Pullman Fire Chief Mike Heston announces retirement after 42 years of service

The City of Pullman Fire Chief Mike Heston has announced that he will be retiring in February of 2025. Chief Heston will be retiring after 42 years of fire service in the Pullman community. He also serves as the city’s emergency manager, the chair of the Whitman County Local Emergency Planning Commission, and he is a member of the Northwest Interagency Incident Management Type 2 team. He began his fire service career in Moses Lake’s Grant County Fire District #5 in 1981. In the fall of 1983, he moved to Washington State University and joined the WSU Fire Department before transitioning full-time to training captain in 1985. Chief Heston joined the city’s fire department in 1996 as the Assistant Fire Chief of Operations, he held this position until he was appointed Fire Chief in 2013.
KLEW-TV CBS 3 Lewiston

Zillah’s Obert Cold Storage Warehouse Goes Up In Flames

Fire crews were busy trying to put out a warehouse fire in Zillah. The fire broke out around 7:15 pm at the Obert cold storage warehouse on Bella Terra Road. Fire crews from Yakima County Fire District Five and West Valley Fire-Rescue were on the scene. The fire was categorized up to a third alarm fire. Yakima Valley Emergency Management sent out a notice to everyone within a one-mile radius of the fire to shelter in place due to a potential hazardous release from the fire. Since that notice it has been cancelled. Firefighters asked people to avoid the area as an investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the fire. They say roads near the fire were filled with people watching the fire. So far, no word on what may have started the fire or if there have been any injuries.
KIMA-TV CBS/CW+ 29 Yakima

Special delivery: Why firefighters are helping deliver pizza in Puyallup

The next time you order pizza, your delivery driver might look a little different if you’re in the Puyallup area. Graham Fire and Rescue is teaming up with Domino’s to educate residents about fire safety. On October 10, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., pizza orders made at the Domino’s on 16520 Meridian East in Puyallup, will be delivered by a Graham Fire & Rescue crew member. A crew member will check the home’s smoke alarms and fix or replace any that aren’t working. If smoke alarms are fully functional, the resident will get a certificate for a free pizza on their next order. “Working smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a home fire, giving people the time to get out safely,” said Hannah Zimmerman, Outreach Support Specialist.
KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

VIDEO: Car rolls across all lanes of I-5 while on fire in Seattle

PHOTOS: Traffic on Interstate 5 has cleared up after a car caught fire and blocked lanes for a period of time Monday afternoon. Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) cameras showed the vehicle in flames shrouded by smoke in the far-left lane of I-5, then rolling across all lanes while on fire. The disabled vehicle was blocking the two left lanes just south of Swith Ave in South Seattle, but as of 12:45 p.m., the lanes are reopened. Fire crews could be seen on WSDOT cameras responding to the vehicle. WSDOT said fire crews and the Incident Response Team were at the scene. According to Washington State Patrol, the disabled vehicle was the only car involved and its one passenger, the driver, was able to get out of the vehicle with no injuries.
KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

Remembering the fallen: Seattle Fire holds remembrance ceremony

On October 4, the Seattle Fire Department gathered at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square to remember Seattle firefighters who have lost their lives due to their injuries or illnesses tied to their service. The Seattle Fire Department holds a public memorial every year to bring attention to the risks involved in the job and the sacrifices made by their families. The ceremony includes a presentation of the colors by the Walter Kilgore Memorial Honor Guard and musical performances by the Seattle Firefighters Pipes and Drums band. The names of the 55 firefighters and paramedics who lost their lives since 1891 had their names read aloud. Seattle elected officials, Seattle Fire Chief Harold D. Scoggins, union leader Lieutenant Kenny Stuart and Battalion Chief Dan Murray were guest speakers.
KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

Dozens more first responders leave western Washington to help with hurricane aftermath

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Additional first responders from Pierce County are heading to the southeast region to provide help in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Pierce County Department of Emergency Management officials said 50 people on Monday were heading to Atlanta, Georgia. A four-person K-9 search and rescue team was also going with the team. Members of the Washington State Task Force-1 FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (WA-TF1) will also be in the region on standby if additional support is needed for Tropical Storm Milton. This new storm is currently in the Gulf of Mexico and has not made landfall yet. “The team was last deployed to Hawaii in August 2023 for search and rescue efforts after fires in Lahaina, Maui, and Oregon in September 2020, for search and rescue efforts during wildfires in that state,” officials wrote.
KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle