PALERMO — Flames sparked by a lawnmower, fueled by Monday’s triple-digit temperatures and strong south winds, destroyed a home and scorched almost 50 acres in the Palermo area. It was the fourth consecutive Monday that a mower has triggered a fire. It was the largest of four fires that firefighters were called to Monday in Butte County, though in one case, they weren’t needed. At 11:47 a.m., firefighters responded to the largest fire, located just north of Palermo Road between Power House Hill Road and Lone Tree Road. Cal Fire-Butte County Battalion Chief Mike Shorrock said the blaze spread quickly, partly due to the weather conditions, which Shorrock said created “extreme fire behavior.” In just 20 minutes, the blaze consumed 40 acres, and by the time firefighters arrived at Palermo Road, a house that sits off the roadway was already fully engulfed in flames. A giant column of black smoke could be seen miles away as the flames consumed the home and several cars on the property. [click to continue…]
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Costa Mesa arson Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of a fire that raged through a single family home on Saturday. The firefighters arrived at the home on Colgate Street at approximately 6:40 p.m. Their efforts were frustrated by intense smoke and heat, and by the detonation of small rounds of ammunition that were located in the garage. Firefighters extinguished the fire using a technique that involved cutting into the roof to ventilate the area. It took a total of 21 personnel from the fire department to bring the fire under control. Authorities from the Costa Mesa Fire Department say the severity of the fire damage in the garage has impeded the pace of the investigation. Fire damage estimates are still being calculated. The fire department’s arson Investigation team is handling the investigation.
KERNVILLE, Calif. — According to the Kern River Ranger District, the Faireview fires have been contained.
Reporting from Washington — The Supreme Court ruled today that white firefighters who lost promotions in New Haven, Conn., were victims of illegal racial discrimination, holding that employers should not rely on “raw racial statistics” to set aside a fair test. The 5-4 decision clarifies the federal job-discrimination laws for employers, both private and public, and it says that the primary goal of the Civil Rights Act is to remove race as a factor in hiring and promotions. “No individual should face workplace discrimination based on race,” said Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, overturning a ruling by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor and two other judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York. The ruling says New Haven officials were wrong to set aside the results of a 2003 test after they learned no black firefighters were among the top scorers, and therefore, would not be eligible for a promotion to lieutenant or captain. 
LOS ANGELES — Seven people were injured in a fire at a four-unit apartment building near downtown Los Angeles Monday. The fire at 2800 E. Manitou Ave. was reported about 3:15 a.m. The two-story fourplex was soon fully involved in flames that spread to its attic. More than 100 firefighters knocked the blaze down in about 42 minutes, according Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Devin Gales. Two adults and five children were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, Gales said. Two of them suffered any burns, but it was unclear whether they were children or adults. The building has been declared a total loss, leaving some 21 people homeless. The cause of the fire is now under investigation. Arson investigators were on the scene, but fowl play was not immediately suspected.
PITTSBURG, Calif. (KCBS) — Investigators say a child playing with a lighter may have started a tragic early morning fire in the East Bay Saturday, killing a six-year-old girl. A fire dispatcher tells KCBS the deadly fire started shortly after 3 a.m. at an apartment house at 1026 Power Avenue in Pittsburg. Firefighters say the child’s mother desperately tried to save her child, but could not get past the huge flames to her daughter’s bedroom. It’s believed the little girl died while sleeping in her bed. Three other apartment units were damaged in the fire. Investigators say it appears another child playing with a lighter may have started the fire.
At 0035 hrs on June 27th, firefighters were dispatched to a car fire at the above mentioned address. The car was parked in the garage of this home. First arriving units found the garage of the home fully involved in fire with heavy flames and smoke venting through the garage door. Fire Crews went through the front door and attacked the fire from the unburned portion of the home. The home and almost all of the interior contents were saved. Two cars parked in the garage and all contents of the garage were lost. The occupants two dogs were saved and no civilians were injured. The local chapter of the Red Cross was contacted and is assisting the family. No firefighters were injured in the incident, The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.