Schriever Fire Chief Ken Pitre remembers when a truckload of about 1,500 butane bottles caught fire, causing U.S. 90 to shut down. "We watched the fireworks," he said. "All these bottles started exploding. It really caught me off guard in a way. It was in the middle of the night, and I remember coming out the door and all I heard was 'boom.
- PUB DATE: 12/6/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Thibodaux Daily Comet

Manuel Jimenez was four miles short of finishing a charity marathon in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday when a doctor pulled him from the race after noticing the paramedic firefighter from Northport was struggling to stay on his feet. No one could fault Jimenez for being fatigued -- he'd just run 22 miles wearing his full, 60-pound set of firefighting gear in an effort to raise money for St.
- PUB DATE: 12/6/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Ride the Ducks International has agreed to pay up to $1 million in civil penalties under a consent order reached with federal transportation officials. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday the Branson, Missouri-based manufacturer of amphibious vehicles violated motor vehicle safety laws when it failed to report a defect in a front axle or initiate a full safety recall.
- PUB DATE: 12/6/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

Ypsilanti (MI) Township Fire Department pumper. Gladiator cab and chassis; Cummins ISL 450-hp engine; Waterous CSXC20 1,500-gpm pump.

After a fire swept through an Oakland warehouse last weekend, killing 36 and leaving rescue crews facing a grim recovery effort, the Seattle fire chief reviewed how the city investigates code violations inside derelict buildings. Chief Harold Scoggins said Seattle has a multi-agency effort to immediately shut down buildings deemed to be in violation.
- PUB DATE: 12/5/2016 7:35:37 PM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000