Allen Church was just a kid when his dad, a former captain with the Tacoma Fire Department, took him to see the aftermath of the Port of Tacoma Pier 7 fire in July 1963. Once he saw the scorched engines, the destroyed docks and the blackened debris leftover from the hours-long battle against the flames, Church, who is retiring as South King Fire and Rescue’s fire chief this month, knew this was the career for him.
- PUB DATE: 12/26/2019 1:02:00 PM - SOURCE: Federal Way Mirror

Firefighters extinguished a fire at an abandoned house on Kent’s West Hill in the 2500 block of South 272nd Street. The fire broke out at about 6:06 p.m. on Dec. 23, according to a Puget Sound Fire news release. Seven units responded, including Valley Regional Fire Authority and Tukwila Fire. The first arriving crew was familiar with the location down a long dirt driveway as there had been several fires here in the past.
- PUB DATE: 12/26/2019 1:01:35 PM - SOURCE: Kent Reporter

One person was injured Tuesday night in a fire in Mount Vernon, according to city officials. At around 8:58 p.m., firefighters received a call from a passenger in a car on I-5 who saw smoke coming from a building near Fir Street and Shop Lane, said Peter Donovan, project development manager for Mount Vernon.
- PUB DATE: 12/26/2019 7:38:40 AM - SOURCE: KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

Much of a Long Island firehouse was destroyed after going up in flames Christmas morning, leaving the chief in tears as he described the loss of two pumpers, a ladder truck, an ambulance and the volunteer department’s firefighting equipment. A passing state trooper noticed the blaze at the unoccupied North Massapequa fire headquarters at 1000 N.
- PUB DATE: 12/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

Spartanburg County’s fire service needs have failed to keep up with the growth of more than 50,000 residents over the past 20 years, the county’s leading fire official says. That’s primarily because the county’s master fire service plan has not been updated in more than 20 years, according to Barry Frost.
- PUB DATE: 12/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spartanburg Herald Journal