VIDEO/PHOTOS: A veteran wildland firefighter is recovering after being injured by a falling tree limb while working on the front lines of the Little Giant Fire near Leavenworth. Sam Morrison, who has cut down hazardous trees during fire seasons for the past decade, was discharged Saturday afternoon from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Doctors initially considered surgery for his injuries but determined he would heal better without it.

The accident occurred Tuesday as Morrison was clearing hazardous trees that posed a threat to other firefighters on the fire line. “I’ve got a million trees down in my career, you know, and so this was just, it was a freak accident,” Morrison said. As Morrison watched a tree he had just cut fall, his partner shouted a warning to watch out for incoming debris. Before he could fully move out of the way, a large tree limb struck him in the back of the head and neck.

“It hit me hard, and I put like I think I put my hands down and [it] knocked my helmet off, and then everything went white,” Morrison said. Despite the severe impact, severe pain, and ringing ears, Morrison remained conscious and standing, though he experienced significant dizziness. He was initially evaluated at a hospital in Leavenworth before being transferred to Harborview.

KCPQ-TV FOX 13 Seattle

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Eleven people were displaced after a basement fire at a home in Vancouver on Saturday. The Vancouver Fire Department said that just after 2:30 p.m., crews responded to a report of a fire at a home in the 16300 block of Northeast 99th Street.

People reported smoke within the home, but could not pinpoint its location, and everyone safely evacuated. Firefighters later discovered that the smoke was coming from the laundry room in the basement, accessed the staircase and put the fire out.

While the blaze was successfully extinguished before it could spread to other areas of the home, the residents were still forced into displacement. The American Red Cross is now working with the family to arrange temporary housing.

KOIN-TV CBS 6 Portland

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VIDEO: A group of firefighters battling the Spokane Complex Fires left a nearly $1,000 tip for a 21-year-old restaurant server after learning her family’s home was destroyed. After working a full shift on Tuesday, the group just happened to sit in Elysium Mahnke’s section at Olive Garden.

“I wasn’t trying to mention that my house burned down, but I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if you know the area, but my house was over there.’ And one of them, he looked at me and he goes, ‘Was?'” She explained that her family’s home was destroyed, which create a shift in tone at the table.

“They just got very somber,” she said. “So I sat down and they told me not to let anyone tell me how to feel about it and that I’m going to process the grief of losing our home in my own way. And whatever way that is, is perfectly fine.” Mahnke said she loves her job and has been able to forget about the realities of the devastating fires while focusing on her work. The group left about $160 in tips.

“I ran over to the window to see if they were still there. I was going to try and run out and thank them, but they were already gone,” said Mahnke. She had no idea they were going to return the following night and ask her to walk outside with them. They delivered a stack of cash, wrapped inside the restaurant’s kids menu. The grand total was nearly $1,000.

KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

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A Gainesville fire truck responding to a crash collided with a transit van, flipping it on its side.

The post GA Fire Truck Collides with Transit Van, Two Firefighters Suspended appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

A Ball Creek Fire & Rescue truck was badly damaged when a tree fell on it in Perry County during flooding-related water rescues.

The post Tree Damages KY Rescue Truck During Water Rescue appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.