A Volusia County firefighter, described by a superior as a danger to co-workers during an angry outburst at the fire station, served a suspension for threatening to cut up his commander into a thousand pieces, records show. Eric Middlebrook, 48, a retired U.S. Army medic who did a tour in Afghanistan, has been working with Volusia County Fire Services for 12 years.
- PUB DATE: 7/16/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daytona Beach News-Journal

John Whelan, a Denver firefighter who was injured while fighting a fire north of downtown last month, died Wednesday night, the Denver Fire Department said. Whelan was on a routine call of a dumpster fire on June 28. Crews were able to put out the fire quickly but to make sure everything was OK, Whelan and other firefighters climbed onto the roof of a building at 3860 Blake St.
- PUB DATE: 7/16/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KDVR-TV FOX 31 Denver

Around 20 homes were evacuated after a brush fire swept through the Panorama Heights neighborhood in Bonney Lake Wednesday evening. Firefighters conducted door-to-door evacuation alerts while fire crews from East Pierce, Central Pierce and Orting Valley fire departments battled the swift-moving fire, which spread to trees and created thick smoke in the area.
- PUB DATE: 7/15/2015 5:26:01 PM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5

An explosion rocked an aerospace plant in northeast Washington, toppling large pieces of machinery, lifting an entire floor off its foundation and injuring five people, authorities said Wednesday. The sheer power of the blast Tuesday night and the shrapnel it created caused the majority of the damage, and little to no fire ignited at Zodiac Aerospace in the small town of Newport, said Spokane Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer, who responded to the scene.
- PUB DATE: 7/15/2015 12:28:29 PM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000