Fire chiefs in the UK call for an “urgent review” into the use of Chinese lanterns. The lanterns have become an increasingly popular sight at weddings, Halloween celebrations, music festivals and even funerals.
The City of Surrey received a 2013 Community Health and Safety Program Excellence Award from the International City/County Management Association for its approach to fire prevention through a targeted smoke alarm giveaway program. The program sends firefighters door-to-door and has cut fire losses in half, increased smoke alarm activations and reduced fire size and spread.
Chrysler Corp. recalls 2.7 million older model Jeeps over fuel tanks that can rupture and cause fires in rear-end collisions. The recall affects approximately 180,000 vehicles in Canada.
Fire officials have not confirmed the exact cause but say the home had 40 year old cellulose insulation in the attic. Cellulose resembles finely shredded newspaper with a fire resistant spray on it. This article says that the spray wears off leaving an extremely flammable material.
NASA’s Aqua satellite collected this natural-color image with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. Actively burning areas are outlined in red. The three fires shown here are more than 100 hectares in size (>247 acres).
The idea seems to be that all commercial buildings need fire risk management services so the fire department will compete for the business. They also plan to sell health and safety, first aid and extinguisher training.
Fire service officials said the blaze was started by sparks from cutting equipment used by rescuers.
Russian psychiatric hospital housed patients with severe mental disorders who were under sedatives. Most of them did not wake up. Investigators say 38 people – 36 patients and two doctors – were lost in the fire.
Due to an increase in fires it is recommended that people do not turn on appliances before they go to bed. A simple bedtime routine which includes switching off all electrical appliances at night will reduce the risk of having a fire in your home.
Article explains what criteria are used to determine suppression actions for wildland fires.