Advertisement Share Shares Copy Link Copy {copyShortcut} to copy Link copied! Updated: 9:35 AM EST Dec 31, 2017 AP SOURCE: AP Police near Denver responding to 'officer down' call; reports of shots being fired at deputies Share Shares Copy Link Copy {copyShortcut} to copy Link copied! Updated: 9:35 AM EST Dec 31, 2017 Police in Denver are responding to an "officer down" call Sunday morning, with reports there may be more officers shot.The sheriff's office described the situation in the downtown area of Colorado Boulevard and University Boulevard as an "active event" and put out a Code Red, instructing citizens in the area to shelter in place, avoid windows and stay away from exterior walls. Advertisement A source in the Douglas County Sheriff's Office told Denver's KKTV it's "not looking good for us" as shots were being fired at deputies. DCSO is working an officer down call in the … [Read more...] about Police near Denver responding to ‘officer down’ call; reports of shots being fired at deputies
Fire
LAFD drones used for first time to assess Creek, Skirball fire damage, look for hot spots
By City News Service and Valerie Osier | [email protected] | PUBLISHED: December 7, 2017 at 12:29 pm | UPDATED: December 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm For the first time, the Los Angeles Fire Department used drones Thursday to help coordinate its battle against a pair of wildfires threatening homes in the city. LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas said early Thursday that drones will be used “for the first time ever,” primarily to conduct property assessment as the agency surveys damage caused by the Creek fire near Sylmar and the Skirball fire in the Bel-Air and Sepulveda Pass. Los Angeles County firefighters from station 28 attack a fire that broke out Wednesday morning at the Wildlife Waystation at the Creek fire which has burned more than 11,000 acres and destroyed at least 30 structures. ( Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)A firefighter from Marinwood hoses hot spots at a stable along Wentworth street in Sunland Wednesday. The Creek fire has burned more than 11,000 acres … [Read more...] about LAFD drones used for first time to assess Creek, Skirball fire damage, look for hot spots
Fire department should have inspected Barrio Logan gym before collapse
Days after a platform collapsed at a Barrio Logan gym in November, injuring dozens of children and two adults, city officials said they had no knowledge of the business and others housed in the same warehouse. But they should have. According to information provided to the San Diego Union-Tribune, fire department authorities were notified in July — months before the collapse — that Vault PK needed to be inspected. They didn’t. It’s not clear what went wrong. Although it’s difficult to say definitively whether a visit from a fire inspector would have made a difference — fire inspectors aren’t responsible for looking over things like indoor platforms — the city is already exploring how to streamline the existing process to ensure other businesses don’t fall through the cracks. “We've got to find a better way to do it,” said Chief Doug Perry, fire marshal with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. “If we have places … [Read more...] about Fire department should have inspected Barrio Logan gym before collapse
Fire sweeps through housing for elderly, disabled in NH
DOVER, N.H. (AP) - Firefighters say a blaze in a housing complex for the elderly and disabled in Dover, New Hampshire, forced several residents to be evacuated into the frigid night.Fire Chief Eric Hagman said one occupant was taken to the hospital Saturday night with chest pain, but that no one else was hurt. Displaced residents were placed on a bus, and temporary housing was lined up by the Dover Housing Authority.Fire officials said they called in reinforcements Saturday night because frigid temperatures created a challenge for fire firefighters.The housing complex, 3 Edgar Bois Terrace, is comprised of 20 units. Officials believe the fire started on the first floor of one of the units. … [Read more...] about Fire sweeps through housing for elderly, disabled in NH
Ash falls like snow as tens of thousands flee Thomas fire
By The Associated Press | | PUBLISHED: December 11, 2017 at 8:33 am | UPDATED: December 11, 2017 at 7:06 pm By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Ash fell like snow and heavy smoke had residents gasping for air Monday as a huge Southern California wildfire exploded in size, becoming the fifth largest in state history and driving celebrities from a wealthy hillside enclave. Tens of thousands have fled their homes as flames churn through foothill towns near Santa Barbara, the latest flare-up after a week of wind-fanned wildfires throughout the region. A pyrocumulus cloud -on from the western flank of the Thomas fire near over Ojai Saturday.The Thomas fire burns through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)Firefighter Joe Santos of Nevada works to contain the Thomas fire burning through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)Firefighters monitor the Thomas fire as it burns through Los Padres … [Read more...] about Ash falls like snow as tens of thousands flee Thomas fire
Man arrested after South Side apartment fire
A man was arrested early Sunday in connection with a South Side apartment fire that left eight people displaced, authorities said. The fire happened in the 6900 block of South Normal Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood just after 1:50 a.m., police said. Police said the man in custody used an accelerant to ignite the basement of the building. Police were investigating the arson. No one was reported injured in the fire. … [Read more...] about Man arrested after South Side apartment fire
California’s largest ever fire was a force that could not be stopped
The fire left the mountains ghostly gray, vast slopes frozen still but for dust devils wandering the ash.Fire crews were conducting a last big operation in the high country, burning a ridge above Hartman Ranch to keep the main fire from mushrooming into a road-less wilderness where condors soar.The Thomas fire had already torn through disparate points of Southern California — beach enclaves, orange groves, rural canyons, golf retreats and suburban cul-de-sacs. Flames ignited fan palms against the Pacific surf and cedars on high granite peaks.Residents along the flame front had seen fires come out of the mountains many times before — at horse ranches in Ojai, at farmworker camps in Fillmore, at Tuscan estates in stands of olive trees in Montecito.But never had they all been threatened by a single fire.The Thomas fire became California’s largest by size since modern recordkeeping began, standing at over 281,900 acres as of Friday. It raced from the urban edge to deep … [Read more...] about California’s largest ever fire was a force that could not be stopped
Evacuation orders lifted for Lilac fire after high winds bypass burn zone
Santa Ana winds that could have reinvigorated the destructive Lilac fire bypassed the burn zone Sunday, allowing fire crews to get a good enough handle on the blaze to lift all evacuations and road closures in the area.Firefighters assisted by helicopters spent the day dousing hot spots left in the wake of the 4,100-acre fire, which — at last count — destroyed 151 structures and damaged 56 others.’"The fire's looking really good, despite the wind,'' said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Henry Herrera. "If we can get through (Sunday) I think we'll be in pretty good shape for the remainder of this incident.''At 4 p.m. Sunday, Cal Fire announced that all residents could return to their homes, and by evening, the fire was 75 percent contained.The weather should be on their side as firefighters continue working. The region’s red flag warning came to an end Sunday night and powerful gusts that ripped through the county over the weekend have moved on.“For the most part, … [Read more...] about Evacuation orders lifted for Lilac fire after high winds bypass burn zone
Lincoln-area fire kills 2-year-old boy, injures seven others
A 2-year-old boy was killed and seven others were injured in a Thursday morning fire near Lincoln, officials have confirmed.The identity of the toddler, who died inside the burning home, has not been released. State officials originally said six people had been injured, but by late Thursday that number increased to seven. The injured were taken to Milford Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Ellendale Fire Company spokesman Jay Jones said. He said by the time firefighters arrived shortly before 10 a.m., most of the people had escaped the two-story home in the 9200 block of E. Mayhew Drive."Every window had fire shooting out of it when we got there," Jones said. Frigid temperatures and the severity of flames presented a challenge, he said. More: Delaware firefighters will use universal mayday code More: Delaware family describes escaping Christmas night inferno Firefighters received a report that a … [Read more...] about Lincoln-area fire kills 2-year-old boy, injures seven others
Activists: Shelling, rocket fire kill 19 outside Damascus
BEIRUT – Syrian activists and a first responder group say shelling and rocket fire in the suburbs of Damascus killed 19 civilians a day after medical evacuations were completed to save the lives of 29 others. The Syrian Civil Defense, volunteer rescuers also known as the White Helmets, says pro-government forces shelled the rebel-held eastern Ghouta suburbs on Saturday, killing 6 children and 13 adults. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group and the local, activist-run Ghouta Media Center reported the same. On Friday, the Red Cross and Red Crescent completed the evacuation of 29 patients from the besieged suburbs to receive urgent medical care in government hospitals in Damascus. The U.N. says around 400,000 people are trapped under the government's siege of eastern Ghouta. … [Read more...] about Activists: Shelling, rocket fire kill 19 outside Damascus