PHOTOS: It’s not every day that a major building in San Jose becomes consumed by a raging inferno, sending up dark clouds of smoke that can be seen for miles, forcing hundreds of people to flee for safety and captivating the nation’s attention. So when a Home Depot store in South San Jose quickly burst aflame last weekend, many residents were reminded of one of the city’s last calamitous structure fires: the 2002 Santana Row blaze.
- PUB DATE: 4/15/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Mercury News - Metered Site

Emergencies follow no set schedule and can happen at a moment’s notice. So when firefighters with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department file into the Wellfit center in Chantilly, they often bring their equipment with them, leaving their gear near the entrance and trucks parked out front in case their shift is called into action.
- PUB DATE: 4/15/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fairfax County Times

Airway Heights Fire Department (AHFD) officially christened its part-time firefighter program with the April 1 hiring of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Brenda Wittig. Wittig, who lives in Spokane Valley, has been a volunteer firefighter with the department for the past two years. "It is exciting," Wittig said.
- PUB DATE: 4/15/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cheney Free Press

Paul Parker’s introduction to the fire service in Mattawa came not long after he and his wife Bonnie moved to town. “When I got here in 1957, into the trailer court, a guy came over to welcome us and told me, ‘You’re on the fire department and you’ve got to have a shovel and a garden hose in your car at all times,’” he said.
- PUB DATE: 4/15/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Columbia Basin Herald

Investigators declared the blaze that destroyed multiple businesses on April 7 in the town of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island an act of arson. City officials said the four-alarm fire that caused millions in damage originated on the deck behind the commercial building housing Crystal Seas Kayaking. Multiple agencies were called to battle the fire that lasted for hours.
- PUB DATE: 4/15/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle