VIDEO: Investigation continues after massive fire lights up sky in Pennsylvania

"I heard explosions. The warehouse is on fire," neighbor Patrick Petrillo said. It was Petrillo's middle-of-the-night unnerving wake-up call. "What did it look like?" I asked him. "It was 200 feet in the air. Higher than those poles, and I knew it was done," he said. The fire erupted in the 4800 block of Kernsville Road, in North Whitehall Township. "Have you ever seen a fire like this?" I asked Fire Marshal Don Jacobs. "No. Not this intense," he said. He says two trucking companies, Doctor Diesel and OCS, and a cleaning company used the space. "All the diesel fuel for those, they have all the hydraulic fluids that are going to be associated with the hydraulic lift, all that stuff, and all that stuff is at some temperature combustible," he explained.
WFMZ-TV 69 Allentown

Alaskan borough declares disaster after fire station fire

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly voted last week to enact a disaster declaration for the recent station fire that devastated the South Tongass Fire Department. Mayors from the borough and cities of Saxman and Ketchikan issued the disaster declaration on April 12. South Tongass Fire Chief Steve Rydeen choked up as he took the podium at the Assembly’s April 15 meeting. “Normally, you see a grumpy old guy with no emotion. Tonight, it’s a little different. For the last 12 years I have poured my heart and soul into this department, only to have what happened happen,” Rydeen told the Assembly. Rydeen was traveling out of Ketchikan when the fire broke out in the early morning of April 9. He said he received a series of calls from the company that manages the department’s fire alarm system just before 2:30 a.m.
Alaska Public Media

History Channel star judges Halligan bars for ’Cast in Steel’ contestants in Wisconsin

VIDEO: The Milwaukee School of Engineering is playing host to a competition drawing students from all over the world, and this year's "Cast in Steel" contestants found insight from their local fire departments. "Lt. Schultz, Engine 37, and this is The Love Handle." The Boston Fire Department was called on by students who wanted to know if the Halligan bar they crafted would work on the job. "We've learned a lot and I think it's really gonna help us in our careers," said Kannon Behrens, sophomore, Wentworth Institute of Technology. These six sophomores from Wentworth Institute of Technology were among some 200 students from 42 universities from around the world who are in Milwaukee now, showcasing their Halligan bars used by firefighters for forceable entry.
WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

VIDEO: Fire Engulfs Apartment Building in Pennsylvania

PHOTOS: A fire engulfed an apartment building in Ashland early Monday morning. At 3:52am, Monday, emergency personnel were called to 1100 West Centre Street in Ashland for an apartment building fire. Fire Chief Phil Groody arrived on scene and called in a working fire after finding the whole rear of the apartment building along 11th Street engulfed in flames. The fire would hit a 2nd alarm calling in units from across northern Schuylkill County and eastern Northumberland. It would take firefighters more than an hour to bring the fire under control, with the fire being held to the original fire building. By 5:30am, some units were being released from the scene. At least 2 people were reported to live in the building and escaped unharmed.
Skook News

Fire Department In Washington State Proposes Fire Benefit Charge on August Ballot

In a significant move aimed at transforming how emergency services are funded, the Board of Fire Commissioners has passed a resolution to include a fire benefit charge proposal on the August 6, 2024, primary election ballot. The Wenatchee Valley Fire Department is championing this initiative, asserting that it offers a fairer method of funding compared to the existing system. Under the current model, funding for emergency services is solely derived from a fire levy that is based on the assessed value of properties. This setup leads to a disparity where two identically-sized houses might incur vastly different fire levies simply due to their location within the fire district. “This means two houses of the same size can pay very different amounts depending on their location within the fire district, while the cost to put out a fire at both is the same,” explained a spokesperson for the fire department.
Source One News

New tsunami video release in Hawaii gives insight, answers on how to prepare, 78 years after Hilo disaster

In response to Gov. Josh Green proclaiming April as Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawai'i, the University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program (Hawai'i Sea Grant) partnered with organizations across the state to promote tsunami preparedness by creating a new 2024 Hawai‘i Tsunami Preparedness video. This year marks 78 years since the deadly 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake that generated tsunami waves over 50 feet high in Hilo, caused tragic loss of life and $340 million economic damage to the state. To prepare for future tsunamis which can strike with very little warning and occur anywhere, at any time, Green’s proclamation highlighted the importance of awareness, education and action in preparing the state for potentially deadly tsunamis.
Big Island Now