Fire News:   Firefighters contain PA duplex fire to two rooms Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News (April 6, 2009) Apr. 6--SUNBURY -- A late afternoon fire that broke out at a South Fourth Street duplex Sunday destroyed a bedroom and a bathroom, but the residence itself was saved, reported Chad Betts, chief of the Sunbury Fire Department. The blaze, which is believed to have originated in the home's bedroom, broke out shortly after 5 p.m., and firefighters had it the fire under control in less than an hour later. "The biggest problem is that 90 percent of the houses in Sunbury are old," said Betts. There are open areas between the walls and floors of the house, meaning fire can travel easily from floor to floor, Betts said. Still, open space wasn't a problem for firefighters Sunday; they contained the fire to two rooms of the home, a bedroom and bathroom. The right side of the duplex, 237 S. Fourth St. -- in which the fire started -- is home to Jennifer Parsons, 37; her kids, Marissa, 14, and Joshua, 10; and Michael Paul, 37. The left side of the duplex, 239 S. Fourth St., is home to Dora Broscious, 90, and her son, Billy Williamson, 35. Both homes -- 237 S. Fourth St. and 239 S. Fourth St. -- are owned by Marilyn and Charles Wirt. Both families were evacuated when Betts arrived on scene. Firefighters were on all sides of the house, with ladders stretching to most of the second floor windows, were responders were waiting in case the fire jumped sides. They could be seen from the alley behind the house, checking over the back left room where the fire is believed to have originated. According to Betts, the bedroom and the bathroom were "gutted," and the remainder of the second and first floors sustained smoke damage. The left side of the duplex had minor smoke damage. The cause, said Betts, has been ruled accidental. He added a burning candle in the bedroom may have ignited the fire. Still, no official cause has been determined. No injuries have been reported. The family at 237 S. Fourth Street were unable to stay in their home Sunday night. Broscious and Williamson were cleared to stay home Sunday night; only Williamson decided to stay, officials reported. Neither of the families had renter's insurance, said Betts. Those responding to the scene included Sunbury Fire Department, Upper Augusta Volunteer Fire Company and Shamokin Dam Fire Company. Firefighter almost hit by racing tow trucks Columbia River Fire and Rescue Date of incident: 26 February, 2009 Details: Shortly after arriving at a motor vehicle crash on a narrow, rural, and ice-covered road, a firefighter was nearly struck by two speeding tow trucks. The competing tow companies were racing to the scene, in order to claim the rights to tow the wrecked vehicle for which we had responded to. The fire engine was parked in the lane of travel, blocking the scene for the ambulance which was parked ahead. The engine driver had just exited the apparatus in order to assist the medic crew. As he stepped out, the two trucks raced into the scene in the oncoming lane of travel. The firefighter had to grab onto the side of the engine and lay his body flat against the cab in order to to avoid being struck by both tow trucks. A county deputy had just arrived on scene and witness the near-hit. Subsequently, both tow truck drivers were cited for Reckless Driving and Recklessly Endangering Another. Both are misdemeanors in the State of Oregon.   UT house burns for second time in two years The Salt Lake Tribune (March 7, 2009) Mar. 7--A house burned for the second time in two years in Sugar House Friday. The house, located on the 1000 South block of 1300 East, was being remodeled from a summer 2008 fire. Passersby and neighbors alerted the Salt Lake City Fire department at about 8:40 p.m. Friday, said spokesman Scott Freitag. The large, fast-moving blaze took firefighters more than 90 minutes to put out, and they stayed at the scene all night to prevent it from flaring up again. Last year's fire was caused by electric heat tape used to melt snow and ice on the roof, but the cause of the Friday fire is unknown, Freitag said. No utilities were hooked up to the house, as it was still three months away from being habitable. Firefighters are investigating the cause. "It was either something in there being used as a heat source or else someone lit it," Freitag said. The blaze may have started on the second floor, based on the concentration of the flames there. The damage is estimated at $1.5 million.