Niagara Gazette
Fri, May 16 2008
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Niagara FallsFire Department
Calls for service
For the period of April 25 to May 1, the Niagara Falls Fire Department responded to 108 calls.
• FIRE: The early evening sky in the area of 56th Street began to fill with black smoke just after 5 p.m. April 25. Commuters and others began to call central alarm reporting an unknown type fire in the area. Fire units from the Royal Avenue Station, as well as the 77th Street Station in LaSalle arrived in the area and found a large fire in a field that involved a large amount of debris, including tires and an abandoned fuel tank. A total of 15 firefighters responded to this blaze that was controlled before it spread to any other properties.
• FIRE: Acrid smoke could be seen coming from a commercial building in the 8400 block of Buffalo Avenue shortly after 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. Workers in the building reported a fire, involving some type of compressor on an upper level, was the source of the smoke. LaSalle area fire companies were the first to arrive and confirmed the reports of smoke coming from the door and windows in the rear of the structure. Handlines were quickly deployed, while members of the truck company began to ventilate the structure. Firefighters made their way through the smoke-filled processing area and reached the seat of the fire. By this time the fire had spread to some of the building components but was quickly contained to the area of origin. The smoke, however, filled the majority of the large facility and it took firefighters some time to completely remove the smoke. Damage estimates are believed to have exceeded $20,000 and the cause of the fire was determined to be accidental and related to a mechanical failure.
• INCIDENT: With cooler weather moving back into the area residents once again began to use their heating systems. At 2:40 p.m. Wednesday fire units were dispatched to the 600 block of Walnut Avenue for a carbon monoxide emergency. While the occupants were not complaining of any symptoms, firefighters did find levels in excess of 300 parts per million of the deadly gas in the structure. Residential occupancies should have no more the 10 parts per million and anything more is considered unhealthy and potentially dangerous. Fortunately this incident happened during the day and the residents had a working carbon monoxide detector.
• NOTE: May 4 to 10 is National Arson Awareness Week. In 2007, the City of Niagara Falls Fire Department responded to more then 200 suspicious incidents. Many of these incidents involved individuals intentionally setting fire to either abandoned buildings or automobiles. The fire department is asking all residents to be vigilant and report suspicious activity to the police department. Arson is not a victimless crime. We all pay higher insurance premiums and when a firefighter is injured at one of these fires it has significant financial impact to the city. Last year an arson fire on 20th Street resulted in three buildings being totally destroyed, while nine other occupied homes were damaged. The total loss was in excess of $100,000.
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