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More complete video showing firefighting efforts

From the AP:

The Daytona 500 has been halted by a fiery explosion caused when Juan Pablo Montoya slammed into a jet dryer under caution.

It's the latest mess to hamper NASCAR's season-opening race.

Montoya was driving well behind the rest of the field when something on his car broke, and he started sliding out of control toward the truck, which holds 200 gallons of jet kerosene.

Montoya's No. 42 Chevrolet hammered the truck, setting off an explosion and sending fuel pouring onto the famed track.

Montoya got out unharmed, although he seemed to stagger around the infield grass. The driver of the truck had to be helped from the vehicle.

Dave Blaney was leading at the time of the wreck, followed by Landon Cassill, Tony Raines and David Gilliland. All of them are relative unknowns in the Sprint Cup Series.

The Daytona 500 was postponed more than 30 hours because of rain, rescheduled as a primetime event under the lights.

The delay came two years after the 500 was halted for hours because of a pesky pothole in turn two. That one damaged the track so much that officials moved up a scheduled repaving to the track.

The explosion and the eventual removal of the truck seemed to damage the track, gouging lines into the pavement.

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Still photos from fire

From Lehigh Valley's Bravest, a fire today in a multi-car garage at 1508 Church Road in Plainfield Township, Pennsylvania (Northampton County). Click here to read more about the fire.

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DC Firefighters Burn Foundation website

Previous coverage of this story here, here, here and here

UPDATE: PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady who has been keeping us up to date on the injured firefighters has this report, received a little after 6:00 PM -

The injured firefighters, Ethan Sorrell and Kevin O'Toole, continue to show signs of progress each and every day.  The volunteers firefighters are still in the Burn Unit ICE at Medstar at the Washington Hospital Center.

Ethan had his breathing tube removed and is now breathing on his own. His spirits have increased as he was encouraged to walk the hallways and had the opportunity to spend time with some visitors.

Kevin had skin graph surgery performed on several of his burns today and we were told that it went well.

Both Ethan and Kevin are currently resting at the Doctors direction.

EARLIER:

This picture and caption posted just before 4:00 PM on the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation Facebook page shows Bladensburg VFD Firefighter Ethan Sorrell surrounded by family after being taken off of a ventilator. Obviously a good sign that he is breathing on his own, but no official word on updates on Firefighter Sorrell's condition or the condition of Firefighter Kevin O'Toole.

It's a good time to tell you about the great work the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation does. The members of the Foundation are a constant presence whenever a firefighter shows up at the Medstar Burn Unit of the Washington Hospital Center. I have talked to many firefighters who have found themselves in the burn unit and each one and their families always mention the support provided by the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation. Make sure you support them.

From the Foundation's website here is a description of what they do:

The D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization founded by active and retired Washington, D.C. Firefighters. The Foundation is dedicated to assisting in the recovery and rehabilitation of injured firefighters and burn patients in the D.C. Metropolitan Area. We support burn research, treatment, and rehabilitation programs at Washington Hospital Center as well as the Children's Burn Camp Program. Firefighters and members of the Burn Center have a special empathy for burn victims. No other group witnesses more of the devastation that fire wreaks on the human body and spirit.

Our board of directors is made up of active and retired D.C. firefighters and our membership consists of firefighters, medical professionals, burn survivors, and other interested volunteers from the community. All members of our organization serve on a voluntary basis.

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From WKYC-TV:

Officials now say five students have been injured in a shooting at Chardon High School.

Three of the victims–all said to be students–were taken to Metro by Life Flight.  Two of the victims were taken to Hillcrest Hospital.

The victims were found in three locations inside the school.

The gunman–also believed to be a student–is in custody.  The sheriff says the teen turned himself in to bystanders off site from the school in Chardon Township.

From the AP:

 A gunman opened fire inside a high school's cafeteria at the start of the school day Monday, wounding four students, officials said. A suspect was in custody.

FBI agent Scott Wilson said there was one suspected shooter. He wouldn't discuss the extent of the students' injuries.

The shooting was reported around 7:30 a.m. at the 1,100-student Chardon High School about 30 miles east of Cleveland, said Civil Deputy Erin Knife of the Geauga County Sheriff's Office.

Television news footage showed anxious parents escorting children away from a school building, and ambulances could be seen outside.

"We don't have any status updates on the students," Chardon schools spokeswoman Ellen Ondrey told The Associated Press. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to them. We are very concerned."

A spokeswoman for Cleveland's MetroHealth System said a medical helicopter was dispatched to the high school. Angela Kiska, of the Cleveland Clinic, told WJW-TV in Cleveland that two of the victims were transported to Hillcrest Hospital.

Bob Herp, a Chardon trauma nurse, was at a command scene at a local Wal-Mart store where he told WEWS-TV helicopters were on the ground.

From WKYC-TV.

Ondrey said all classes in the district were cancelled.

Students at the high school and middle school had already started their day when the shooting happened, but bus runs for elementary school children were stopped, Ondrey said.

Parents of high school students were told to go to Maple Elementary School to pick up their children.

"We want to make clear that the students are safe," she said, advising parents not to rush to pick up students because the area is "extremely congested. The lines are very long."

Chardon is a city of about 5,100 residents.

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What's the opposite of stop, drop and roll?: The answer … these idiots.

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Breaking news: There is a report of an active shooter a shooting incident at Chardon High School in Chardon, Ohio east of Cleveland. Multiple injuries have been reported with a number of medical helicopters dispatched to the scene. Cleveland.com is reporting injuries to at least four students. The school superintendant says that one person is in custody, believed to be the lone gunman. You can listen to the audio from police, fire & EMS here. More news coverage can be found here.

Recovery progress for PGFD firefighters & first interviews with firefighters who were in the house: Since Friday night's fire on 57th Avenue we have been providing updates on the progress of the seven injured firefighters. Bladensburg VFD's Kevin O'Toole and Ethan Sorrell are still in the burn unit. Make sure you see the latest post with the picture of the two from a brief visit they had with each other yesterday. And to the right is a thank you to everyone from Firefighter Sorrell. In addition, there are interviews with their parents (both dads are firefighters) and Riverdale's Michael McClary's mother. We added a video (the top one) from WUSA9.com with Michael McClary and Lt. Michael Naples of Riverdale talking about the fire. You also find links to the audio and our earlier posts. Click here.

Audio from another PGFD fire with two rescued: On Sunday, firefighters grabbed two from an apartment fire in the 600 block of Sheridan Street in Chillum. ScanMD.org has the audio for us. PGFD's Mark Brady has the details. NOTE – Now have the correct link for the audio.

The ultimate WTF: I am not sure I have ever seen a story quite like this one. A fire department in India was teaching fire safety by having a woman escape from a factory on a rope. It ended tragically. Here's the story. And the update with the news of four fire officers suspended.

Did you see this one yet?: The fire department helicopter that vibrated apart in Brazil.

Preventing an explosion: Glenn Usdin's FireTruckBlog.com looks at how one Pennsylvania fire company dealt with a fire in a dust bin. Click here.

House fire in Lehigh Acres, Florida: Hear what John Wayne has to say about this fire. I kid you not.

The volunteer chief versus the career captain. A must read from Roanoke and vicinity: I don't know if I should laugh or cry after reading IronFiremen.com's Willie Wines' account of his beef with Billie Joe Carter the chief of the Buchanan VFD. Chief Carter is somewhat resistant to Botetourt County providing oversight of the fire service. The chief told the local news media "if an emergency services director assumes control of a scene 'there are going to be a lot of hurt feelings and busted noses.'" Willie thinks that's quite ridiculous and calls the chief out on this and a few other things. Make sure you get to the end of the post and note how Willie describes himself in case anyone was hoping to meet Captain Willie face to face. Here it all is.

From Canada to Florida, WaterlooRegionFire.com has this story covered: Check out the story of the vacationing firefighter from Canada who makes a rescue in Ft. Myers, Florida. WaterlooRegionFire.com has all the details and links about Kitchener Fire Department Firefighter Nick Dorken coming upon a burning car. Click here.

Boat rescue in a shopping center: Firegeezer Bill Schumm has the story of a couple who became trapped by a boat thanks to a runaway pickup truck. Check it out.

Saturday night with the Hyattsville crew: Mr. and Mrs. STATter911.com were invited to the annual awards banquet for the Hyattsville VFD and Hyattsville Police Department in Maryland. But they made us talk for our supper. Congratulations to all of the award winners. Thanks for having us. Read more.

THE Fire Critic and STATter911 together again for the first time: Apparently due to someone with a warped sense of humor I ended up on the same bill with THE Fire Critic at the Ohio Fire & Emergency Services Foundation's 2012 Leadership Conference. And they are making us travel together (please let there be separate rooms). Should be interesting. Join us in Newark, Ohio for May 23 & 24.Click here to sign up.

The past and the future for San Francisco's wooden ladders: Among the first group of stories published on FireTruckBlog.com when it began in November, 2010, was a video taking you inside the San Francisco Fire Department's ladder shop. Recently the Los Angeles Times looked inside the shop and also tried to figure out the future with the pending retirement of some key players who make the magic happen. Check it out. You will enjoy it.

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In a picture taken by PGFD Chief Marc Bashoor, Firefighter Ethan Sorrell (on the right) visits the room of Firefighter Kevin O'Toole.

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Bladensburg VFD

Riverdale VFD

PGFD PIO blog

Previous coverage of this story here, here and here

Photos and information from PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady:

Parents of three volunteer firefighters injured in a house fire on Friday evening spoke to members of the media today to personally describe their sons medical status. 

Parents of the three firefighters; McClary, Sorrell and O’Toole, County Fire Chief Bashoor and Bladensburg Volunteer Chief Randy Kuenzli all spoke.

The group took a moment from the Fourth Floor East Burn Unit at Medstar at the Washington Hospital Center and spoke near the front entrance to the hospital.

The mother of Riverdale Volunteer Fire Fighter Michael McClary spoke on his behalf and explained that he had been released yesterday.  Fire Fighter McClary suffered injuries to his ribs and burns to both hands.  Cheryl McClary emotionally stated, “We are very thankful and our hearts are still with the ones that are still in hospital.”

Jeff and Jane O'Toole.

Vann and Kathy Sorrell of Buies Creek, North Carolina, and Jeff and Jane O’Toole of Bethpage, New York, each spoke with members of the media.  The parents, no strangers to the fire service, each described their sons current medical status and spoke highly of the care they are receiving at the Burn Unit.  They also spoke highly of the support system provided by members of the fire service and the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation.  Both injured firefighters remain in “Critical” and “Stable” condition.  Their parents describe them as being in relatively good spirits and showing some signs of improvement.  Each has a long road to recovery.

Vann and Kathy Sorrell.

Jeff O’Toole stated his son has at least 6 weeks in the Burn Unit with another 6 months of physical rehabilitation after that.  Kevin O’Toole sustained burns over 40% of his body.  He is scheduled for skin graph procedure on Monday.  Kevin can communicate by talking.

Ethan Sorrell remains intubated, however, is conscious, and communicates by writing notes. He is scheduled for examinations tomorrow that can help determine the extent of his airway burns.

The Burn Units Medical Staff allowed Ethan to walk over to visit Kevin for a short period of time.

Mark Brady notes that both fathers, Vann Sorrell and Jeff O'Toole, are also firefighters.

PGFD Chief Marc Bashoor and Bladensburg VFD Chief Randy Kuenzli.

Click here to watch raw video

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This is from a video by IceFireGuy on YouTube taken during a fire on Friday afternoon at 2706 SW 13th Street in Lehigh Acres, Florida.

From WZVN-TV:

Firefighters say high winds made the fire burn faster.

"Since the fire was vented through the roof of the structure, in high wind days like today what that does is it actually pushes the fire through the attic space and it's exposed to the elements," said Battalion Chief John Wayne of the Lehigh Acres Fire Department. 

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Previous coverage of this story here and here

Bladensburg VFD

Riverdale VFD

PGFD PIO blog

Word from the Medstar Burn Unit of the Washington Hospital Center is that Bladensburg VFD Firefighter Ethan Sorrell and Firefighter Kevin O'Toole remain in critical but stable condition. Sorrell has respiratory burns and O'Toole has second and third degree burns over 40% of his body.

As we reported earlier, O'Toole and Sorrell both requested that the annual Bladensburg VFD banquet on Saturday continue as planned. We are told that Firefighter O'Toole was able to visit the event via Skype.

Riverdale VFD Firefighter Michael McClary went home Saturday afternoon. The picture above and the information below is from the Riverdale VFD website:

Firefighter Michael McClary was released from the hospital this afternoon.  He is still suffering from his injuries sustained when crewmembers were forced to make a hasty retreat from a house fire at 6404 57th Ave. in Riverdale Heights when fire conditions coupled with high wind gusts caused fire to envelop the crews from E807B and TK809 upon entry to the house.  It is believed that another firefighter fell on top of FF McClary, who suffered bruised ribs and cartilage damage.

PGFD Chief Mark Bashoor and Bladensburg Chief Randy Kuenzli are interviewed in the TV stories on this page about the firefighters and the fire on Friday evening on 57th Avenue.

Here's what Chief Bashoor told The Washington Post's J. Freedom du Lac about the fire:

Strong winds were gusting out of the west at the time — “up to 40, 45 mph,” said the chief. They were blowing directly at — and into — the burning basement, which had a west-facing door.

“As soon as the guys opened the front door and advanced, it blew from the basement, up the steps and right out the front door,” Bashoor said. “It was like a blowtorch coming up the steps and out the door.”

The entire incident — “from the time they were in the door until they were burned” — took eight seconds, the chief said.

The firefighters inside the house “did everything they were trained to do,” he said, but they were essentially defenseless.

“Without that wind, the hot air and gases would have been venting out of the rear of the house,” he said. “The current of air essentially produced a chimney right up the steps and out the front door.”

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The headline of one Daily News & Analysis reads "Bangalore fire department commits murder during drill". As you might  imagine there is outrage over a drill conducted on Friday at a garment factory. The woman was apparently following fire department instructions when she tried to lower herself from a rope third floor of the building.

From Hindustan Times:

The Fire department admitted to the lapses on their side after a 22-year-old woman died in the fire mock drill conducted in Bangalore on Friday.

Nalina Reddy, and employee of  Bombay Rayon Fashion Limited in Yeshwantpur died after the rope by which she was coming down a 3-storey building snapped. 

From Daily News & Analysis:

Nalina, a labour welfare officer at Bombay Rayon Fashions Limited (BFRL), fell from the third floor after her rope harness snapped. The rope was purchased by the fire department some four years ago and some employees of BFRL had pointed out to firemen prior to the drill that it did not look fit to take the load. Nevertheless, the fire department went ahead with the live demonstration with untrained employees.

Nalina was only the second employee to be lowered after her male colleague, Keerthi, descended to the ground, about 50 feet below. There were at least 800 BRFL employees who had gathered for the drill which started around 11.30 am, according to KT Kannan, production manager of Unit 14, BRFL.

Nalina climbed out of the window and was supposed to be lowered using the coir rope. As soon as she was suspended in the air, the rope snapped. The smart guys at the fire department had forgotten that a rope tends to snap because of friction — and they had not installed a pulley to lower the volunteers.

She was rushed to Panacea Hospital in Basaveshwaranagar, where she was declared ‘brought dead’.

From IBN Live:

Amidst public outcry over the death of a 24-year-old woman during a mock fire drill, a top official today admitted there were no standard operating procedures in place while conducting such an exercise even as a probe was ordered into the incident. "Nalini died because there were no safety procedures followed by the fire officials," IGP (Fire) N Shivakumar told reporters, referring to the death of the garment factory worker who died yesterday. "There was no safety net at the ground," he said. Nalini had fallen to her death from the third floor of the factory when the rope by which she was coming down snapped. The drill was being conducted by the Fire Department in the premises of Bombay Rayon Fashion Limited in Peenya Industrial Area in north Bangalore to test the preparedness of factory workers and fire officials during a fire.

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Photo by Billy McNeel.

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Fireground Audio & Earlier Coverage

Bladensburg VFD

Riverdale VFD

PGFD PIO blog

Notes: Bladensburg VFD Chief Randy Kuenzli confirms both Firefighter Ethan Sorrell and Firefighter Kevin O'Toole have connections to other departments in addition to Bladensburg VFD. Sorrell at the Buies Creek FD in North Carolina and O'Toole at the Bethpage FD on Long Island.

Also, this fire occurred on the same side of 57th Avenue just a few doors away from a November 2008 house fire that left two Riverdale VFD firefighters with burns after a flashover.

In addition, Mark Brady tells STATter911.com the annual banquet for Bladensburg VFD is tonight and that both firefighters have indicated to Chief Kuenzli they want the events to go on as scheduled and for everyone to enjoy themselves.

This fire was at 6318 57th Avenue on November 21, 2008. The flashover burned two firefighters from Riverdale. Picture by Tony George. See more pictures.

From PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady at 9:30 AM:

Three firefighters remain hospitalized at the Washington Hospital Center after sustaining injuries battling a house fire in Riverdale on Friday evening.

Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Fighter Ethan Sorrell, 21 years of age, remains in "Critical" condition with burns to his airway.  Family members left Durham NC, last night to be with him today.

Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Fighter Kevin O’Toole, 22 years of age, was evaluated late last night/early this morning as being in "Critical" condition with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 40% of his body.  Family members from Long Island, NY, were en route last night to be with Kevin.

Riverdale Volunteer Fire Fighter Michael McLary, 19 years of age, continued to receive treatment for injuries to his upper body/ribs.  His ribs are not fractured, however, bruised with possible cartilage damage.  He may be released as early as today.  Family members were with him last night.

Dozens of family, friends and fire service personnel have been at the hospital throughout the night with the injured firefighters and remain there today.  The Burn Unit at the Washington Hospital Center, their Doctors and staff are the very best at what they do – treating burn patients.  

The Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department sincerely appreciates the support provided by the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation.  The Foundation is dedicated to assisting in the recovery and rehabilitation of injured firefighters and burn patients in the D.C. Metropolitan Area.  Members of the Foundation were at the hospital before the first firefighter arrived and started support efforts for the injured firefighters, family and co-workers.  Two of the injured firefighters have primary family members coming from out of town.  The Foundation made accommodations for them at a nearby hotel and will continue to provide support for as long as is needed.

Firefighters that have been previously burned and treated at the Burn Unit become members of a fraternity.  These firefighters return to the Burn Unit whenever a firefighter receives burn injuries and provide valuable insight to family, friends and co-workers about the treatment and recovery process.  One of those fraternity members is Riverdale Volunteer Chief Chuck Ryan.  He sustained critical burn injuries while on the job with DCFD.  Ryan was at the Burn Unit overnight helping others to understand the treatment process that Bladensburg firefighters were receiving and what to expect in the days to come.

The volunteer leadership of Blandensburg, Riverdale, College Park as well as Fire Chief Marc Bashoor and the entire Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department acknowledge and are grateful the tremendous outpouring and offers of assistance from fire departments across the National Capitol Region.  We are also inspired by the numerous well wishes, thoughts and prayers being offered from across the Country for our injured firefighters.

Prince George's County Fire Investigators continue their work to determine the cause and origin of the fire.  The investigation is open and on-going.  Fire loss to the vacant structure is estimated at $75,000.

Updates on the medical condition of the injured firefighters will be provided as additional information becomes available.

Prince George's County Fire Chief Marc S. Bashoor will be at the Washington Hospital Center and will make himself available for comment anytime after 9:30 am.  Please contact me to make arrangements.