No injuries reported in downtown Spokane Park Tower apartments fire

Spokane firefighters responded to a reported fire on Thursday morning at the Park Tower Apartments in downtown Spokane. According to Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer, about 35 to 40 firefighters responded to the scene on Thursday morning at the apartment complex located at 217 West Spokane Falls Boulevard and North Browne Street. Firefighters arrived at the apartment complex and located the fire that started at one of the apartments on the ninth floor. Firefighters did a search to locate anybody inside the apartment but nobody was inside. Fire crews used tools to extinguish the fire and safely evacuated the residents living on the ninth floor and all the floors above. Schaeffer said two vulnerable senior residents were treated.
KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

Woman struck, injured by Link light rail train in south Seattle

A pedestrian was struck and injured by a Link light rail train Wednesday afternoon in south Seattle. Seattle firefighters were called to the 7100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South for a collision involving a person and a light rail train. Firefighters tweeted that a 30-year-old woman had to be extricated as she was trapped under the train. The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition but later was upgraded to critical. The collision temporarily interrupted one line of service but it has since resumed normal operations. It is not yet known what led to the woman being hit. The investigation is ongoing.
KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

Firefighters extinguish second alarm fire at North Spokane Home Depot

VIDEO: Spokane firefighters are currently on the scene at the Home Depot in North Spokane after putting out a second alarm fire. The Home Depot is located on North Newport Highway. Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer says there were no injuries. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
KXLY-TV ABC 4 Spokane

Nine kids escape totaled SUV in Clark County; ‘It is a miracle that no one was killed’

Nine kids escaped from a smashed SUV that sped over a curb, rolled down a 50-foot embankment and came to a rest at the edge of a creek Thursday afternoon under an Interstate 5 overpass, Clark County sheriff’s officials said. Six of the young people were taken to Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland, but sheriff’s officials said none appeared to have life-threatening injuries. All of the occupants scrambled out of the SUV and climbed up to the street. Some of the kids were not wearing seatbelts, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities did not release their names or ages but described them as “juveniles.” “It is a miracle that no one was killed,” the Clark County Fire District 6 said in a Facebook post. Clark County deputies and firefighters responded around 1:15 p.m. to reports of a crash underneath the Interstate 5 overpass at Northeast 117th Street, officials said.
Oregon Live

Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue saves three pets from Woodland home fire

Fire crews rescued a dog, guinea pig and pet lizard Wednesday from a home fire officials say was started by cooking fried chicken. No one was injured. The fire was under control within five minutes after Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue arrived around 2:15 p.m. in the 700 block of Hoffman Street in Woodland, the department reports. The fire engulfed the home’s stovetop, kitchen cabinets and adjacent living room after a person stepped away from the kitchen while cooking fried chicken, fire crews report. The fire marshal says there were no working smoke alarms in the house. Another person, who left the burning building, later returned with a fire extinguisher to rescue the pets, but had to leave when the heat and smoke overwhelmed him.
The Daily News

Selah Fire Department requested funds for new jaws of life tools

The Yakima County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has almost 50 million dollars of federal aid to give to organizations in need. The Selah Fire Department requested funding for four new sets of extrication or jaws of life tools. "I would love to tell our taxpayers and visitors to our area that we could get them out and into a hospital a lot faster," said fire chief, Jim Lange. The number of car crashes increased by 32 percent in the last two years. More than 22 percent of them required the jaws of life, said Lange. "Our tools are outdated," said Lange, "They're getting worn out and they need to be replaced." He said the tools are more than 15 years old and don't meet safety standard of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
KNDO-TV NBC 23 Yakima/KNDU-TV NBC 25 Richland

Response from Stevens Co. Fire Department affected by stolen and damaged fire trucks

The Stevens County Fire Department is warning its residents that it may take longer to respond to your calls after one of it's trucks was stolen and another was badly damaged. Stevens County emergency services have had a rough week. The fire chief for Fire District 2 not only noticed one of their trucks was severely damaged, but someone had also stolen their wildfire truck as well. Chief Rick Anderson says this means his station is out of service for the foreseeable future. Stevens County Fire District 2 is ready to handle any challenge that comes their way. But, operating without its only two functioning firetrucks is one challenge they never expected. Chief Rick Anderson is the one who discovered the missing truck. "As the fire chief, you know, you always kind of glanced at your facilities to drive by and I drove by and I slammed on the brakes and said, 'All right, who left the door open,'" Anderson said.
KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

They’re Yakima Heroes and They’re On The Job Every Day

This is the week America honors front line heroes. The professionals who provide emergency medical services in this community and in communities around the country. This is National Emergency Medical Services Week, May 15-21. Yakima Fire Chief Aaron Markham says “this is the 47th annual celebration of EMS Week, where we honor front line heroes, dedicated to providing emergency medicine that saves so many lives every day. The theme of ‘Rising to the Challenge’ is particularly meaningful as it reminds us that EMS professionals are faced with so many challenges today and they still rise above them.” What do EMS professional do in our community? How to they protect and serve? Yakima Fire Department officials say the week "supports and strengthens the EMS community by increasing awareness of the critical role of Emergency Medical Services."
KATS-FM 94.5 Yakima

Update: Woman arrested for arson in connection to brush fire near Ephrata

An Ephrata woman has been identified as the suspect in a Tuesday evening arson fire near Ephrata. Ephrata police have identified the suspect as 32-year-old Clintah Hernandez. Witnesses reported seeing the woman light brush on fire near state Route 282 and Airport Road. Police reportedly found several lighters and a torch lighter on Hernandez. Police say she denied starting the fire. She was booked into Grant County Jail for second-degree arson. Grant County Fire District 13 kept the fire at about acre. “If this fire had happened later (Wednesday) when the winds are forecast to be upwards of 40 mph this would have been a significant incident,” fire district officials stated. No injuries were reported during the fire and no structures were damaged.
iFiber One News Radio

MultiCare brings back ’Thank You’ barbeque for Spokane and Spokane Valley Fire, EMS, Police

For the first time in two years, Spokane and Spokane Valley first responders sat together to enjoy a meal thanks to MultiCare. The hospital system puts on an annual “Thank You” barbeque for fire, EMS, and police officers for the work they do. “A lot of us don’t do it necessarily for the thank you’s,” Spokane Valley PIO firefighter Rick Freier said. “So it can be overwhelming a little bit when somebody says thank you, it’s nice to have the people in the community support us.” For the last few years it’s been a drive-thru “Thank You” barbeque, but this year it was hosted in person.
KXLY-TV ABC 4 Spokane

Yakima County family loses everything in house fire, including 8 pets

Early Monday morning, Dana Young remembers waking up to the sound of glass breaking and looking around the corner seeing flames spread throughout her house. Her 11-year-old grandson was on the other side of the house when it happened, but was able to get out through a door. Eventually, Dana and her husband managed to get out too through a back window. Unfortunately, the family lost everything including their 2 dogs and 6 cats. "I've never been through this before but I mean we made it out, we just barely made it out alive. I mean, seconds, it would've been seconds, and we might not have got out. I don't know, uhm, just with what we got on our backs. none of our animals made it out," Dana said Dana says they would be grateful for any sort of donations, but right now clothes would really help.
KIMA-TV CBS/CW+ 29 Yakima