Firefighters rescue 17-year-old girl from burning Longview house

PHOTO: Longview firefighters rescued a 17-year-old girl from a burning home Monday night. According to Longview Police and Fire, emergency personnel responded to a reported house fire in the 300 block of 16th Avenue shortly before 9 p.m. The 911 caller said there was smoke coming from a home and the caller was not sure if the occupants were out. When fire crews arrived on scene, they found an attached garage engulfed in flames and the fire was spreading inside the home. Firefighters saw that the home’s residents had escaped, but when the family performed a head count, they realized a 17-year-old girl was still in the basement. Firefighters entered the burning home and found the 17-year-old sleeping in the basement.
KATU-TV ABC 2

Snohomish County Fire District 7 Fire Chief Gary Meek retires after 44 years of service

After 44 years in the Fire Service, Fire Chief Gary Meek has retired. Meek served as the Fire Chief for Snohomish County Fire District 7 for the last nine years, and his final day was on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, according to a statement from the Snohomish County Fire District 7. "It has been an honor being trusted to serve the citizens of Fire District 7," Meek said in a statement. "They have supported us in developing one of the most advanced fire service delivery systems in Snohomish County making our community a safe place to live, work, and play in." On Jan. 1, 2020 Lake Stevens Fire and Snohomish County Fire District 7 merged agencies. The new district serves more than 162,000 people over 140 square miles. It covers the cities of Lake Stevens, Mill Creek, and Monroe along with the unincorporated areas surrounding these communities.
Mill Creek Beacon - Metered Site

Spokane Valley Fire Departments launch pilot program aiming to reduce falls

Spokane County has double the rate of fatal falls compared to the entire state, according to the Spokane Regional Health District. This is one reason why both Spokane and Spokane Valley Fire hope to reduce that number through a new pilot program. For both the departments, falls are their top medical calls. A tone rang through Spokane Valley Fire Department Station 9 on Sunday – it was a call for a fall. “I was in the barn and I tripped over a trailer. When I tripped over it, I broke my right hip,” Waters said. He was alone when he fell and broke his hip. It took mere minutes for help to arrive once he got in touch with his wife and she called 911. Almost three years ago, a call like that came through the speakers, alerting firefighters to get to Randy Water’s home.
KXLY-TV ABC 4

Grant County firefighters rescue woman who got stuck looking for cat, then they shoveled her sidewalk

An elderly woman in Grant County was in an unusual situation on Saturday afternoon. The woman was looking for her cat and got stuck in a crawl space. Luckily, the woman’s husband found her and called 911. Grant County Fire District #13 showed up and freed the uninjured woman. The helping didn’t stop there. One of the firefighters, Maia Dishon, decided to shovel the couple’s walkway blanketed with snow. They even got their plow to clear the driveway so the couple could safely get to and from their front door.
YakTriNews

Ceremony honors new Skagit County volunteer firefighters

New volunteer firefighters for Skagit County Fire District 4 were recognized in a badge pinning ceremony Saturday morning in Clear Lake. “It’s important for them to remember when and why they joined,” said Fire District 4 Chief Ryan McDonald. “I don’t think a lot of volunteer fire departments do (pinning ceremonies).” He said Saturday was the first time the department held a badge pinning ceremony at its own station. Previously, a joint ceremony was held for fire districts 4 and 9, in Big Lake, when both districts had the same chief. Four new volunteers were sworn in, and two were promoted to the rank of captain. McDonald, who took over as fire chief in September, was also sworn in and presented a badge. McDonald said it’s becoming more difficult to find volunteers willing to give up their time.
Skagit Valley Herald (GoSkagit.com) - Metered Site

South Hill bathroom fire injures firefighter, causes $25K in damages

The Spokane Fire Department (SFD) responded to a fire in a South Hill residence Saturday morning. According to SFD, the resident was returning home when he discovered a fire on the bathroom ceiling. The smoke alarms sounded, and when fire crews arrived, the resident and his dog had already escaped. Firefighters put out the flames within a few minutes, which caused an estimated $25,000 in damage, though they prevented a further $300,000 of damage with their efforts. The cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical fault. A firefighter was injured in the response, and was transported to Sacred Heart, where he was treated and later released.
KXLY-TV ABC 4

Whatcom County’s cold temperatures may be to blame in fatal trailer fire

A 54-year-old Whatcom County woman died when the recreational trailer she was living in was destroyed by fire Wednesday along the Mount Baker Highway near North Fork Brewery. “It’s really unfortunate,” Whatcom County Fire District 14 Chief Jerry Debruin told The Bellingham Herald. “Those things go so fast. By the time they get burning and we get there, there’s not a whole lot we can do.” The woman’s death was caused by the fire and has been classified as accidental, Whatcom County Medical Examiner Dr. Gary Goldfogel told The Herald, but her name is being withheld while the family is notified. District 14 crews responded to the report of an RV fire in the 6100 block of Mount Baker Highway shortly before 10 a.m. Jan. 15, Debruin said, after a woman living nearby heard popping and saw the trailer fully engulfed in flames.
Bellingham Herald

4 people displaced, woman hospitalized in Vancouver house fire

Four people were displaced after a fire damaged a home in Vancouver. Crews responded to the 1200 block of Southeast Park Crest Avenue on Thursday around 11:20 a.m. and extinguished flames in the home’s attic in approximately 30 minutes. Firefighters while battling the blaze found a woman in the back bedroom behind a closed door and helped her escape. The woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital for evaluation. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
KPTV FOX 12 Portland

Firefighters investigate cause of fire in Pasco

Firefighters are investigating an apartment complex fire in Pasco that happened early Friday morning. Pasco Firefighters and several others from surrounding agencies responded to the Stonegate Apartments on Road 68 at about 1:30 a.m. The fire started on a bottom-level unit in building J of the complex, according to fire crews on the scene. The fire then spread to the units right above in the second and third floors. Crews evacuated all twelve units in the building. No one was injured. However, the apartment where the fire started is badly damaged. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
KCYU-TV FOX 41

Washingtonians are more likely to die on smoky days, new UW research shows

With Seattle’s first snow of the year just melting, preparing for wildfire season might not be top of mind. But Australia’s catastrophic wildfires underline how Washington’s wildfire and smoke season will get longer and burn more intensely with climate change — last year, fires started in March. Local scientists are just discovering the deadly implications of immediate exposure to smoke across the state. A new study into wildfire smoke’s impacts on mortality, conducted by researchers from the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and the Washington State Departments of Ecology and Health, shows that smoke has measurable lethal impacts on the state’s collective health. The study was published in the journal Environmental Health.
Crosscut