- Deadly Texas wildfire torches 1 million acres – the largest blaze in state history – as more infernos rage CNN
- Texas wildfires: Panhandle fire grows to largest in state history The Associated Press
- Smokehouse Creek Fire in Texas explodes to become second-largest wildfire in U.S. history after burning 1.1 million acres CBS News
- Amid Texas Panhandle wildfires, some fled, others stayed put The Texas Tribune
- Texas Panhandle wildfires: Smokehouse Creek Fire has burned more than 1 million acres, making it the largest in state history Yahoo! Voices
Tag Archives: Blaze
Suspected Arsonist Charged With Igniting 4-Alarm Blaze That Destroyed SW Portland Apartment Building – Willamette Week
- Suspected Arsonist Charged With Igniting 4-Alarm Blaze That Destroyed SW Portland Apartment Building Willamette Week
- Man who allegedly set fire to Portland apartment building was being evicted KPTV FOX 12 Oregon
- Accused arsonist in 4-alarm SW Portland apartment fire pleads not guilty KATU
- ‘He’s just been a wrecking ball’: Accused arsonist in SW Portland apartment fire hit with stalking order day OregonLive
- Displaced tenants of burned SW Portland apartments say arson suspect ‘terrorized’ them for months Fox 12 Oregon
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Fire in Chicago today: 1 killed after extra-alarm blaze tears through multiple floors Kenwood apartment building, CFD says
CHICAGO (WLS) — One person has died as Chicago firefighters battled an extra-alarm blaze that climbed through multiple floors of a South Side high-rise Wednesday.
The fire spread to several floors of the 25-story Harper Square Co-Operative building in the 4800-block of South Lake Park Avenue, CFD spokesman Larry Langford said.
Langford said one person was found dead in the building on the 15th floor.
Video from scene showed the fire climbing up the building in a column, perhaps reaching as many as nine floors.
The fire has since been put out.
This was a challenging blaze for first responders, not just because it is a high-rise but because the elevators went out early, meaning equipment and personalell has to get up there by foot.
Then there was also the factor of weather. Strong winds contributed to a really fast spread, all this happening as firefighters were trying to prioritize who needed to be evacuated and who could stay put.
CFD Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said a resident on the 15th floor noticed smoke at about 10:08 a.m. and called 911.
“What we encountered here was because the fire went from the 15th all the way to the 14th floor was the fact that the wind was pushing,” Nance-Holt said. “The fire went up vertically and it lapped from floor, to floor, to floor all the way up to 24 where my firefighters gained control of it.”
Hundreds of personnel were raced to the scene trying hard to stay ahead of it. The priority was making sure that the residents, were safe.
“We got a list of people who were maybe physically challenged. We got to those units first. We prioritized those guys and then made announcements as we evaluated conditions,” Deputy Commissioner Mark Furman said.
Those who were able to get out safely did self-evacuate. Many more were asked to stay in put.
“High-rise building is fire resistance construction — is built with fire separations built in. The doors are fire rated doors to the apartment units. The stairways are enclosed, the hallways. It’s set up so you can remain in your unit and still be safe,” Furman said.
Leanne Faine said a neighbor knocked on her door to tell her and her husband about the fire.
“We ran down the stairs — we are on the 8th floor — they told us it was 15 and up so we didn’t know what to do. We ran down to the garage and got our car,” Faine said.
Phyllis Powell was at work nearby when her husband’s caregiver alerted her. They made it out of their unit but got stuck on the 7th floor.
“We tried to leave and fireman said we had to stay in place because we were three floors down from our place. We just had to stay. Couldn’t go down or couldn’t go up,” Powell said.
Another resident said a worker in the building told her about the fire.
“I asked, ‘Are we evacuating?’ And he said no and he stayed calm so I stayed calm. I didn’t realize the severity of it until I saw on the news,” said resident Astrid Exorthe.
She and others did evacuate on their own mainly due to the smoke and water damage.
CFD said a 70-year-old woman was transported a hospital in critical condition. Nance-Holt said eight residents were hospitalized. One firefighter was who suffered an ortho injury was also taken to a hospital.
A woman in her 80’s, who lived on the floor where the fire broke out, did lose her life. A close friend got the devastating news as she looked on praying for the best.
“I grew up here in the building and I always viewed her as an aunt,” said the victim’s friend Jauntanne Mayes. “I came back to check on to see how she was doing, if she was Ok because I had been trying to call and call and nobody had been able to reach her.”
News of the fatality is being felt by residents and neighbors.
“It’s heartbreaking I’ve lived here for years,” said former resident Kamisha Hudson.
“I’m sad for the family who had the loss and really appreciate what these guys do because it could have been a lot worse,” said Theresa Riley, a friend of a resident.
The I-Team reports that the building has failed its seven last inspections by the Department. of Buildings, including the most recent one on December 1, 2022, for not testing the fire alarm and evacuation system
The apartment building, which was built in 1970, has 298 apartments in it, with about 267 units occupied, officials said.
WATCH: CFD officials provide update on deadly high-rise fire
“I decided to come downstairs to check everything out,” one building resident said. “I noticed people looking up at the building and then I just went downstairs and I saw that the fire was blazing at that time. I called my mom because my aunt is still in the building…right now she is safe in someone else’s unit.
Around 12:30 p.m. CFD said the fire was struck. Nance-Holt said more than 300 personnel responded to the fire.
“A lot of people live here. A lot of people have been living here for 30 and 40 years so this is certainly devastating to me and them and their families, “state Representative Lamont Robinson said. “We want to thank the first responders for containing the fire.”
Alderman Sophia King said everyone in harm’s way was evacuated from the building, but some residents can remain in the building safely. Langford said some residents have been asked to shelter in their units.
“The protocol that we use with the Chicago Fire Department when dealing with a high-rise building, some units would be best for shelter in place and others evacuate,” Langford said. “What we generally do is evacuate the floor above and below the fire, depending upon the size of the building and the footprint of the building. A building like this, if you are some distance away and floors down and above, the fire is not spreading laterally, it is spreading vertically, so you are safe in some of the units.”
The Office of Emergency Managment is on scene with warming buses for residents and first responders.
The Salvation Army said they will be providing dinner for the residents and first responders. They are cooking 500 chicken sandwiches at the Elk Grove Village EDS kitchen and will have them delivered to the scene.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Copyright © 2023 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Hundreds evacuated as blaze erupts in slum next to Seoul’s posh Gangnam district
SEOUL, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Fire swept through part of a shanty town in the South Korean capital, Seoul, on Friday, destroying 60 homes, many constructed from cardboard and wood, and forcing the evacuation of around 500 people.
Emergency services took five hours to put out the blaze, which erupted before daybreak in Guryong Village, a slum that lies just across a highway from Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district. Officials said no casualties were reported so far.
Home to around 1,000 people, Guryong is one of the last remaining shanty towns in the capital and has become a symbol of inequality in Asia’s fourth largest economy.
Ten helicopters and hundreds of firefighters, police and troops joined the effort to put out the blaze which, according to officials, razed almost one in ten of the 600-plus homes in Guryong.
“I saw a flash from the kitchen and opened the door, and flames were shooting from the houses next door,” said Shin, a 72-year-old woman whose home was completely burned in the inferno.
“So I knocked every door nearby and shouted ‘fire!’ and then called 119,” she said, giving only her surname.
[1/4] Smoke rises from a fire at Guryong village, the last slum in the glitzy Gangnam district, in Seoul, South Korea, January 20, 2023. Yonhap via REUTERS
Kim Doo-chun, 60, said his family was unaffected by the fire but he told Reuters that the village was constantly at risk of disaster due partly to its cardboard homes and narrow alleys.
“If a fire breaks out in this neighbourhood, the entire village could be in danger if we don’t respond quickly. So we’ve been responding together for decades,” said Kim, who has lived in the area for 30 years.
The slum has long been prone to fires and flooding, and safety and health issues abound.
The government had unveiled plans for redevelopment and relocation after a huge fire in late 2014, but those efforts have made little progress amid a decades-long tug of war between landowners, residents and authorities.
The civic authorities for Seoul and Gangnam district, and state-run developers have been at odds over how to compensate private landowners in Guryong and have yet to agree whether residents, most of whom are squatters, are entitled to government support for relocation and housing.
Informed about the fire while in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered all-out efforts to prevent a bigger disaster, his spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the still smouldering village and asked officials to prepare to relocate affected families.
Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Gerry Doyle & Simon Cameron-Moore
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Dead Cells’ creator’s next game is Nuclear Blaze
The creator of the acclaimed rogue-like action-platformer, Dead Cells, has revealed their next project: Nuclear Blaze.
Sébastien Bénard’s Nuclear Blaze is expected to release on consoles on 28th April, 2023 and will set you back €15/$15 (sorry, I don’t have UK specific pricing at the time of writing) for a digital copy, and €30/$30 if you fancy a physical copy on either Switch or PS4.
You’ll have to jump over to Red Art Games to pre-order a physical copy, although by doing so, you’ll secure a set of three “Exclusive Nuclear Balze enamel pins”. Physical copies also include a booklet including an interview with Bénard and a keychain.
“A huge fire is raging and you are sent on the spot to stop it,” teases the video description. “Business as usual for a highly-trained and experienced firefighter such as yourself. Air dropped right in the middle of this blazing inferno, your main mission objectives are to contain the fire, investigate its causes and look for survivors.
“The unexpected discovery of a secret military facility is quickly going to send a monkey wrench in your plans. Unravel the truth behind the existence of Site 16 and A-█████. Access to that information may require authorisation clearance ████ and ██ though…”
Dead Cells recently threw open its doors to welcome another batch of familiar gaming faces – from indie favourites including Hotline Miami, Shovel Knight, Terraria, and Slay the Spire – in its new Everyone is Here Vol. 2 update on PC.
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Incredible video shows meteor blaze through Pennsylvania sky
New video shows the moment a bright object blazed through Pittsburgh skies on Thursday evening.
In a clip from his doorbell camera, Phil Haddad caught the bright light as it streaked over the Pennsylvania city.
“I don’t often tweet, but when I do it’s because I captured a meteor on my doorbell cam,” he tweeted.
The local National Weather Service office also shared a video of what it called a “meteor/fireball.”
The meteor fireball appears first on the screen at the top righthand corner
(Credit: Phil Haddad / SCI + TECH /TMX )
METEORITE NOT CAUSE OF CALIFORNIA HOUSE FIRE, OFFICIALS SAY
“While we don’t specialize in meteors (well, hydrometeors, but that’s different), many reported seeing a meteor/fireball cross the sky at 7:33 tonight,” it noted.
The meteor/fireball travels quickly, shooting diagonally downward toward the left side of the screen
(Credit: Phil Haddad / SCI + TECH /TMX )
SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE DEVOURS A STAR, BLASTS ITS REMAINS AT EARTH
The American Meteor Society said it had received 830 reports about a fireball witnessed over several states on Friday.
The meteor/fireball disappears behind trees at the end of the clip
(Credit: Phil Haddad / SCI + TECH /TMX )
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Those states include Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
LightSail 2 spacecraft ends solar-sailing mission in a blaze of glory
The LightSail 2 spacecraft will ride on sunshine no more.
The Planetary Society’s crowdfunded solar sailing craft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday morning (Nov.17) after nearly 3.5 years in orbit — more than three times longer than its designed mission life.
The LightSail 2 team has received no communications from the spacecraft since that date, leading them to conclude that the shoebox-sized craft had finally given up the ghost after completing 18,000 orbits and traveling about 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) around our planet.
“LightSail 2 is gone after more than three glorious years in the sky, blazing a trail of lift with light, and proving that we could defy gravity by tacking a sail in space,” science communicator Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society, said in a statement (opens in new tab). “The mission was funded by tens of thousands of Planetary Society members, who want to advance space technology.”
Related: LightSail 2 captures stunning photos of Earth from space
LightSail 2 was the first small spacecraft to demonstrate controlled solar sailing, harnessing photons from the sun to adjust its orbit. (LightSail 2 wasn’t the first craft of any type to solar sail in space, however; Japan’s Ikaros probe did so in 2010.)
While light lacks mass, its individual particles — photons — carry momentum that can be transferred to a reflective surface to give it a tiny amount of push.
LightSail 2 has shown that solar sailing is an effective and viable propulsion method for small spacecraft, including tiny satellites known as cubesats, team members said.
LightSail Program Manager and Chief Scientist Bruce Betts wrote in a Planetary Society statement (opens in new tab) that deorbiting was always going to be LightSail 2’s fate, though the fiery end to the mission took longer to manifest than predicted.
The end of LightSail 2 was a drag
LightSail 2 launched in June 2019 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, tasked with a one-year mission to demonstrated controlled solar sailing in orbit. It began its operations at an altitude of about 450 miles (720 kilometers) above Earth — slightly higher than the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS).
At this altitude, Earth’s atmosphere is still dense enough to exert a slight drag on a spacecraft, and it is this effect that eventually sealed the fate of LightSail 2.
Because of the large surface area of the craft’s solar sail, which measured 244 square feet (32 square meters) — about the size of a boxing ring — it experienced a larger drag effect than other spacecraft of its mass.
“Imagine throwing a rock compared to throwing a piece of paper. Atmospheric drag will stop the paper much faster than the rock. In our case, LightSail 2 is the paper,” Betts wrote. “A spacecraft like the ISS is huge but also massive, more like the rock. But even the ISS has to be boosted higher every few weeks using rockets to compensate for drag.”
During its third year of operations, in which it demonstrated its most efficient solar sailing, LightSail 2 experienced increased atmospheric drag due to a boost in solar activity. This activity from the sun heated the atmosphere, making the area LightSail 2 passed through denser.
“That marked the beginning of the end,” Betts wrote. “As solar activity increased even more, solar sailing was unable to compete with the increased drag due to atmospheric density increase.”
Over the last several weeks, LightSail 2 had been dropping deeper and deeper into Earth’s atmosphere, experiencing more and more drag, which, in turn, dramatically increased the rate of its drop.
“The spacecraft was caught in an ever-increasing snowball effect: as the spacecraft got lower, the density increased, which caused the spacecraft to get lower even more quickly,” Betts wrote.
While LightSail 2’s mission may be over, there is still scientific work to be conducted. The team behind the mission is continuing to analyze data collected by the craft, which remained operational until its final moments.
This data will also be shared with future space missions that also make use of solar sails, such as NASA’s NEA Scout, which launched on the agency’s Artemis 1 mission on Nov. 16 and will hitch a ride on sunlight to travel to the moon and then on to a near-Earth asteroid.
“Despite the sadness at seeing it go, all those who worked on this project and the 50,000 individual donors who completely funded the LightSail program should reflect on this as a moment of pride,” Betts wrote.
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At least 38 were injured in a Manhattan apartment building blaze that was caused by a lithium-ion battery, officials said
CNN
—
At least 38 people were injured in a Manhattan apartment building fire Saturday morning, which authorities believe was caused by a lithium-ion battery connected to a micromobility device.
Of the injuries, two were critical, five were serious and the rest minor, Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said in a news conference. Officials did not release any further details about those injured.
Authorities received calls about fire and smoke at the building on East 52nd Street shortly before 10:30 a.m., the commissioner said. The address officials gave corresponds to a 37-story apartment building known as the Rivercourt in Manhattan’s Midtown East neighborhood, with 292 apartments, according to the building’s website.
Fire units were on scene in “just over three minutes” after first receiving reports and encountered a “heavy fire condition” on the building’s 20th floor, FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Frank Leeb said during the news conference.
Two civilians were rescued from the apartment with the fire, Leeb said. Fire personnel used ropes to make the rescues, he said.
“Fire, EMS and dispatch did an extraordinary job rescuing a number of civilians, including an incredible roof rescue,” Kavanagh said, adding that fire personnel were working in “unbelievably dangerous conditions.”
The blaze was “close to our 200th fire this year where the cause of the fire is a lithium-ion battery from a micromobility device,” Dan Flynn, the chief fire marshal, said.
“We’re seeing an exponential increase (in these types of fires) … over the last few years. These fires, they come without warning and when they do go on fire, they’re so intense that any combustibles in the area will catch fire,” Flynn said. “We’ve had six fatalities this year just from these batteries that power micromobility devices.”
In January, a lithium-ion battery in an electric bike or scooter self-combusted in a Bronx apartment and sparked a four-alarm fire in which a firefighter sustained minor injuries, CNN has previously reported. More than 100 fires were caused by e-bikes in 2021, resulting in 79 injuries and four deaths, according to the FDNY.
Authorities believe that the occupant in the apartment where Saturday’s fire likely began had been repairing bikes in the building, Flynn said.
The fire likely started “right behind the front door,” Flynn added. At least five bikes were recovered from the apartment, he said.
“We are heading into the cold winter season, fires do go up, and so we really implore all New Yorkers to ensure that they and their families are safe,” Kavanagh, the fire commissioner, said. “We also want to emphasize the rising cause of fires from e-bikes and to ensure that families are making sure that they are following the safest possible way to use these, including not charging them overnight when they are asleep, including making sure they are certified and that the batteries that they are using are not damaged in any way.”
Fire marshals are on scene conducting an investigation, officials said.
Death toll jumps to 14 in crash of Russian warplane in residential area that ignited massive blaze
A Russian warplane crashed Monday into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least 14 people dead, three of whom jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze.
A Su-34 bomber came down in the port city of Yeysk after one of its engines caught fire during takeoff for a training mission, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It said both crew members bailed out safely, but the plane crashed into a residential area, causing a fire as tons of fuel exploded on impact.
After hours of combing through the charred debris of the building, authorities said 14 residents, including three children, were found dead. Another 19 were hospitalized with injuries. Initially, officials had put the death toll at four.
The region’s vice governor, Anna Menkova, said three of the four victims died when they jumped from the upper floors of the building in a desperate attempt to escape the flames, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency.
Authorities reserved emergency rooms at local hospitals and scrambled medical aircraft. Over 500 residents were evacuated and provided with temporary accommodations.
Kooperativ Telegram Channel via AP
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the crash and dispatched the ministers of health and emergencies along with the local governor to the site. Yeysk, a city of 90,000, is home to a big Russian air base.
Several hours after the crash, regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said that emergency services managed to contain the fire, making the evacuation of residents in adjacent buildings unnecessary.
Surveillance cam videos posted on Russian messaging app channels showed a plane exploding in a giant fireball. Other videos showed an apartment building engulfed by flames and loud bangs from the apparent detonation of the warplane’s weapons.
Reuters/Stringer
Oksana, a local resident who declined to give her last name, told Agence France-Presse the area was cordoned off.
“There could be an explosion. Everything is burning inside. There is smoke,” she told AFP.
She said she was stuck in traffic when she heard the news.
“I’m in shock, obviously. My child was alone at home. We already used to go to sleep with fear every day — Mariupol is just across from us,” she said.
The Su-34 is a supersonic twin-engine bomber equipped with sophisticated sensors and weapons that has been a key strike component of the Russian air force. The aircraft has seen wide use during the war in Syria and the fighting in Ukraine.
Monday’s accident marked the 10th reported non-combat crash of a Russian warplane since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Military experts have noted that as the number of Russian military flights increased sharply during the fighting, so did the crashes.
Russian warplane crashes in residential area, killing at least 4 people and igniting massive blaze
A Russian warplane crashed Monday into a residential area in a Russian city on the Sea of Azov after suffering engine failure, leaving at least four people dead, three of whom died when they jumped from upper floors of a nine-story apartment building to escape a massive blaze.
A Su-34 bomber came down in the port city of Yeysk after one of its engines caught fire during takeoff for a training mission, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It said both crew members bailed out safely, but the plane crashed into a residential area, causing a fire as tons of fuel exploded on impact.
Authorities said at least four residents were killed, six were missing and 25 others were injured, including eight people who were in grave condition.
Vice governor of the region, Anna Menkova, said three of the four victims died when they jumped from the upper floors of the building in a desperate attempt to escape the flames, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency.
Kooperativ Telegram Channel via AP
The authorities reserved emergency rooms at local hospitals and scrambled medical aircraft. At least 17 apartments were affected by the fire, and 250 residents were evacuated and provided with temporary accommodations.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the crash and ordered the ministers of health and emergencies along with the local governor to head to the site. Yeysk, a city of 90,000, is home to a big Russian air base.
Several hours after the crash, regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said that emergency services managed to contain the fire, making the evacuation of residents in adjacent buildings unnecessary.
Surveillance cam videos posted on Russian messaging app channels showed a plane exploding in a giant fireball. Other videos showed an apartment building engulfed by flames and loud bangs from apparent detonation of the warplane’s weapons.
Reuters/Stringer
Oksana, a local resident who declined to give her last name, told the AFP news service the area was cordoned off.
“There could be an explosion. Everything is burning inside. There is smoke,” she told AFP.
She said she was stuck in traffic when she heard the news.
“I’m in shock obviously. My child was alone at home. We already used to go to sleep with fear every day — Mariupol is just across from us,” she said.
The Su-34 is a supersonic twin-engine bomber equipped with sophisticated sensors and weapons that has been a key strike component of the Russian air force. The aircraft has seen wide use during the war in Syria and the fighting in Ukraine.
Monday’s accident marked the 10th reported non-combat crash of a Russian warplane since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Military experts noted that as the number of military flights increased sharply during the fighting, so did the crashes.
AFP contributed reporting.