An outside fire spread to multiple structures in Los Angeles’ Westlake neighborhood Saturday afternoon, injuring a firefighter and prompting a large response from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The fire was reported at 12:58 p.m. near 525 S. Union Ave., according to LAFD. Flames from the outside fire extended into a two-story apartment building, a single-family home and a recreational vehicle, officials said.

Video from the scene showed towering flames and thick black smoke rising from an area filled with debris, with an RV and nearby structures immediately surrounding the fire.

One person was rescued from a structure and evaluated at the scene. An LAFD firefighter suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital.

Additional resources were called to the scene as crews worked to contain the flames. The fire was knocked down at 1:42 p.m., 44 minutes after the initial 911 call. About 60 firefighters remained at the scene afterward for overhaul operations.

KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles

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VIDEO: Fire crews from all over the state made their way to Springfield on Friday for a unique training.

The focus wasn’t necessarily on how to stay safe when running into a blazing building; it was all about self-defense. Crews took part in a jiu-jitsu course designed for first responders.

Now, when emergency crews get sent to mental health situations without a police escort, they’ll have the tools they need to protect not only themselves, but others as well.

“We’re hoping that everybody is safer, because there has been problems in the community where there’s excessive force being used,” said Mark Commean of Gracie Humaita Jiu-jitsu. “And it’s not because people are malicious, it’s because they just don’t know. What I’m hoping to do, I’m hoping to educate our community of first responders.”

Studies have shown this type of training was effective more than 99 percent of the time, and it caused zero injuries during the period the study was conducted.

WCIA-TV CBS 3 Champaign

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PHOTOS: A plume of thick, black smoke rose from a fire at a plastics plant on the south side of South Haven for hours Friday, the massive fire also resulted in a citywide power outage that lasted most of the day.

All workers evacuated safely and no one was hurt, South Haven Area Emergency Services said.

The fire broke out around 3:45 p.m. at East Jordan Plastics on Stieve Drive off Blue Star Highway. Photos from SHAES show firefighters dumping water on bright orange flames leaping from the building in front of a huge plume of smoke.

About 2 million gallons of water were used to extinguish the fire, with SHAES Executive Director and Fire Chief Brandon Hinz saying that no other buildings or businesses were impacted by the fire.

“We were able to contain it just to the building and just to the fire load on the outside of the building,” he said.

A spokesperson for the agency said there were tens of thousands of pallets of plastic waste on site, which the plant converted into containers.

WOOD-TV NBC 8 Grand Rapids

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Customers can choose between 316 and 304 grade stainless steels for their fluid paths on many reel types to best match the necessary corrosion resistance.

The post Coxreels Offers a Variety of Stainless Steel appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

VIDEO: A Tacoma Mountain Rescue team hiked through the night amid snow and winds gusting up to 60 mph to rescue a hypothermic hiker stranded along the Pacific Crest Trail. Tacoma Mountain Rescue said it was called to Lewis County after receiving word that a man in his 20s had triggered an SOS on a Garmin inreach satellite communicator Friday night.

The man was at about 7,000 feet elevation, where his tent was being torn apart by the storm. He was hypothermic and could no longer walk, according to the rescue group. Conditions had grounded helicopters, leaving rescuers to reach the hiker on foot.

A five-person Tacoma Mountain Rescue team reached the trailhead around 9 p.m. and hiked about 8 miles through the storm. Rescuers reached the man around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and began rewarming and stabilizing him before getting him into a shelter.

Two rescuers then spent the remainder of the night in a two-person tent with the hiker, using their own body heat to help keep him warm. The group began hiking out Saturday morning. Members of Pierce County Explorer Search and Rescue hiked about 5 miles up the trail to meet them and assist with the return.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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