Authorities are investigating after a toddler died in a house fire in Tacoma on Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters were called around 1:40 p.m. to the 2000 block of East Columbia Avenue. When crews arrived, they saw smoke coming from the second floor of a home. They found a 2-year-old on the second floor while searching the home, but it was too late.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

Police arrested a father Tuesday for arson and murder in connection to a South Seattle fire that killed his teenage son. Authorities arrested Mohamed Abdi, 38, on suspicion of murder and arson for an early morning Jan. 22 fire at a home in the 9300 block of 39th Ave. South. Firefighters arrived to find four people who had made it out immediately report there was a fifth person still inside the home.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

President Joe Biden has approved federal aid for Malden and Pine City, along with other areas in Eastern Washington, nearly five months after devastating wildfires in the region burned hundreds of thousands of acres. More than 85% of all buildings in Malden and Pine City, located in rural Whitman County, burned to the ground in the Babb Road Fire.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

A man was found dead inside a house fire in Vancouver early Wednesday morning, according to Vancouver Fire Department. Firefighters responded to the fire in the 7900 block of 30th Avenue just before 4:00 a.m. When they arrived, they found smoke coming from a single-story manufactured home. According to VFD, crews were met by thick smoke and moderate heat when they went inside but only found smoldering hot spots.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPTV FOX 12 Portland

Grant helps Pottsboro replace a 1996 rig

Texas A&M Forest Service

Herald Democrat

(MCT)

Pottsboro Fire Department acquired a new 2021 Freightliner pumper/tender thanks to a $200,000 cost share grant through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program.

A tender is a firefighting apparatus that transports water from a source to a fire scene. It has the capacity to carry 1,500 gallons of water and has a 10-inch dump valve that can rapidly fill a drop tank that is designed to hold 2,500 gallons of water, assisting with rural firefighting or response in remote locations.

“This truck is replacing a 1996 apparatus that only carried 1,000 gallons of water,” said Pottsboro Fire Chief Donnie Glenn. “The increased water quantity will give us more time on the fire ground and extra water on the fire.”

The department’s response area is largely rural without fire hydrants and they also serve the Lake Texoma area during times of automatic aid with Preston and Locust Fire Departments.

“The truck can also be used to fill brush trucks when fighting wildland fires and is equipped with extra scene lighting that is very beneficial when responding to fires at night,” said Glenn.

Pottsboro Fire Department has been serving their community since 1946 and has a 42-square-mile response area.

“Our department is grateful to Texas A&M Forest Service for the grant programs that help update firefighting equipment and apparatus across the state, improving capacity and safety for firefighters,” said Glenn.

Texas A&M Forest Service is committed to protecting lives and property through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program, a cost share program funded by Texas State Legislature and administered by Texas A&M Forest Service. This program provides funding to rural Volunteer Fire Departments for the acquisition of firefighting vehicles, fire and rescue equipment, protective clothing, dry-hydrants, computer systems and firefighter training. For more information on programs offered by Texas A&M Forest Service, please visit http://texasfd.com.

This article originally appeared on Herald Democrat: Pottsboro Fire Department acquires new first-out pumper/tender

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