In this episode of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Podcast, Chris Mc Loone sits down with John Sestrom, product manager at Whelen Engineering, to discuss getting more value out of the lighting you spec on your apparatus, how to measure visibility and what measurements really matter, and what Whelen is doing to address challenges […]

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Two people were hurt and several were displaced Tuesday following a fiery explosion at a Bell Gardens apartment complex, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Crews were called to the area of Purdy Avenue and Loveland Street sometime before 6:30 p.m., officials said. There, firefighters battled a fire that was described as a “fully involved” incident at a two-story home.

“We just heard a loud sound bump, but we thought it was a car crash, and I saw people running and that’s when I came out and there was a lot of flame coming out and someone yelling help,” said Becky Villagomez, who lives in the area.

NewsChopper4 was over the scene, where heavy smoke was seen coming from the roof and a shattered window on the second floor. At least 60 firefighters and numerous emergency vehicles were seen tending to the scene.

Cellphone video also showed flames shooting from the roof of the apartment complex on Purdy Avenue.

KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles

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VIDEO: As sub‑zero wind chills settle in across Chicago, a rare and visually striking winter pattern has begun forming along the Lake Michigan shoreline: pancake ice — round, lily pad‑like discs that look sturdy, photogenic and deceptively walkable. But the Chicago Fire Department wants to send a clear warning: do not step onto the ice — any of it.

Deputy District Chief Jason Lach, who oversees CFD’s marine and dive operations, explained pancake ice forms when turbulent, freezing water begins to spin small chunks of ice into circular pads. From above, they resemble lily pads floating just off the shoreline.

“If you’re looking at it from above, it looks like a lily pad — just a circular disc in the water,” Lach said. The discs may appear thick, but their structure is uneven. Lach noted pancake ice “could be an inch in the middle and four inches on the outside, or vice versa,” making its stability impossible to judge from the surface.

WMAQ-TV NBC 5 Chicago

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PHOTOS: Fires can spread quickly through a home, which is why it’s important to know how to slow that spread. KTXS spoke with the Abilene Fire Department about the training firefighters use to understand how fire moves through a structure.

“We have small dollhouses that we build to kind of replicate a full size structure,” AFD Training Division Captain, Trent Farmer, said. “We use those so you can visually see each part of the house. And that allows us to have people stand back in a safe environment where we can teach them and show them actual live fire without actually having to use a regular structure.” Farmer said one of the most important skills firefighters learn is how to control airflow.

“Natural windows and doors, if you keep everything closed, that restricts the flow path,” Farmer said. “Fire wants to move from higher pressure to lower pressure. So if you stop the ability to flow, I mean, we recommend that everyone sleeps with their door shut That allows us more time, and that allows our percent of the chances to help you guys and put the fire out and the survivability of the victims.”

KTXS-TV ABC 12 San Angelo

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The City of Spokane Fire Department received a call early Saturday morning about a house fire and a column of smoke visible from the Maple Street Bridge. Firefighters were dispatched at 3:03 a.m. to the house at the 900 block of West Maxwell. They arrived within five minutes of the report. The first engine to arrive reported heavy fire on one of the walls of the two-story house, reaching up to the house’s attic. Law enforcement advised that one person might still be inside.

Firefighters entered the house and searched the interior. They did not find anyone and learned that the house’s residents had already escaped, the City of Spokane Fire Department said. The department said crews operated “offensively,” working from the inside.

KHQ-TV NBC 6 Spokane

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