Brooklyn, NY, Aug. 26—Fifty units and at least 130 members of FDNY battled a four-alarm fire that originated in a three-story apartment building and spread to the apartment buildings that were on each side of the building of origin, ultimately heavily damaging five buildings in total. The fire was started by an explosion of a lithium-ion battery that powered an e-scooter. The e-scooter’s location in a hallway of the building of origin blocked egress for some civilians. Nine civilians and six firefighters were injured.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Highland, CA, Sept. 8—A member of the Harrison Canyon handcrew from the San Bernardino County, CA, Fire Department conducts a firing operation during the Line Fire. Despite temperatures that soared to hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit amid a heatwave, members of the crew successfully safeguarded homes that were in the area as a result of the operation. The Line Fire ended up burning more than 43,900 acres since it was initially reported on Sept. 5. The cause of the fire was arson. A man is charged.
Photo by Pablo Sanchez
Seattle, Aug. 16—Seattle Fire Department Engine 25 was the first unit on scene at a vacant three-story apartment building and reported fire climbing up a back exterior stairwell. The fire climbed into the void spaces and then extended through the roof and to an occupied adjacent apartment building. As firefighters put water on the vacant building, crews searched inside and confirmed no occupants were found. Because of roof collapse concerns, firefighters exited the vacant building and remained in a defensive position and put water on the fire from aerial ladders and from rooftops of adjacent buildings.
Photo by John Odegard
Scranton, PA, May 18—Scranton Fire Department (SFD) firefighters arrived to thick black smoke that was pushing from an old meat packing warehouse. Interior crews quickly were pulled after they encountered zero visibility conditions and heavy fire throughout. All on-duty SFD firefighters responded as part of the second alarm. Three truck companies from neighboring municipalities assisted with the defensive operation. Here, Truck 2 from the Chinchilla Hose Company operates its master stream, while SFD Engine 2 supplies it with water. Six engines, four trucks and a heavy rescue and more than 70 firefighters and emergency personnel operated on scene.
Photo by Colin Gildea
Rich Dzierwa | Managing Editor, Firehouse Magazine
Rich Dzierwa joined Firehouse Magazine in 2019 after four tenures with other publications. He was editor-in-chief of Consumers Digest/ConsumersDigest.com and of trade magazine Cutting Tool Engineering. He served as the consumer products reporter for BridgeNews and began his publishing career with an 11-year tenure at Appliance magazine, where he rose to managing editor after serving in other roles. Dzierwa's experience with consumer products, including furnishings, appliances, electronics and space design, has transferred to his Firehouse work regarding the magazine's Station Design columns and the Station Design Awards. Previous work also has contributed to his supervision of several surveys of fire service/EMS members, to produce unique reporting for Firehouse's audience. Dzierwa earned a bachelor's degree in English from Columbia College Chicago.
