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An early-morning fire burned through an attic and damaged the roof at U.S. Car Stereo.

The fire, which was reported at 2:47 a.m. at 488 W. Mill St., took 38 firefighters 45 minutes to get under control, according to Mike Arvizo, Public Information Officer with the San Bernardino City Fire Department. 8 Engines, 2 Trucks and 2 Battalion Chiefs responded to the incident.

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Firefighters spent a few hours doing mop up and saving thousands of dollars worth of merchandise in the store.

Firefighters had to cope with a number of locks, metal doors and other obstacles that made fighting the fire more difficult.
“This place was like a fortress and forcible entry was very challenging”. Said Captain Jeff English.

The main body of fire was making a run through the attic space. Firefighters on the roof were able to cut off the fire’s progression by placing heat holes and then a trench cut along the west side of the L-shaped building.

A front overhang also collapsed as firefighters entered the building. Fortunately, no one was injured from the collapse.

The fire caused $500,000 in damages to property and contents combined.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Written by J. Serrano, West Coast 911

GRIDLEY — Cal Fire-Gridley firefighters pulled a barely conscious woman from a burning house in Gridley Wednesday morning.

The fire started about 11:40 a.m. at 1855 Indiana St., said Joshpae White, of Cal Fire-Butte County.

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Cal Fire crews were checking fire hydrants in the area when they saw smoke coming from the two-story house, he said.

At the front door, firefighters also saw flames shooting out a window upstairs. A neighbor said people might be inside, so they broke down the door, and saw flames coming from upstairs and smoke filling the downstairs, said Capt. Rob Sonsteng.

While three firefighters worked with chainsaws to ventilate the house, Sonsteng and engineer Jason Dyer entered the house, with breathing apparatus, to search.

Dyer said they saw two cars in the garage, which also led them to believe more than one person might be inside the house.

They found a woman lying on the kitchen floor downstairs who was barely conscious, Sonsteng said. The woman appeared to be suffering from smoke inhalation, he said.

They took the woman outside where an ambulance took her to Biggs-Gridley Memorial Hospital for unknown injuries, White said.

Cal Fire Capt. Rob Sonsteng cleans up after a residential fire Wednesday morning

Firefighters searched for more people inside the house, but didn’t find anyone.

Cal Fire didn’t know the woman’s name or who lived in the house, White said, but circumstances and a quick response led to the rescue and kept the fire damage minimal.

“It felt good,” Sonsteng said later about the rescue.

Story by Oroville Mercury Register

An early morning blaze in Sylmar today killed an unspecified number of chickens and damaged horse stables and other property, authorities said.

The fire originated in the horse stables and wooden chicken coops of a single-family home in the 14600 block of Bledsoe Street about 1 a.m. and spread to a nearby property, damaging a mobile home, parts of a garage and three parked vehicles, said Capt. Daniel Curry of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

About 25 firefighters extinguished the blaze in 30 minutes, said department spokesman David Ortiz.

It was not immediately clear how many chickens died in the fire, said Battalion Chief Joe Foley, but TV news reports said 300 chickens, turkeys and ducks were killed.

No other injuries to people or animals were reported.

Story by LA Times

On Monday, October 27, 2008, at 08:37, two engine companies and one ladder truck of the Bullhead City Fire Department, along with three rescue ambulances, the Training Division Chief and the EMS Division Chief responded to a reported residential structure fire. The fire was under the command of Battalion Chief Craig Stephenson.

Before engines arrived on the scene, dispatch was relaying “neighbors state mom and two kids could be home.” The first engine on scene laid a hose from the hydrant to the engine. This fire was an defensive fire due to the large amount of fire as firefighters arrived. The engineer on the first engine activated his deck mounted nozzle and quickly dispersed 300 gallons of water on the front of the residence.

Firefighters aggressively attacked the fire with three 1 ¾ hose lines. The added room to the south had no windows to access the fire. Power tools were used to cut holes.

While still working the fire, the mom arrived home and stated all their children were in school.

The American Red Cross was called to the home to assist the family with a place to stay clothing and food. Mom, Dad and the three children now have nothing, as the home and contents were a total loss.

Two Investigators were called in to investigate the cause of the fire. Their investigation is continuing.

Story and photos submitted to West Coast 911 by:
Photos and Story by Larry Tunforss, Public Information Officer
Bullhead City Fire Department

VICTORVILLE - A two-alarm fire at a commercial warehouse at Southern California Logistics Airport sent one person to the hospital with second-degree burns to his arms and head, officials said.

More than 30 firefighters and seven engines responded to the former World of Leisure pool table manufacturing plant in the 13500 block of Phantom Street at about 10:19 a.m. Friday, according to Division Chief Sid Hultquist of the San Bernardino County Fire Department in Victorville.

It appears the fire broke out when employees of the company were dismantling an old spray booth inside the 5,000-square-foot building, according to Hultquist, but the exact cause of the fire is under investigation.

It is not certain if the burn victim was also helping in the dismantling process, officials said.

The victim was treated at the scene for burns to one arm and to his head, then transported by American Medical Response ambulance personnel to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, fire officials said.

Less than a dozen employees were inside the building when the fire broke out, officials said.

World of Leisure employees declined to comment.

The building had recently been sold, and employees from the pool table manufacturing company were moving items out of the warehouse in preparation for the new owners, Global Access, officials said.

The fire was knocked down shortly before 11 a.m., officials said.

Firefighters were able to contain most of the damage to half of the warehouse, and managed to save thousands of dollars in merchandise and office records, according to authorities.

Fire personnel from Apple Valley Fire Protection District, San Bernardino County Fire and SCLA Fire Rescue were on scene.

Story and Photos by VV Daily Press / Beatriz E. Valenzuela and JAMES QUIGG

West Coast 911 news tip from SBcoFD Firefighter J. Kern

HESPERIA - Rescue workers managed to free a man from a collapsed trench after he was buried up to his waist for about one hour, officials said.

“We didn’t want to go in there and start digging the victim out and cause another incident,” said Division Chief Tim Wessel of the San Bernardino County Fire Department’s Hesperia station.

A city of Hesperia worker was part of a pipeline replacement crew working in the trench at Arrowhead Lake Road and Main Street when the collapse took place, according to Kim Summers, spokeswoman for the city.

The man remained conscious during the rescue but was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center after he complained of back and hip pain, fire officials said.

The collapse was caused by an older fiber-optic trench nearby that became unsteady while the crew was digging a new one, officials said.

The man was kneeling in the trench at the time of collapse, and became buried up to his waist, officials said.

Urban Search and Rescue personnel worked to stabilize the trench before removing the man, officials said.

Witnesses at the scene declined to comment on the incident as it is under investigation by officials of Cal OSHA, which establishes, monitors and enforces workplace safety regulations.

Story and Photos by VV Daily Press / James Quigg
Newstip Submitted by SBcoFD Firefighter J. Kern

Pop and Christian recording artist Amy Grant surprised downtown firefighters Saturday night with an impromptu acoustic set after her concert at the Fox Theater.

The singer visited Bakersfield Fire Department Station No. 1 on H Street near the Fox. The firefighters gave her a ride down 21st Street in the ladder truck and a member of her band rode along on a medical call, said Engineer Steve Hamblet. A blog on Grant’s Web site gives an account of the side trip and raves about the intimate atmosphere of the Fox.

“She was so personable, so genuine,” Hamblet said. “For someone to take the time and come over and give a heartfelt little show like she did for us, that was really neat.”

It’s not the first time this year — or even in the past few months — that down-home artists have taken advantage of Bakersfield’s offerings post-show. Martina McBride took her crew to Camelot Park for arcade fun after her Buck Owens Birthday Bash show at the Crystal Palace in August.

Hamblet said he was out on the apparatus floor, where the trucks are kept, when he spotted a band member walking out of the bus at the Fox before the show.

Hamblet and Engineer Tim Ortiz approached the band member and invited the entire group to tour the fire station, something firefighters have done over the years for other Fox performers, including Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, The Go-Go’s and Natalie Merchant.

Around 11:30 p.m., Grant and the band came to the station. Half the crew had gone to bed, but they came down for the show. She sang four or five old and new songs, including a cover of The Beatles’ “Yesterday,” with acoustic guitar accompaniment.

Hamblet said he felt bad he didn’t know all of the songs, but his wife is a fan.

The fire crew gave the band a tour of the station. Grant thanked them for their service to the community.

Story and Photos by The Bakersfield Californian

VICTORVILLE — San Bernardino County firefighters battled their second two alarm fire at SCLA in two days Saturday morning.

San Bernardino County Firefighters climb off a roof of abandoned former George Airforce Base Housing. It was the second two alarm fire at SCLA in two days. / JAMES QUIGG DAILY PRESS

Sid Hultquist of the San Bernardino County Fire Department reported firefighters took a defensive approach to the fire. They allowed the abandoned eightplex to burn, and concentrated on preventing the fire from spreading.

Initial firefighters on the scene discovered exploding ammunition left from previous Army trainings. Firefighters were also hampered by the lack of water on the base housing, which does not have water.

A thick black column of smoke emanating from former George Air Force Base could be seen from Interstate 15.

Story and Photos by VV Daily Press

A brush fire north of Upland today charred at least 200 acres, but no structures were threatened, San Bernardino County fire officials said.

The fire was raging in the San Antonio Heights area about 1:30 p.m., but had started to simmer into a blanket of white smoke late this afternoon as firefighters, assisted by water-dropping helicopters, battled the flames. The fire was 30% contained as of 5 p.m., officials said.

An airtanker drops fire retardant on the eastern edge of the fire Thursday. Firefighters along with an aggressive air attack slows a fire above San Antonio Heights Thursday afternoon October 23, 2008. /

“Things are looking pretty good,” said Tracey Martinez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. The fire is expected to burn into the night, but should be extinguished by Friday.

Firefighters remain on guard because of existing weather conditions, Martinez said. Winds are light and breezy, and a red flag warning triggered by Santa Ana winds will remain in effect in the area until 11 p.m. Saturday.

The burned area is in the same location where the 69,000-acre Grand Prix fire raged five years ago, destroying nearly 200 homes and causing $11.6 million in damage. That fire burned from Fontana to La Verne.

Retired Montebello Fire Chief Dennis Wiskus, 61, who lives in San Antonio Heights, said one major difference with today’s fire is that “the brush load is all burned down [from five years ago]. It’s nowhere near as heavy.”

Wiskus praised the quick response of the U.S. Forest Service and San Bernardino County Fire Department.

“I saw an assistant chief getting everyone on the same frequency right away,” he said.

Today’s flames resurrected some raw emotions from neighbors, including Cheri Jo Gitney, who lost her home in the Grand Prix fire.

Upon spotting the flames, Gitney teared up, saying, “I didn’t think we would ever see it again like that.” She said that not all her neighbors who lost their homes have been able to rebuild since the fire.

West Coast 911 source - Written by LA Times

Family, they say, is forever.

So when Capt. Gary McDonough hung up his helmet after 35 years of service with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, the 16 firefighters of Station 48 in San Pedro - some who had been mentored by McDonough from the time they were rookies - wanted to give their former leader a proper send-off gift.

On Tuesday afternoon that gift stood in the station parking lot, sparkling in the afternoon sun.

Retiring Capt. Gary McDonough was presented with his refurbished VW baja bug that was secretly redone over the last year by his firefighters at the station. (Brad Graverson/Staff Photographer)

“He was like a father to many of us, and we wanted to show him how much that meant,” said Hector Hernandez, a captain with the department at Station 52 in Hollywood who first met McDonough as a rookie 15 years ago.

The station’s gift to the 59-year-old retired captain - a refurbished Volkswagen Beetle - was to thank him for years of service to the department and community.

“He had a huge impact on all of us here. Many of us are where we are now because of him,” Hernandez said.

“And we knew he would never expect it,” he added.

With a coat of Red Ice Pearl paint and flames on the side panels depicting diamond plated metal, the newly refurbished classic didn’t look like the relic McDonough gave to a fellow firefighter shortly before he retired for a quick carburetor fix. And after all, he thought the car had been forgotten.

“He thought it would be gone just a month. When he started asking questions about his car, we would change the subject,” said Capt. Andy Valencia, a 33-year veteran of the department who has served five years at Station 48.”But here it is a year later, better than he could have imagined,” he said.

To get the job done, the firefighters pooled their free time and chipped in for a new engine, interior and custom paint job for McDonough’s car.

“We worked together for a year on this. It’s a type of send-off that is rare and unprecedented within the department but very well-deserved,” Valencia added.

The firefighters gathered with family members at Station 48 on Tuesday afternoon to share a meal and honor the man many consider to be a mentor, a counselor, a friend, a father. Continue reading →