PHOTOS: The Chatsworth sinkhole that made national news this week when it swallowed two vehicles and led to the harrowing rescue of a mother and her daughter, was created by pounding torrential rain in the San Fernando Valley on Jan. 9. Now city crews are investigating how it happened. A mom and daughter in their Nissan, and a male driver and his passenger in a pickup truck, escaped from the dark, gaping, flooded hole on Monday night after their vehicles fell, without warning, into a cavernous gap in Iverson Road just yards from the 118 Freeway in northern Chatsworth.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Mercury News - Metered Site

VIDEO: It was stepped up training for first responders as they learned to spot human trafficking at airports. Miami-Dade firefighters are helping combat a sad reality. “It does exist, it is a daily crime that is hidden right in our backyard,” said Jessica Barriel, of the Miami-Dade Police Department Human Trafficking Squad.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSVN-TV FOX 7 Miami

The Norristown Fire Department will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by serving the community of Norristown on Jan. 16 with its 5th Annual Smoke Detector Blitz. In partnership with the American Red Cross and students from Ursinus College, all on-duty fire department staff will conduct a neighborhood Smoke Detector Blitz from 10 a.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Times Herald

The Camas City Council is considering hiring a public relations firm to help the Camas-Washougal Fire Department work on messaging and public education ahead of a fire facilities bond and emergency medical services (EMS) levy renewals that could come before Camas-Washougal voters later this year. If the Camas City Council, the financial decision-making body for the joint Camas-Washougal Fire Department (CWFD), approves the $11,666-per-month contract with the Snohomish, Washington-based Liz Loomis Public Affairs firm, it would kickstart the process of asking Camas-Washougal voters to approve a capital bond to replace failing fire stations and worn-out fire engines in the August 2023 primary election and placing both cities’ EMS levy renewals on the November 2023 general election.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Camas Post-Record

Many areas in western Washington are under threat of landslides due to the heavy rain that's been dumping on the region Thursday. King and Snohomish county officials are warning residents to be aware of the threat, especially for people living in historically slide prone areas. “The threat of slides during this time, the first few months of the year is extremely high,” Brent Champaco, a spokesperson with King County Local Services said.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle