Butte County Supervisors approve increasing volunteer firefighters stipend

More money is on the way to retain volunteer firefighters here at home. The Butte County Board of Supervisors approved a stipend increase for volunteer firefighters. That stipend has not changed since 1999. The Butte County Fire Department said that since 1999, its volunteers have received $7.50 per call and $9 per drill. This decision will double the stipend to $15 per call, $20 per half day or dill, or $30 for a full day. District 4 Supervisor and Chair, Tod Kimmelshue, said this is an investment in the volunteers that are vital in helping protect the community. “They get a small amount when they come out to fires, and we increased it a little bit, so it makes it a little more advantageous for those folks to be more involved with the volunteer fire department,” Kimmelshue said.
KNVN-TV NBC 24 Chico

City of San Gabriel to ‘light’ up in red for fallen firefighters

The city of San Gabriel lights up soon, in honor of fallen firefighters. In support of “Light the Night,” San Gabriel’s fire station and the city’s historic Mission Playhouse will light in red. They’ll be paying tribute to the sacrifices of fallen firefirefighters locally and across the nation. “Light the Night” is a national campaign organized by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The tribute — from dawn to dusk — will begin on International Firefighters’ Day, May 1 and continued until May 5, into National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. This year’s national tribute will honor 89 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2023 and 137 firefighters who died in previous years.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune - Metered Site

Elderly woman treated for smoke inhalation after Carmichael house fire, Sac Metro Fire says

VIDEO: An elderly woman was treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at a Carmichael home on Wednesday morning, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said. Crews arrived at the home in the 6300 block of Rampart Drive just after 7:30 a.m., Parker Wilbourn with Sac Metro Fire said. Heavy fire and smoke was pouring out of the back side of the home, and the fire had gotten into its attic, Wilbourn said. The fire is believed to have started in the backyard. Firefighters helped rescue a 92-year-old woman with mobility issues. “Fortunately, we were able to get in there and make the difference today," Wilbourn said. The woman was taken to a hospital and treated for moderate smoke inhalation. The woman's adult daughter who was also in the home was OK. It was unclear what caused the fire.
KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento

Stolen vehicle pursuit in Southern California ends in violent rollover crash, arrest in West Covina

PHOTOS: A stolen vehicle suspect who led authorities in Southern California in a high-speed pursuit before it ended in a violent rollover crash was arrested Tuesday in West Covina. Officers with the La Verne Police Department received word from authorities in Upland that a male suspect and a female passenger in a stolen vehicle were driving in the area of Williams Avenue and Foothill Boulevard at around 4 p.m., LAVPD said in a news release. The driver failed to yield when police attempted a traffic stop and led authorities in a chase onto the westbound 10 Freeway. During the pursuit, the female passenger attempted to exit the vehicle several times but was forcibly pulled back inside by the driver, police said. After some time, the suspect slowed the vehicle enough for the woman to jump out.
KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles

4 residents, firefighter injured in Gardena apartment complex fire

VIDEO: A firefighter and four civilians were injured in a large fire at an apartment complex in Gardena on Monday. According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, firefighters responded to the 12900 block of South Vermont Avenue at 11:55 a.m. Monday on reports of an apartment structure on fire. The single-alarm fire was upgraded to a second alarm at 12:07 p.m., authorities said. Video captured by Sky5 showed firefighters mopping up the mess from the apartment building’s rooftop. A large balcony and the interior of one of the apartments appeared to have sustained heavy fire damage. Shortly after the fire broke out, an L.A. County Fire Department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA that a firefighter had sustained burns and was transported to Torrance Memorial Medical Center.
KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles

1 suffers burn injuries in RV fire in Oildale, Kern County Fire Department says

PHOTOS: One person suffered burn injuries when an RV caught on fire in Oildale Monday afternoon, said the Kern County Fire Department. At around 12:49 p.m., KCFD said they received reports from many Oildale residents of a large column of smoke in the area. Shortly later, the Kern County Emergency Communications Center began receiving multiple calls reporting a motorhome fire. Additional reports came in that said the fire was spreading to other properties in the area. When crews arrived in the 100 block of Harris Drive, firefighters found a fully engulfed RV. Officials said the intense heat and flames compromised electrical lines above the fire, which was spreading to grass and nearby fences. The fire was quickly extinguished, and firefighters stopped it from spreading.
KBAK-TV CBS 29 Bakersfield

Grass Valley storage facility filled ’wall to wall’ with books catches fire

A storage facility filled with books caught fire early Monday morning in Grass Valley near Highway 49. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene around 1:45 a.m. and knocked the fire back within 20 minutes of arrival, the Grass Valley Fire Department said. The building was described as an unoccupied barn used for storage by a publishing company. Grass Valley Fire spokesperson Tyler Tomlinson said the building was "from wall to wall, ceiling to ceiling, just full of books and boxes of books, and that creates a huge fire load." The fire was contained to only that building. No injuries were reported. It was unclear what started the fire.
KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento