larrabee (WI). Fire Crews From: Marion, Clintonville, Embarrass, Bear Creek, Town of Grant, and Pella fire departments responded to the scene.
At 05:53 on Friday morning 22-September, Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue was notified of a two vehicle MVC on I-95 north of the 55 mile marker northbound involving two large trucks. One was reported to be a car carrier and the caller advised the second truck was down an embankment and was too mangled to tell what it was. Engine 1 arrived minutes later to report a car carrier was blocking one lane on the bridge and the second vehicle was a single-unit box truck that was over turned and down an embankment. It appeared the tractor-trailer struck the rear of the box truck, forced it over the bridge railing and down the embankment at the Great Swamp overpass. Both vehicles suffered heavy damage. The box portion was on its side, while the frame was twisted. The cab was upside down and the driver’s side was crushed after striking several trees. The truck driver, who was still wearing a seatbelt, was inverted and trapped in the wreckage. The box truck was empty and the car carrier was hauling new Porsche automobiles. A second ambulance was requested and the C.A.R.E. Flight medical helicopter was placed on standby.
Fire-Rescue crews used a chain saw to clear a path to the truck cab, then carried equipment down to the scene. Firefighter-paramedics removed the remaining glass and crawled into the mangled cab from the passenger side, but could only access the driver’s upper body. His lower body was pinned between the roof, dash, and floor. He appeared to have suffered multiple traumatic injuries including injuries to his legs. Paramedics began treating his injuries, including IVs and pain medications. Other crewmembers used Holmatro hydraulic rescue tools and saws to cut away and displace potions of the cab to free the man. The tedious extrication took over 2-1/2 hours.
When the patient was removed from the truck, he was transported by Medic 1 to Colleton Medical Center in Walterboro. The medical helicopter was cancelled. The driver of the car carrier was not injured. One northbound lane was blocked, causing traffic to back up approximately four miles. The SC Highway Patrol and State Transport Police are investigating the accident. Fire-Rescue units were on scene for four hours.
Engine 1, Rescue 1, Medic 1, Medic 19, Battalion 1, Car 105, Car 107, Car 110, Car 111, Car 112 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
While at a Still & Box on Peoria 9/21/17 in Chicago, Truck 50 landed at 5932 s Hermitage with a 1.5-sty frame and a fire in the attic. Engine 84 and 15 lead out. Truck 50 was working the roof. Josh Boyajian
