Beloved volunteer firefighter, deputy chief laid to rest in Baldwin County

VIDEO: He was known as “Florky” to family and friends. He was an important member of the Belforest Volunteer Fire Department who will be hard to replace. “Florky was larger than life. He was much embedded in everything that we do here at the station. He was our resident mechanic, our mentor, our treasurer at one point,” said Belforest Volunteer Fire Department’s board president Elizabeth Hayes. Belforest volunteer firefighters said goodbye to one of their own Monday. Deputy Chief Michael Florkiewicz was laid to rest at the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort. His impact throughout Baldwin County was felt long before he joined the department in 2018. “He had relationships with firefighters in Spanish Fort, Silverhill, Loxley, Daphne, all of the departments in the surrounding areas. He interacted with them, trained with them and helped train and mentor their personnel as well,” said Chief John Hotchkiss.
WKRG-TV CBS 5 Mobile

Fire prompts employees to evacuate Amazon Fulfillment Center in Madison

At 9:00 p.m. on Monday night first responders were at the HSV1 Amazon Fulfillment Warehouse on Greenbrier Road in reference to a structure fire. According to an employee of Amazon, the fire was in what they called the “OP” part of the building, which is located in the middle of the warehouse on the first floor. The employee, along with a co-worker, said they saw the flames as they were exiting the building, from the third level, but did not see the flames as they went outside. Employees were informed that the top two floors were covered in smoke as they waited outside they were offered blankets to keep warm. Responders with Huntsville Fire and Rescue had multiple units on the scene and were advising people to avoid the area. As of 10:19 p.m., the employees were being sent home.
WAFF-TV NBC 48 Huntsville

‘Don’t take anything for granted’: Alabama coastal leaders keep watch on Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian is expected to reach the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday as a powerful Category 4 storm and is forecasted to head toward the western edges of the Florida peninsula. For coastal Alabama, that’s good news. But for officials in coastal cities like Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island, the storm’s entry into the Gulf of Mexico is enough to raise concerns. The coastal cities are keeping a hopeful watch on the storm with Hurricane Sally still fresh in many minds. The September 16, 2020, storm was not projected to make landfall in Alabama days ahead the eyewall’s arrival over Gulf Shores. And once the storm arrived, it stuck around for hours and caused significant property and tree damage in Baldwin and Mobile counties. “We were outside the (forecast) cone 36 hours out and then we got squared up with it,” Gulf Shores Fire Chief Mark Sealy said.
AL.com

1 killed in deadly Dothan house fire

A woman is dead after her home caught fire Saturday evening in Dothan. The victim was identified as Madiolan “Madie” Norton. Norton passed from her severe injuries Sunday afternoon at Southeast Health Medical Center, according to Dothan Fire Department. Norton’s husband continues to be treated for his injuries in Southeast Health’s critical unit. DFD says the cause of the fire has been determined to be accidental, starting in the kitchen. “This is a tragedy for this family and our City,” said, Dothan Fire Chief, Larry Williams. Fire Chief Williams concluded, “The family and friends of Mr. and Mrs. Norton will continue to be in the thoughts and prayers of all of us at the Dothan Fire Department.”
WTVY-TV CBS 4 Dothan

Two Talladega County volunteer fire departments awarded grants as many face funding, staffing challenges

Two Talladega County volunteer fire departments were awarded grants from FEMA's Firefighter Grant Program, helping them with one of two of the biggest challenges volunteer departments face across the state. Lay Lake Volunteer Fire Department received a grant for $75,671. Winterboro Volunteer Fire received one for $148,571. "For quite some time now, we've made do with some pretty bare minimum equipment," said Yancey Brown, the public information officer with Lay Lake Volunteer Fire Department. With the help of the grant, the department will be able to completely revamp its radio network. Brown said it's a big help considering funding is one of the biggest challenges for volunteer fire departments. "These radios alone are thousands of dollars a piece. To be able to purchase enough to cover all of our personnel, it means a lot to us," said Brown.
WBMA-LD ABC 33/40 Birmingham

2 injured in Oneonta plane crash

Two people were injured in a plane crash near the Oneonta Municipal Airport Saturday morning. According to a post from the City of Oneonta, first responders were notified of an aircraft crash that happened just north of the runway at the Oneonta Municipal Airport at Robbins Field around 8:17 a.m. Oneonta Fire and Rescue, Oneonta Police, Blount EMS, Blount County Sheriff’s Office and Blount EMA all responded to the scene. Upon arrival, they found a two-passenger “hobby” aircraft down with two people injured. One person was transported by ambulance to a Birmingham hospital, the other was airlifted. No other information is available, as the Federal Aviation Administration is on the scene investigating the cause of the crash.
WIAT-TV CBS 42 Birmingham