Bloomfield, CT
Police & Fire
Elderly Woman Set Bloomfield Apartment Fire, Admits It During Rescue: Police Elderly Woman Set Bloomfield Apartment Fire, Admits It During Rescue: Police
Elderly Woman Set Bloomfield Apartment Fire, Admits It During Rescue: Police A 70-year-old Connecticut woman admitted to starting a fire at her apartment as firefighters were putting out the flames, authorities said.  Hartford County resident Maria Salas, 70, of Bloomfield, is charged with first-degree arson, and was being held on a $500,000 bond, Bloomfield Police said.  Firefighters were called to the apartments at 24 Dorothy Driver around 3 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20, to find it engulfed in flames.  As firefighters evacuated the building, Salas told them that she had set the blaze, police said. She didn't explain why or how. Crews removed an 89-year-ol…

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by Josh Lanier
Frederick, MD
Police & Fire
Convicted Murderer Who Threatened To Torch Frederick Townhouse Sentenced For Arson Convicted Murderer Who Threatened To Torch Frederick Townhouse Sentenced For Arson
Convicted Murderer Who Threatened To Torch Frederick Townhouse Sentenced For Arson A firebug who violated the terms of his probation on a murder conviction is going to spend the rest of his life in prison after setting fire to a Maryland townhouse during a dispute last year. Byron Alton Bowie, Jr., who was convicted of murder in 1992, was sentenced to 30 years in prison following an arson incident in Frederick last year when he threatened to "burn everything down and kill everyone inside," authorities announced. Neighbors said that there was an altercation involving Bowie in November 2023, who was locked out of a townhouse, and he was then spotted on the back deck shoutin…

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by Zak Failla
Red Lion, PA
Police & Fire
Firefighter Taken To Hospital After Red Lion Rowhome Blaze: Officials Firefighter Taken To Hospital After Red Lion Rowhome Blaze: Officials
Firefighter Taken To Hospital After Red Lion Rowhome Blaze: Officials A firefighter was briefly hospitalized following a rowhome fire in Red Lion, officials explained on Friday, Sept. 6.  The blaze broke out in the 200 block of South Main Street at 1:21 a.m., according to the York County Department of Emergency Services.  The firefighter was taking to the hospital for dehydration but has since been released, fire officials said.  Two units were damaged and the three residents have been assisted by the Red Cross.  The units will be repaired, although the estimated cost of damage was not immediately available. The cause of the fire remains under investigatio…

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by Jillian Pikora
Nanuet, NY
Police & Fire
Building To Be Demolished Following Devastating Nanuet Apartment Fire Building To Be Demolished Following Devastating Nanuet Apartment Fire
Building To Be Demolished Following Devastating Nanuet Apartment Fire A Hudson Valley apartment building that was destroyed by a quick-moving fire will be demolished this week. The incident occurred in Rockland County around 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 3, at The Highlands  (the former Avalon Gardens) in Nanuet. According to Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann, the fire destroyed eight units, leaving all homeless. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Rockland County Fire Coordinator Chris Kear said construction workers installing lighting may have hit a gas line, igniting the fire. He added the official cause of the fire is still pendin…

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by Kathy Reakes
Toms River, NJ
Police & Fire
Bedroom Electrical Equipment Caused Toms River House Fire That Killed Two Cats: Firefighters Bedroom Electrical Equipment Caused Toms River House Fire That Killed Two Cats: Firefighters
Bedroom Electrical Equipment Caused Toms River House Fire That Killed Two Cats: Firefighters A family of two people were without a home and two of their cats died in a house fire in Toms River, authorities said. Firefighters responded to the home on South Gateway at around 9:05 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1, the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention said in a news release. No people were in the house during the two-alarm fire. Crews found heavy smoke and fire coming from a second-story bedroom. Two cats inside the home were killed and a neighbor was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Investigators said the fire was caused by energized electrical equipment failing in the…

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by Chris Spiker
Bridgeport, CT
Police & Fire
Firefighter Hurt, Family Left Homeless After Bridgeport Blaze Firefighter Hurt, Family Left Homeless After Bridgeport Blaze
Firefighter Hurt, Family Left Homeless After Bridgeport Blaze Connecticut fire investigators are looking into what sparked a house fire that left a family of five homeless and a firefighter injured.  The blaze began in Fairfield County around 8:20 p.m. at a house in the 40 block of Alpine Street in Bridgeport, authorities said.  Firefighters battled the flames for hours before they got it under control. Though it wasn't before the fire had gutted the home, authorities said. Luckily, the family escaped before they were hurt.  A firefighter was not as lucky. They were injured while working at the home. Authorities did not release the inj…

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by Josh Lanier
Mays Landing-Hamilton, NJ
Police & Fire
Six People Displaced After Condo Complex Fire Near Mays Landing, Red Cross Says Six People Displaced After Condo Complex Fire Near Mays Landing, Red Cross Says
Six People Displaced After Condo Complex Fire Near Mays Landing, Red Cross Says At least six people were without homes after a fire broke out at a condominium complex near Mays Landing, officials said. Firefighters responded to the Woodlands Condominiums at around 11:33 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, the Laureldale Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company said in a Facebook post. No injuries were reported in the fire. Crews remained at the scene for about three-and-a-half hours. The Red Cross said it was helping six people from three families. Volunteers were providing victims with immediate needs like housing, food, and clothing. Firefighters from Cardiff, Co…

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by Chris Spiker
Clarksburg, MD
Police & Fire
Dozens Displaced By Fast-Moving Two-Alarm Apartment Fire In Clarksburg Dozens Displaced By Fast-Moving Two-Alarm Apartment Fire In Clarksburg
Dozens Displaced By Fast-Moving Two-Alarm Apartment Fire In Clarksburg Dozens of residents were displaced by a fast-moving two-alarm Montgomery County fire that broke out early on Saturday morning.  First responders were called to a four-story apartment complex at around  8 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17 to the 12800 block of Clarksburg Square Road in Clarksburg, after receiving multiple calls with residents screaming in the background. Upon arrival, firefighters were met by smoke billowing through the area with flames showing throughout the building. .@mcfrs was at dispatched 807am and located heavy fire to the rear of a 4 story apt building with ext…

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by Zak Failla
Lancaster, PA
Police & Fire
Man ID'd After Lancaster Apartment Fire Displaces 22: Officials (VIDEOS) Man ID'd After Lancaster Apartment Fire Displaces 22: Officials (VIDEOS)
Man ID'd After Lancaster Apartment Fire Displaces 22: Officials (Videos) A 69-year-old man, a dog, and a cat died in an apartment complex fire that displaced 22 other residents on Sunday, Aug. 11, the Lancaster County Coroner's office announced the following morning.  Charles Knicely, 59, 675 Wyncroft Lane, Kensington Club Apartments off Wabank Road was pronounced dead at his home at 6:54 p.m.  Emergency crews were called to the complex at 4:39 p.m., the Lancaster Township Fire Department explained in a release.  "Heavy flames" were coming from apartment 8 when firefighters arrived.  "Due to historically low water pressure in the compl…

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by Jillian Pikora
Columbia, MD
Police & Fire
Fire Destroys Maryland Garage, Vehicle; Two Assisted By Red Cross, Officials Say Fire Destroys Maryland Garage, Vehicle; Two Assisted By Red Cross, Officials Say
Fire Destroys Maryland Garage, Vehicle; Two Assisted By Red Cross, Officials Say A family is being assisted in Howard County after a massive garage fire broke out on Wednesday morning. First responders were called at around 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 7 to the 3600 block of Paul Harris Court in Ellicott City, where there was a reported house fire in a two-story home. Earlier picture from fire in the 3600 block of Paul Harris Court, Ellicott City. pic.twitter.com/HfCBJ2WZaO — Howard Co Fire & EMS (@HCDFRS) August 7, 2024 Upon arrival, firefighters were met by a garage that was fully engulfed in flames with smoke billowing through the air. Flames tore through the garage a…

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by Zak Failla
Gaithersburg, MD
Police & Fire
Fire Blocking Exit Of Home Forces Family To Jump From Deck To Escape In Maryland: Officials Fire Blocking Exit Of Home Forces Family To Jump From Deck To Escape In Maryland: Officials
Fire Blocking Exit Of Home Forces Family To Jump From Deck To Escape In Maryland: Officials Six people were able to make a great escape from an early morning fire in Montgomery County on Monday morning, officials confirmed. Two families found themselves in a perilous position shortly before 1 a.m. on July 8, when a fire broke out inside their Rockville home in the 900 block of North Stonestreet, with the flames blocking their exit.  According to a Montgomery County Fire and EMS spokesperson, upon arrival, crews found the fire outside of the home, blocking the exit for a family, forcing them to jump from their deck. Earlier today at 0057am, 56 MCFRS personnel were on the s…

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by Zak Failla
Lakewood, NJ
Police & Fire
Teen On Ventilator, Families Rebuilding After Massive Townhome Fire In Toms River: Fundraisers Teen On Ventilator, Families Rebuilding After Massive Townhome Fire In Toms River: Fundraisers
Teen On Ventilator, Families Rebuilding After Massive Townhome Fire In Toms River: Fundraisers A teen was put on a ventilator after a fire ripped through a Toms River townhome complex, according to a fundraising campaign. A GoFundMe page said the 17-year-old boy named Matthew was in the intensive care unit at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick after inhaling "a significant amount of soot and smoke." Two of his family members and three firefighters were also injured in the massive fire at Mariners Cove on Monday, July 1. Matthew's GoFundMe page had raised more than $2,200 from at least 39 donations as of Tuesday, July 2. "Our family is absolutely crushed over th…

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by Chris Spiker