7 Injured, One Critically, In N.J. High-Rise Apartment Blaze

7 Injured, One Critically, In N.J. Apartment Blaze - News Story - WNBC | New York

ASBURY PARK, N.J. -- A fire broke out Thursday in a 15-story apartment building, injuring seven people and temporarily trapping several others on balconies, the city's fire department said.

All seven who were injured, including one critically, suffered smoke inhalation.

The blaze, the cause of which is not known, began around 11:20 a.m. in a cluttered 14th story apartment of the Monroe Towers. The fire forced those living in the top three floors to flee, said Garrett Giberson, an Asbury Park fire inspector.

The apartment's occupant, Sunovia Williams, 80, was pulled out by firefighters who had to crawl over an array of debris that contributed to the intensity of the blaze and hampered efforts to reach her and her husband, Giberson said.

A juvenile, whose age was not immediately available, and five firefighters also suffered smoke inhalation.

The building is one of the tallest buildings in Asbury Park, a community along the Atlantic Ocean. The blaze was initially too high for ladder trucks, forcing firefighters to fight the flames from inside, Asbury Park fire Capt. Frank Dilello said. He wasn't sure if the building had sprinklers, but said there were hose hookups inside.

BREAKING: 21 students treated in gas leak

BREAKING: 21 students treated in gas leak

Earlier today 21 Virginia Tech students were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning in the Collegiate Suites apartment complex off Patrick Henry Road.

Five females were found unresponsive in one apartment and were flown to hospitals by helicopter, said Blacksburg police Capt. Bruce Bradbery. Two were sent to the University of Virginia Medical Center on ventilators, and the three other were sent to Duke University Medical Center. Four of the young women remain unresponsive; one female transported to Duke has regained partial consciousness, Bradbery said.

The five young women who were sent away via helicopter were all living in the same apartment at 1306 Henry Lane. They were found after a nearby resident called the gas company of the complex to investigate a smell, Bradbery said.

Seventeen other people were taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital for treatment, Bradbery said.

Bradbery said that the level of carbon monoxide to begin indication of symptoms is 25 parts per million (ppm). When the fire department conducted a reading after the building was evacuated, the reading reached 500 ppm. After 30 minutes of ventilation, that reading went down to 200 ppm.

Bradbery said that after a preliminary investigation the leak was caused by a faulty pressure relief valve in the hot water heater. Because the valve was open, the fuel was constantly burning and the carbon monoxide was not ventilating.

In addition, all four doors inside the apartment were closed preventing the carbon monoxide from exiting.

The Blacksburg police received a call at 11:18 a.m. and reached the scene at 11:23 a.m.

There were no carbon monoxide detectors in the building because there is no requirement for them.

The apartment will be sealed indefinitely and investigated thoroughly, Bradbery said. Residents are allowed to enter to gather last minute items. The fire department is providing housing for them in a local hotel.

Man dies after setting himself on fire in hotel

Man dies after setting himself on fire in hotel -- chicagotribune.com

WEST SIDE - A man fatally burned himself Tuesday in a hotel on Chicago's West Side after apparently using rubbing alcohol on his body and then lighting a cigarette, authorities said.

Firefighters were called to the 4500 block of West Washington Boulevard about 11:15 a.m. for a report of a fire in one of the guest rooms, Chicago Fire Department spokeswoman Eve Rodriguez said.

Companies arrived to find the victim still in his room with severe burns on his head and torso.

"The victim was using rubbing alcohol on his upper body and then lit a cigarette," Rodriguez said. The man, Otis Jenning, 52, was taken to Loretto Hospital and pronounced dead at 12:11 p.m. The death appeared to be an accident, police said.

For a visual...here are idiots setting themselves on fire w/rubbing alchohol.

Playgrounds shut after a freak fire

Playgrounds shut after a freak fire | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
ARLINGTON — Arlington school officials have temporarily closed 20 playgrounds after a spontaneous combustion fire at a school playground last week.

Security video from Anderson Elementary School showed the fire breaking out with no sign of arson or other vandalism. Officials blamed Thursday's fire on the spontaneous combustion of the decomposing wood fiber surface of the playground.

Authorities say recent heavy rain left some material soaked, then it began decomposing in this month's hot weather.

Superintendent Mac Bernd says pea gravel will replace the wood chips on those playgrounds.

The changes are expected to be made within two weeks. Texas children prepare to return to classes Aug. 27.

PEPCON Explosion in Henderson NV

Training BLEVE

1:27

Water & elements that don't play well together

What happens when alkali metals enter in contact with water? (I'll give you a hint, it goes BOOM!)3:16

BLEVES

What is that funny sound the news crew wonders? uh oh.
5:42

Training Mistake

Vapor density. Flammable range. Movement of gases. Apparently all this firefighter knew was that gas makes big fire....like magic.

Before pallet blaze, fire officials considered closing company

Before pallet blaze, fire officials considered closing company
Click the link above for the entire story. More photos and video at the link!

Phoenix fire officials said the department was considering shutting down Sonoma Pacific of Arizona before Thursday's pallet-fueled blaze at 27th Avenue and Buckeye Road.

Three fire marshal visits in the past four months resulted in documentation of various fire code violations, including improper wood storage, weed overgrowth, and fire apparatus location. Company officials maintain they corrected the problems as soon as they were notified.

The fire, possibly sparked by an arsonist, started at about 9 p.m. and burned through piles of wooden pallets at the Sonoma Pacific of Arizona. The blaze spread to parked semi-trailers at a neighboring trucking company. The surrounding area is a mix of homes, business and industrial yards.

Phoenix Fire Department Chief Bob Khan said the fire was difficult to extinguish because of the code violations.

Sawtooth Fire (Critical Rate of Spread)

This video was shot by Dominic Pulsipher from inside the cab of CalFire Engine 3582 during the Sawtooth Fire.

Intense wildland fire behavior

This clip is used in the curriculum for S290, Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior. Amazingly intense fire behavior. This all happens in just two minutes.

Fire at plastic recycling company produces thick, potentially toxic smoke, closes freeway interchange

Fire at plastic recycling company produces thick, potentially toxic smoke, closes freeway interchange | Inland News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

A fire at a Riverside plastic recycling company sent a giant plume of toxic, black smoke into the air Tuesday afternoon that could be seen for miles, prompting a health advisory and forcing the closure of a major Inland freeway interchange during rush hour.

Flames broke out in a storage yard about 4:40 p.m. at Unlimited Plastics Inc. in the 2600 block of Durahart Street and spread across an acre of wooden pallets, heaps of cardboard boxes and piles of plastic, authorities said. Thick, black smoke engulfed a section of Interstate 215 and spread east to Yucaipa and Banning.

In a written statement issued Tuesday night, Riverside County Health Officer Dr. Eric Frykman advised residents in smoky areas to stay indoors, use the "air recirculation" function on their air conditioner and to limit their outdoor activity...

Emissions from burning plastic contain toxic gases and substances, including carbon monoxide and carcinogenic soot, that create the black color of the smoke, said Jean Ospital, the health effects officer for the South Coast Air Quality District.

Depending on the type of plastics burning, the smoke may also contain toxic formaldehyde, benzene, dioxins and other dangerous compounds...

At Tuesday night's City Council meeting, Planning Commission Chairman Finn Comer finished up an annual report on the commission's work with unplanned remarks about the fire. He cited a previous fire at the location and said city code enforcement officials should have been monitoring the operation more closely.

"It needed to clean up a long time ago," Comer said.

Carl Cranor, a UCR philosophy professor who lectures on risk assessment in the Environmental Toxicology Department, said that fallout from the fire may show up as dust in homes.

"Once the fire is out, it's going to be a long time and a scientific problem to figure out if there were any severe diseases caused by it," Cranor said.

Back Draft

Who needs breathing apparatus or masks?? Sigh. Remember what I told you about the guy on the end w/o protection? This is one example of many.

Backdraft

The narration is in french...but the pictures are worth a thousand words. THIS is backdraft...you will see how it differs from a flashover!

Christmas Tree Fire- Flashover

Here is the video of a flashover using a christmas tree.

Bradford City fire (upsetting Scenes)

Here is the video of the fire in the soccer stadium we talked about in class. You will see the rapid fire development, flash over and human reaction. 56 people died in this fire. Why did the people wait so long to evacuate? What do you think of the crowd's reaction? WARNING: VIDEO IS GRAPHIC, SOME MAY FIND IT DISTURBING.

Cast Away Fire

The scene where Tom Hanks firsts makes a fire.

BLEVE! Propane Tank Explosion Takes out City Block... TWICE

Gas leak at a propane storage facility in South Korea...all caught on tape. Wow!

PC Pitstop: Laptop Battery Fire

The authors intentionally created conditions in which the Li-ON battery pack would explode inside a generic portable. The results are dramatic. There are numerous conditions where these fires can occur in real life. Faulty battery packs (driving the recalls), faulty protection circuits inside the PC, exposure to excessive heat, and blunt force are some of the major ways that this could happen to you.

Hope your laptop isnt on your lap when this happens! 4:55