VIDEOS: Massive blaze burns at iconic Oceanside Pier

PHOTOS: Firefighters were called out Thursday afternoon to battle an inferno at the far end of the iconic Oceanside Pier. The fire was reported shortly after 3 p.m. and the firefight stretched overnight and into Friday. A massive plume of smoke quickly filled the sky, and two firefighting boats arrived on scene shooting water cannons at the structure at the end of the pier, where it broadens to support two structures and is called the hammerhead. A lone lifeguard vehicle was posted up at the foot of the pier, with a long fire hose, possibly two, running the length of the pier. Although smoke obscured the scene, the building at the end of the pier was burning furiously. The structure was once the site of the Ruby's Diner, which has stood empty since the business closed three years ago.
KNSD-TV NBC 7 San Diego

Redding Air Attack Base upgrades, doubles capacity ahead of fire season

VIDEOS: After five years and $23 million invested, the US Forest Service unveiled new upgrades to the interagency Redding Air Attack Base that have made it a one of a kind facility. Redding's Air Attack Base was where, for decades, firefighting aircraft have come to refuel and refill fire retardant. Now, with the upgrades they’ve made, officials say it's the most advanced facility of its kind in the world. “It is absolutely amazing," says Jennier Eberlein. "And the amazing part of that is being able to have the increased capability to protect the communities and the natural resources that we all love."
KRCR-TV ABC 7 Redding

Large fire damages 4-story home in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights, officials say

VIDEO: Crews contained a large 2-alarm fire at a home in San Francisco's Presidio Heights neighborhood early Friday morning. The home is at Lyon Street and Clay Street, and officials say heavy fire was coming from all four floors. SFFD says no one was at the home at the time of the fire, which has since been put out. They also say smoke conditions have "improved considerably." There is scaffolding on the building, which appears to have been getting renovated. It is unclear the extent of the damage, but several parts of the home appear to be totally destroyed. It's also unclear what caused the fire.
KGO-TV ABC 7 San Francisco

San Bernardino County firefighters quell Blue Jay house blaze, prevent forest fire spread

VIDEO: Late Monday night, San Bernardino County firefighters battled a house fire in Blue Jay that also threatened the surrounding woodland. The blaze, which consumed a two-story home in the 27000 block of Highway 189, was reported by 911 callers who saw both the house and surrounding trees engulfed in flames. Upon arriving at the scene, fire personnel found the home "well involved in fire" with a risk to adjacent vegetation. The intensity of the blaze forced the firefighters to adopt a defensive strategy, attacking the fire while also seeking to shield nearby areas. According to San Bernardino County Fire's official Facebook page, one person was found outside the building with minor burns, received treatment from an ambulance on the scene, and was transported to a local hospital.
Hoodline Los Angeles

Sacramento-area first responders train for large-scale natural and human-caused disasters

First responders from across the greater Sacramento region started an intensive disaster response training exercise Wednesday that will last a day and a half. Eighty members of the more than 200-person FEMA Task Force 7, which is composed of civilian and professional first responders from the area, gathered at McClellan Park for an urban search and rescue (USAR) mobilization exercise. The exercise, dubbed “Shake-Ramento,” is “a full-scale test designed to evaluate many aspects of a Type I National USAR deployment to an earthquake and major flooding,” according to the hosting agency, Sacramento Fire Department. At any time, FEMA Task Force 7 members could be called upon to assist after a natural or human-caused disaster.
KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento

Tulare County firefighter defending his station at Battle of The Badges

Firefighter Chris Sanchez says his upcoming fight at Battle of The Badges is about more than raising funds for a worthy cause or having his hand raised in the ring. Battle of the Badges is a non-profit boxing organization made up of first responders including law enforcement, firefighters, and military, who box in the ring to raise money for charities. On April 27, the Visalia Convention will host their latest event and commemorate the organization’s 10th anniversary in the Central Valley. Sanchez is a lieutenant with the Tulare County Fire Department and says they may not make a lot of noise, but the area they serve is vast. “We’re a very large county – we’re not a loud department, but if you look at our fire, EMS, and hazmat calls, we’re up there at the top,” Sanchez said.
KGPE-TV CBS 47 Fresno

Region: Oregon State University collaborates with Karuk Tribe to learn how traditional tribal forest fire controls worked

Oregon State University researchers have teamed with the Karuk Tribe to create a novel computer simulation model that showcases Indigenous fire stewardship’s role in forest ecosystem health. Western scientists and land managers have become increasingly cognizant of cultural burning but its extent and purpose are generally absent from fire modeling research, said Skye Greenler, who led the partnership when she was a graduate research fellow in the OSU College of Forestry. “We developed this project in collaboration with the Karuk Tribe to explore the impact of cultural burning at a landscape scale in a completely new way,” she said. “The information that went into this model is not new at all – it’s been held by Karuk Tribal members for millennia – but we developed new methods to bring the knowledge together and display it in a way that showcases the extent of Indigenous cultural stewardship across this landscape.”
The Corvallis Advocate - Metered Site