People dump hot ashes, fire starts and burns their vehicles
In what might be karma, several vehicles burned in a vegetation fire near Kernersville, North Carolina early Thursday. It turns out that some individuals dumped hot ashes in the woods which, during low humidity and dry conditions, started a fire which burned their vehicles.
Hunter’s boat sinks, he starts signal fire
The Coast Guard said a 65-year old man started a signal fire after his 15-foot aluminum boat got stuck in the mud and then sank south of New Orleans. His wife reported him missing when he didn’t return home as expected He was found after a six-hour search by a Coast Guard helicopter and a St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s department boat. Smoke from the fire helped the responders locate the hunter.
Man who started fire that burned 28 homes will not be prosecuted
In January of 2012 an elderly man admitted accidentally starting the Washoe Drive fire near Reno, Nevada by tossing out fireplace ashes that were still hot. During the fire a 93-year old woman died of smoke inhalation and 28 homes burned.
According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, the District Attorney recently made the decision to not prosecute the man just as the statute of limitations was about to expire. An Associated Press report indicates there was a lack of communication between the DA’s office and fire investigators, with both pointing the finger at each other.
San Diego lists ongoing incidents on web site
San Diego Fire-Rescue has created a web site that lists in near-real-time the active Fire and EMS calls dispatched by the San Diego Fire Communications Center. The data is updated in five minute intervals. More fire departments should do this.
