GULF OF MEXICO - Things actually can get worse in the Gulf of Mexico. A fire believed to be caused by a lightning bolt forced the shutdown Tuesday of an oil-capturing system near the gushing Gulf oil well, BP said. The fire aboard the drill ship Discoverer Enterprise was spotted around 9:30 a.m. Although it was quickly extinguished without injuries, the ...

SYRACUSE, NY -- Nearly 200 people, half of them in uniform, gathered for a memorial service for fallen firefighters and Onondaga County Sheriff's deputies. The service included the reading of the names of all firefighters, auxiliary members and sheriff's deputies who died this year. Also read was a list of county firefighters who died in the line of duty. They stretched ...

DeKalb County, GA - A DeKalb County firefighter terminated after a deadly Dunwoody fire got his job back. A hearing officer ruled on Friday that Capt. Sell Caldwell was inappropriately terminated and did not neglect his duties in connection to the fire that killed 74-year-old Ann Bartlett, according to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The county will appeal the officer's ...

CHICAGO - One of two Homewood firefighters critically injured Tuesday night in a ferocious house fire that claimed the life of an elderly man has died, authorities said this morning. The firefighter was identified by the Cook County medical examiner's office as 28-year-old Brian Carey of Evergreen Park. The Homewood homeowner killed in the blaze was identified as Wendell Elias, 84. ...

GREAT BARRINGTON, MA -- State and town officials, current and former firemen and supporters of the new fire station were on hand Sunday afternoon to observe the official dedication of the building. The guest of honor and main speaker, Mort T. Cavanaugh, fire chief in town for more than 40 years, told the audience of about 150 that "being a fireman ...

BOSTON - A labor arbitration panel has ruled that Boston firefighters must submit to random drug and alcohol testing in exchange for a 19 percent raise over four years, a significant bump that will dwarf the pay increases for other city unions. The decision, released yesterday after a bitter four-year standoff, is largely a victory for the firefighters, who the city ...

BUFFALO - An elderly woman described as being in a dazed condition was rescued by Buffalo firefighters early today after a fire next door began spreading into her home in the city's Jefferson-Ferry area. The rescue was the second in less than 24 hours by Buffalo firefighters. The first occurred early Sunday morning in Allentown. Fire officials said the woman, whose ...

TOPEKA | The Kansas Firefighters Museum is looking for candidates for its first calendar. The Kansas Firefighter Calendar, 2011 edition, needs firefighters to pose for photos. Proceeds from the calendar will support the organization's Coats for Kids Project and the museum's expansion in Wichita. Any Kansas fireman — active duty, volunteer or retired — is encouraged to submit a photo calendar ...

WEST PALM BEACH - A 70-foot pleasure craft returning from the Bahamas caught fire early this morning and pulled into Rybovich Marina at 45th Street and Flagler Drive, where emergency crews responded. The fire was brought under control. Up to 35 firefighters were on the scene, according to authorities. One West Palm Beach firefighter received slight injuries to his upper hand; ...

SACRAMENTO - The four firefighters injured in an apparent gas explosion at a Sacramento home last week were not wearing crucial protective gear, the Sacramento Fire Department confirmed. Firefighters David Storck, Scott McKinney, Jeff Coats and Mike Feyh lacked protective gloves and were not wearing department-issued protective masks when they approached an Oak Park home on July 5 after neighbors reported ...

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Theresa Dailey was a little surprised to find firefighters equipped with drills and a ladder at her door Friday evening. Nor was she expecting the question posed to her: How many smoke detectors do you have in your house? Firefighters from the Wilmington Fire Department spent about an hour canvassing the area around Burnett Boulevard and North Carolina ...

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA - A Gwinnett County firefighter's mission is to save lives in a broader context: He has moved beyond emergency response to early intervention. Battalion Chief Eddie Myers, whose wife is a Loganville private school administrator, recognized a need for positive role models in schools. Two years ago, he created FLAME (Firefighter Lunch and Mentoring Experience), a program that ...

WASHINGTON — Three people are seriously hurt after a crash involving a fire truck in downtown Washington. D.C. fire department spokesman Pete Piringer says a fire truck responding to a fire at a library at George Washington University was involved in a crash with two other vehicles at about 7:30 a.m. on Friday. Three people in the two cars were ...

IRVINGTON — Seven firefighters injured while fighting a three-alarm blaze on Irvington’s Grove Street Tuesday evening all returned to duty, fire officials said. Although four firefighters were taken to area hospitals suffering from bruises, sprains and burns, all were released shortly afterward, Irvington Deputy Chief Pat Hand said. “They’re all going to be OK,” he said. The fire’s cause is still ...

ORLANDO, FL - An announcement regarding an Orlando firefighter who was caught cheating on a promotions test has his department in a frenzy: he's getting a promotion. Two years ago, Orlando Assistant Fire Chief Rudy Johnson said he didn't cheat after listening in on radio transmissions for advanced information on the promotions test. Johnson claims that it was broadcast over open ...

MARLBORO, MA — The Marlboro Fire Department hosted the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge Friday and Saturday at Solomon Pond Mall on the Berlin-Marlboro line, attracting several thousand onlookers and participants. Thirty-eight teams from all over New England and Canada competed in what organizers call “the toughest two minutes in sports.” The challenge includes five major obstacles: climbing a five-story tower carrying ...

NEW YORK - A buildup of carbon monoxide under a Midtown street caused an underground fire and a manhole explosion Tuesday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of four buildings near Times Square, the authorities said. The explosion occurred at 4:30 p.m. outside of 226 West 52nd Street, the Novotel Hotel. No one was injured, but the hotel and three other buildings were ...

WORCESTER - Scientists at Worcester Polytechnic Institute today demonstrated new technologies that could save the lives of firefighters trapped inside burning buildings. At WPI's annual conference on indoor location tracking for rescue workers, held in Worcester, researchers demonstrated new electronic systems that cut in half the average time needed to track down a lost firefighter. "The technology's actually better than we ...

DEKALB COUNTY, GA - A second DeKalb County firefighter dismissed after a fatal Dunwoody fire has won back his job, WSB-TV is reporting. A hearing officer ruled for William Jeffrey Greene when he appealed his termination last week, according to reports. Greene was one of the five firefighters fired when a blaze killed 74-year-old Ann Bartlett, hours after the firemen responded ...

NEW CANAAN, Conn. (AP) - A 9-year-old Connecticut girl who climbed to the roof of her house and attempted to crawl back inside through the chimney has been rescued after getting stuck. Assistant Fire Chief Jack Hennessey says the girl climbed up a house painter's ladder Wednesday morning, walked across the roof and tried to climb down the chimney. She almost ...