Center Point Fire District responds to fire in northeast Jefferson County

Four people are displaced after a fire in northeast Jefferson County on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. The Center Point Fire District responded to the house fire in the 4900 block of Vernon Street. Fire Chief Gene Coleman said everyone was outside of the home when crews arrived. “Crews went inside and did an interior search to make sure nobody was at home,” said Coleman. “They quickly extinguished the fire and we are doing an overhaul process looking for any hidden fire, removing smoke from the structure and trying to protect the property from any water damage.” Coleman said the cause of the fire is still under investigation and no one was hurt. “Our crews are also safe,” said Coleman.
Trussville Tribune

Firefighters from all over the world training in Shelby County this week

Fire fighters from all over the world were in Shelby County this week to advance in the third and highest level of instructor training. Some traveled from as far as England to get this training certificate. It is a partnership with Shelby County firefighters and the Alabama fire college. Local fire stations benefit greatly from the training center and instructor because it saves them the travel expenses of having to go somewhere else for different certifications.
WBRC-TV Fox 6 Birmingham

Follow up: Firefighters monitoring wildfire in DeKalb County for days

Wildfires are sparking up in Sand Mountain because of the dry conditions. "The chances of having a destructive fire is really high," forestry specialist Jeff Keener said. Keener is with the Alabama Forestry Commission in DeKalb County. He says they've seen 20 wildfires just this month. "Every day we go through without rain, it gets drier and drier," he explained. Close to 450 acres have burned in the county. The majority of those acres burned in the last 3 days. On Thursday, firefighters were able to control a fire in Mentone at 76 acres, but the high winds and dry conditions caused the fire to break from its containment lines. It then burned more than 300 acres before crews were able to get it back under control.
WAAY-TV ABC 31 Huntsville

Blaze sparks near Shields Road and Fords Circle fire in Madison County

A large brush fire in Madison County is finally out. The blaze sparked near Shields Road and Ford’s Circle fire in Madison County. It’s not the first time firefighters have been called to this field. This is the third time firefighters have been called there recently. They tell WAFF they are looking into the possibility someone *may* have started at least one of the fires this week. The one today they believe sparked from extremely dry conditions. It was a busy afternoon for volunteer firefighters. It took 10 departments pulling together to put out this large brush fire near Shields Road and Ford's Circle in Madison County. "The weather that we are having right now it's dry and humid, so we put those out and tried to take precaution and different areas," said Moores Mill Volunteer Fire Captain Andrew Putman.
WAFF-TV NBC 48 Huntsville

Firefighters grow more concerned as drought conditions in Shelby County worsen

It was a strange thing to see for Chuck Riley. “What in the world has happened," Riley said. A traveling salesman from Florida, Riley attended a movie nearby and when he stepped out he saw it a half-mile away. “Incredible amount of fire coming through the upper stories of the hotel at least 20 feet high," he said. Greenville firefighters, along with volunteer departments from Searcy and Liberty, responded to the fire at Baymont Inn & Suites. It took 30 firefighters to beat it back. The hotel had been closed for two days reportedly for maintenance issues. There were no injuries in the blaze. “It looked like something on a movie. I mean it was over," said Greenville mayor Dexter McClendon.
WBRC-TV Fox 6 Birmingham

Rain, no wind aided firefighters battling Greenville hotel blaze

Greenville firefighters, along with volunteer departments from Searcy and Liberty, responded to the fire at Baymont Inn & Suites. It took 30 firefighters to beat it back. The hotel had been closed for two days reportedly for maintenance issues. There were no injuries in the blaze. “It looked like something on a movie. I mean it was over," said Greenville major Dexter McClendon. Thursday, state fire investigators checked in and spent all day searching for clues on the ground and from the air to determine what started it. “We just know we’re going to go through methodically like we would on any fire and come to conclusion on what happened," said Greenville police chief Justin Lovvorn.
WSFA-TV NBC 12 Montgomery

Sipsey man arrested for burglarizing fire station

A Sipsey man was caught in the act of burglarizing the fire station by members of Sipsey Fire Department on Wednesday. Firefighters saw Lee Andrew Smith, 57, running from inside the fire station upon returning from a call after midnight. Walker County Sheriff's Office Acting Sergeant Slade Reeves and Deputy Steve Legg were patrolling in Sipsey. Legg encountered Smith on the run and ordered him to stop. Legg chased him down on foot and took him into custody. Smith had a drug smoking pipe in his pocket. Smith has been charged with burglary 3rd, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal mischief and resisting arrest. "We are continually working to lower the crime rate in Sipsey and we are happy for this enforcement effort by our midnight shift deputies. Fire departments provide valuable emergency services to our communities and we won’t tolerate the victimization of our fire departments," Sheriff Nick Smith said.
Jasper Daily Mountain Eagle

Fatal crash in Birmingham’s Pratt City

Birmingham police and firefighters are on the scene of a deadly crash in Pratt City. The responded to Dugan Avenue and Columbia Street shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday. Once there, found a truck down an embankment and overturned. The driver has been pronounced dead on the scene. The truck is about 20 yards off the roadway, and the victim has not yet been extricated. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service has its heavy rescue apparatus at the crash site. Authorities believe the crash just happened, but the investigation is in its early stages.
AL.com