fires

Tennessee Fireworks Superstore Explodes Two Days After July 4th

Andy Cush · 07/07/14 09:33AM

A fireworks outlet in Tennessee self-destructed shortly after the biggest day of the year for colorful explosions in the sky, exploding and burning to the ground in one last sad display before the long wait until New Year's Eve.

Tom Scocca · 02/21/14 10:38AM

Who will fight the fire when the firetruck catches on fire? The firefighters from the firetruck (plus three more trucks and engines), with fire extinguishers. "This is one of these things you always hear about, but don't expect to happen," deputy fire chief Kurt Gerfin of Schenectady told the Daily Gazette.

Mmm, What a Nice Warm Fire

Hamilton Nolan · 01/03/14 11:51AM

The thermometer says it's 15 degrees outside right now. Wind chill of -2. Even inside, I can hardly feel my toes. But you know what I can feel? This nice, warm, crackling fire. Feel that? Mmm. Yes. Hot. I could close my eyes and die of frostbite in its warmth, right now.

Endless Bummer: Hellfire Season Burns Forever

Ken Layne · 08/26/13 12:13PM

Up in the High Sierra of Yosemite National Park today, a monstrous wildfire is racing through 200 square miles of dense piney forest. The "Rim Fire" is only one of about fifty major wildfires across the American West today, but everyone has at least heard of the majestic Yosemite Valley with its glacier-carved Half Dome and summer traffic jams of vacationers seeking waterfalls and hamburgers, so this is our official Natural Disaster of the week.

Chemical Plant Explosion in Louisiana, Multiple Injuries Reported

Maggie Lange · 06/13/13 10:05AM

An explosion at a chemical plant in Louisiana this morning has injured many—though no reports of fatalities as of yet. Hazmat units are attending to the accident at Williams Olefins Chemical Plant in Geismar, Louisiana. The plant churns out 1.3 billion pounds of ethylene and 90 million pounds of propylene per year. The industrial area is a little over 50 miles northwest from New Orleans, 30 miles southeast of Baton Rouge.

Vicious Wildfires Tear Through Colorado, Threatening Thousands

Maggie Lange · 06/13/13 08:01AM

A group of wildfires threaten thousands of residents throughout Colorado and hundreds of inmates from an area prison. The fires have destroyed nearly a hundred homes and nearly seven thousand people have evacuated the area. Officials report that 2,300 homes are directly threatened by the flames. About a thousand prisoners had to be transported from an area prison, mainly as a precaution, as moving prisoners is a long process.

Wildfires Across California Force Hundreds of Evacuations

Max Read · 05/03/13 07:05AM

Million-dollar homes in Camarillo, Calif. were reduced to nothing yesterday as a wind-stoked fire in Ventura County spread over 8,000 acres, threatening 2,000 homes and causing hundreds of evacuations.

Twilight Star Ashley Greene Loses Dog in Apartment Fire

Caity Weaver · 03/22/13 06:15PM

Here's something sad you can bring up and then immediately regret bringing up at dinner tonight: a toy fox terrier beloning to Twilight actress Ashley Greene died in a fire at her apartment this morning.

Restaurant Explodes in Street Inferno, Injuring 16

Max Read · 02/20/13 08:06AM

A huge natural gas explosion—"like an earthquake," one witness said—burned a Kansas City restaurant to the ground yesterday evening, injuring 16, some critically, and leaving one person unaccounted for. Authorities believe a contractor working near JJ's Restaurant, a three-decade institution overlooking Kansas City's iconic Country Club Plaza, hit a natural gas line, and people reported a strong odor of gas in the area—so strong JJ's employees cancelled reservations, shut down the kitchen, and asked patrons to leave the restaurant—hours before the 6 p.m. explosion shattered nearby windows and sent shockwaves nearly a mile through the city. One woman is still missing, and Kansas City police are using cadaver dogs to search for her. Some 100 fire fighters responded to the four-alarm fire; it was under control by 8 p.m. [Kansas City Star | KCTV]