A Mexican state prosecutor says a fire that tore through a day care center, killing 44 young children, may have been caused by a short circuit or overheating of a cooling system at a nearby warehouse.
Sonora state prosecutor Abel Murrieta issued his assessment Monday as more than 30 people remained hospitalized following Friday’s blaze at the ABC day care center. The burn victims were being treated in both Mexico and the United States.
Officials say many of the victims who died from smoke inhalation were under the age of five. Authorities have said more than 140 children were inside the facility when the blaze erupted in the building next door.
Witnesses said flames blocked the day care center’s only exit, and that one parent used his pickup truck to knock a hole through the wall to rescue children.
Authorities have vowed to fully investigate the fire.
The day care center had recently passed a safety inspection.
A California man was sentenced to death on Friday for setting a hillside inferno in 2006 that killed five USFF firefighters. The penalty had been recommended by the jury that convicted the man, Raymond L. Oyler, 38, of murder and arson in March.
In imposing the sentence, Judge W. Charles Morgan of Superior Court in Riverside County said Mr. Oyler had “set on a mission — why? no one knows — to create havoc in this county by setting fires of his own design, for his own purpose.”
Judge Morgan added, “He knew young men and young women would put their lives on the line to protect property and people.”
Prosecutors said the Beaumont mechanic had set fires throughout the San Gorgonio Pass in the summer of 2006 leading up to the Esperanza fire on Oct. 26.
Early that morning, he used a combination of matches and a cigarette to light a fire in a remote area of Cabazon. Gusty Santa Ana winds drove the flames into the San Jacinto Mountains, where they reached speeds of 40 mph and temperatures of 1,500 degrees.
A U.S. Forest Service firefighting crew based in Idyllwild was overrun by flames while trying to save a house. Those killed were Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20; Pablo Cerda, 23; Mark Loutzenhiser, 43; Jason McKay, 27; and Jess McLean, 27.
Oyler’s trial lasted more than a month, during which jurors were shown gruesome photos of the dead, some of whom suffered burns to more than 90% of their bodies. But even after seeing and hearing the evidence, and after convicting Oyler of first-degree murder, the jury was hesitant to sentence him to death.
In another round of budget cuts hurting local fire departments, this time in Brockton MA. In April the city threatened to layoff 20 firefighters in order to meet budget demands and the union was able to save the jobs by giving some financial concessions to free up money until the end of the fiscal year to keep the jobs. With the new fiscal year set to begin July 1st the city has informed the fire department that 15 jobs are back in front of the firing squad along with other city employees and 74 school teachers. Chief Kenneth Galligan isn’t as optimistic this time about the jobs being saved saying “The payroll will drop from 185 (people) to 170, the number of uniformed firefighters will go from 169 to 154.” This will be the fourth time fire department jobs are cut in Brockton due to budget issues. Over the last 3 city budgets 28 other firefighters have been cut. Galligan said Tower 1 on the East Side will be shut down if the layoffs happen. That will leave the city with just two ladder trucks. The impact on the saftey of residents has yet to be determined.
Twin brothers Kent and Brent Abernathy of the Geraldine Fire Department have managed to covercome their diablities to save people and property. Both brothers suffer from spastic paralegia which is a disease that progressively weakens the leg and hip muscles, making it difficult or, in some cases, impossible to walk or stand. Both brothers have been fighting it since they were in the 6th grade.
Spastic paraplegia is a neurological disorder. The nerves hold the leg muscles tense, preventing the individual from walking normally. Lengthening the tendons allowed the muscles to relax slightly and put the twins back flat on their feet. That surgery is the only form of treatment Brent and Kent ever received. Terry said the doctors informed them that lengthening the heel cords was really all they could do.
Firefighting is one of those things they were determined to try. Brent said he and his brother get their love of the job from their dad. Terry has been a member of the Tenbroeck Volunteer Fire Department for most of his sons’ lives. Brent and Kent grew up washing, waxing and working on fire trucks. When they were 16, Terry decided they were old enough to go on their first call. By the time they graduated high school, both had become members of their dad’s department.
Out of the 600+ firefighters that work in the Milwaukee County suburbs, only one is African-American, according to a Journal Sentinel survey. That lone African American firefighter was hired, in West Allis, just nine months ago. The survey was done after a suburban fire chief was suspended last month for using racial slurs. The results led some African- American leaders to demand that suburban departments do more to attract African-Americans to firefighting.
According to census figures show that nearly 12,000 African-Americans live in the 18 Milwaukee County suburbs. That accounts for about 3.3% of the total population while the 1 firefighter accounts for just 0.15% of the firefighters. Wauwatosa Fire Chief Dean Redman said suburban chiefs want their departments to better reflect the communities they serve. The survey results, Redman said, might be what it takes to spur suburban departments to action, perhaps by collaborating to promote firefighting among minority youths.
According to suburban fire chiefs a lack of qualified applicants, and not racism, is the major reason so few firefighters are black. It’s hard to say what the cause is fore sure but racisim coming fromt he top levels of the fire department probably does not do anything to encourage African Americans to apply for positions with the department. What needs to be addressed, say some African-American leaders, is why the number of applicants is so small. Attention to fire departments and race rose after South Milwaukee Fire Chief Jay Behling admitted using the N-word five times in front of employees at his firehouse in February. The 25 member firehouse in South Milwaukee is all white and officials there don’t remember a black firefighter ever having a position there.
In yet another budget cutting effort by a local government the city of Kokomo Indiana has decided to lay off 12 of their 112 firefighters. The primary job function of those being laid off was abulance service but they also served in firefighter efforts as well. The ambulance service is being outsourced to the local hospitals but the work they did assisting in firefighting will not be replaced. The move is expected to save the city $850,000 per year. Blake Granson whose brother was one of those included in the layoffs said “We don’t have enough firefighters to protect the citizens of Kokomo,” and “It’s just going to be a real ugly situation.” Granson went on to say “Somebody’s going to get hurt or killed, and then they’re going to say, ‘OK, we messed up,’” Granson said. “We need to bring these people back on.”
If the cost cutting ends up putting human lives in danger is it really worth it?
In a tragic fire on Easter morning two Houston firefighters were killed battling a house fire. Captain James Harlow and probationary rookie firefighter Damion Hobbs, both from State 26, died at the scene while fighting a fire in southeast Houston. In order to attack the blaze, they decided to go on the defensive and use the ladder truck. Firefighters cut a hole in the roof, but the high wind fueled the fire and it quickly spread through the attic. Neighbors said firefighters were inside the home once the blaze appeared to be dying down. But flames suddenly shot through the roof and erupted sideways through the house. Firefighters were then called outside the home, but two were still missing. Their bodies were found in the house around 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. Rescue workers attempted CPR, but the men were pronounced dead at the scene, witnesses said.
Thursday follow the tragic deaths a memorial was held with thousands of firefighters from as far away as Canada showing their support for their fallen brothers. In a show of solidarity over 450 firefighters from elsewhere in the state of Texas covered local firehouses during the memorial service so the local firefighters could attend the memorial service.
The flag-draped caskets were placed on two fire trucks from Fire Station 26, and thousands of firefighters followed on foot. When the procession reached the church at 9 a.m., a large crowd of mourners had already gathered near the door. The caskets were carefully removed from the trucks as firefighters stood at attention. Ladder trucks formed an arch over the area leading into the sanctuary, and a light breeze fluttered dozens of American flags planted for the service. A line of uniformed firefighters, standing eight men wide, trailed from the door of the church to well past the parking lot perimeter. Behind them, fire trucks and ambulances were lined up for blocks. It took nearly an hour to get everyone inside.
“These men responded to someone they never met, tried to protect something they never owned. And we miss them terribly,” HFD Chief Phil Boriskie said.
“One of the things we struggle with as a department is that we routinely respond to the worst moment in someone’s life. Every day we see countless numbers of tragedies and accidents. And we are not immune,” Boriskie said.
There is an investigation under way to determine what happened and how it can be prevented in the future. Nobody knew the two men were in trouble until they didn’t return from the house.