Free Republic

The main fires in the Los Angeles area that broke out in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood Tuesday are zero percent contained at the time of this writing, according to the latest update from CalFire. The 2:30 p.m. ET update from CalFire showed five main blazes raging in the area — the Eaton Fire, expanding 10,600 acres; the Palisades fire, affecting 2,925 acres; the Hurst fire, affecting 700 acres; the Woodley Fire, affecting 30 acres; and now the Olivas fire, affecting 11 acres. The Tyler fire, which was on the list earlier, has been updated showing 100 percent containment. See the...

Lithium-ion batteries used in E-bikes and other electronic mobility devices are now a leading cause of fires in New York City following their popularity surged during the pandemic’s delivery boom, FDNY officials say. FDNY Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn told The Post that fires related to lithium-ion batteries have gone up nearly nine-fold since the pandemic, with more blazes related to the batteries happening in the last two months than in all of 2019. “It’s the prevalence of these e-devices on our streets, there’s way more of them now than ever before,” Flynn said.

Mention air pollution, and what comes to mind? Factories. Oil refineries. Auto tailpipes. Now Bay Area smog regulators are trying to crack down on another source that they say is just as significant, even if beloved: home fireplaces. Citing growing medical research that soot causes more severe health problems than was previously realized, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is proposing a ban on all wood burning in fireplaces and wood stoves in the nine Bay Area counties during winter "Spare the Air" nights. --snip-- If approved, fireplace police would enforce the rules, and neighbors would be encouraged to...

7/19/2006 - KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Iraqi Air Force maintenance people are putting down their wrenches and picking up fire hoses. They are under the experienced eyes of Kirkuk Air Base's 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters here. For firefighters of the Iraqi Air Force, walking into an inferno on an already warm day is an experience still rather new. "The majority of the Iraqi firefighters have never been to a formal fire academy and have never been part of a fire department," said Staff Sgt. Carlos Bosch, a 506th ECES firefighter. "We are here to ease their...

CANNETO DI CARONIA, Sicily (Reuters) - The gate at the entrance to this tiny Sicilian village has come off its hinges and swings in the wind as cats wander into homes abandoned after a series of mystery fires. Reuters Photo   A series of spontaneous fires started in mid-January in the town of Canneto di Caronia in about 20 houses. After a brief respite last month, the almost daily fires have flared up again -- even though electricity to the village was cut off. An endless flow of scientists, engineers, police and even a few self-styled "ghostbusters" have descended on...

<p>SAN BERNARDINO -- The images are nearly as searing as the flames: Neighborhoods obliterated. An area larger than Sacramento County left charred and scarred. A former fireman who helped save his family's home. A fireman who gave his life for others.</p>