From the Los Angeles Fire Department Facebook post:

HOLLYWOOD – Thursday night, Firefighters responded to reports of a broken water in Hollywood, where they narrowly escaped falling into a sinkhole and then rescued a woman from her flooded home.

Los Angeles City Firefighters responded to the 6000 of West Fountain Avenue at 9:31 PM on the evening of February 2, 2023, to investigate reports of flooding in the street. Engine 82 arrived at the address where the flooding was reported to find water flowing in the gutters, but it was not clear where it originated. As the crew heard the street begin to rumble under the fire engine, the apparatus driver (engineer) took off, just as a large hole appeared under them. The rear of the apparatus fell back into the hole, which grew as the engine struggled to overcome the suddenly precarious position.

The Rosenbauer Electric Fire Engine 82, being the only all-wheel drive fire engine in the fleet, gained enough traction with the power going to the front wheels to pull itself out of the hole and drive clear of the hazard (and sustained some damage to the rear).

As water shot approximately 70 feet into the air, firefighters received reports of a woman trapped in a home being pounded by the falling stream of water. A portion of her roof collapsed, and when crews opened the door to make entry, they were met with a river flowing from behind the door. Crews were able to rescue the woman, without injury. Her home has now been deemed unsafe to stay in, by Building and Safety. A SAVE card has been issued to help her with temporary lodging.

Thankfully, neither firefighters nor residents were injured during this incident.

Note: Despite some audio from the news clip (video), there are at least two electric fire engines in service in the United States, specifically another in Madison, Wisconsin. Another has been announced by Charlotte Fire Department in North Carolina, but to the best of our knowledge, it has not yet been put into service.

Lake County Fire Station 21 dedicated its new fire engine in honor of the late Amos Roach, who served as a Lake County Fire captain and who donated the land off Highway 44A that the station sits on today, dailycommercial.com reported.

His grandson, country music artist Michael Ray, was in attendance with his family on Monday to honor his grandfather. 

Ray, who was very close to his grandfather, attributes his love of music to growing up playing guitar with him, the report said. At Ray’s Grand Ole Opry debut, just one month after his grandfather’s passing, he took the stage with his grandfather’s guitar, the report said. 

Roach was an Army veteran, retired from the phone company as the “telephone man,” and served as a Lake County firefighter, according to the report. He died in 2015.

Amos’ son Jerry served in the Lake County EMS system for many years and on Monday unveiled the dedication, which read “Amos” on the side of Station 21’s new fire engine, the report said. 

The city’s three fire departments will get new radio equipment through a federal grant program, replacing outdated equipment, according to a city council member and former fire chief, NHRegister.com.

U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-CT, announced the $977,333 in funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters grant program, which will provide mobile, portable, and base radios for the departments, the report said.

Allingtown District Fire Chief Michael Terenzio said in a statement that the radios are the “only lifeline to communicate with outside resources for assistance” for firefighters entering life-threatening environments and situations, according to the report.

The current radios were purchased in 2008 and have been obsolete since 2017, the report said.

The Greer Fire Department held a push-in ceremony Monday to pass the torch to one of its brand-new fire engines, wyff.com reported. The new engine replaces one that’s been with the department for more than 20 years.

The new engine was one of several moves city leaders have made to help its growing city. The U.S. Census reported that from 2010 to 2020, the city of Greer grew by almost 10,000 people, the report said. During that time, the city has added three new fire stations and firefighters operate out of a fourth station at Taylors (SC).

The new fire engine started answering calls Monday afternoon.

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A large fire broke out Thursday morning at the American Legion post in New Haven, Illinois. Post 1141 shared photos of blaze, which appear to have destroyed the building. Their caption just says “No words!!!” Many residents shared comments with memories. “My parent met there,” said Melissa Blake Kittinger.
- PUB DATE: 2/3/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFIE-TV NBC 14 Evansville