While you were sleeping, Coast Guard was pulling bodies from the water

25 Victims Found, 9 People Missing After Diving Boat Catches Fire In California

NPR
Vanessa Romo and Merrit Kennedy
September 2, 2019

"This is probably the worst case scenario you could possibly have. You have a vessel that's on the open sea ... in the middle of the night." Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown

Updated at 1:31 a.m. ET Tuesday
Twenty-five people are confirmed to have died in the weekend dive boat disaster, according to The Associated Press, citing the Coast Guard. Nine people remain missing. A total of 39 people were on board the boat.

In this photo provided by the Ventura County Fire Department, firefighters respond to a boat fire off the coast of Southern California on Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard said it launched several boats to help over two dozen people "in distress." Ventura County Fire Department via AP

Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Kroll told The AP that at least 25 people died in the accident. Kroll said five victims have been found but their bodies have not yet been recovered due to unsafe conditions under the boat. He said authorities will continue to search overnight for the nine people still missing.

Five crew members were rescued, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told reporters at a news conference Monday afternoon.

The vessel was identified as the Conception, based out of Santa Barbara Harbor, and was on a three-day dive trip to the Channel Islands. It was operated by Truth Aquatics. Coast Guard Capt. Monica Rochester told a news conference Monday that the company has been in full compliance with regulatory standards.
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Grenfell Tower blaze aftermath firefighter lost job

Hero Grenfell Tower firefighter 'I have been cast out of a job I love'

THE DAILY MAIL
By KATHRYN KNIGHT
7 December 2018

Charlie Kaye was one of hundreds of firemen at Grenfell Tower blaze aftermath
Nine months later he ran into a burning building in a desperate bid to save a man
Mr Kaye, 32, contravened Fire Brigade rules as he entered without his partner
His heroism led to a dismissal for contravening health and safety regulations

Like many dedicated firefighters, Charlie Kaye has spent his professional life propelled by two instincts — to save lives and help others.

Charlie Kaye (centre left) was one of four firefighters to receive a prestigious Borough Commander’s Award for bravery for helping to save a woman who had collapsed from a blood clot

In ten years of distinguished service he’s battled blazes all over London and attended harrowing road and rail accidents — each one leaving its mark.

‘I have lost count of the number of fatal incidents I’ve attended. Each one eats away at you a little,’ he recalls. ‘But that’s the job.’

It’s a job which, in June last year, led him to one of the most distressing points of his career, when the 32-year-old was one of the hundreds of fireman to attend the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, helping to clear bodies from the wreckage of the West London tower block. The sights of that day are permanently seared on his mind — along with the guilt that this time, there was no chance of saving anyone.
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National Guardsman Died Saving Others from FIre

National Guardsman Rescued Others Before Dying in NYC Fire

Associated Press

December 31, 2017

NEW YORK -- The victims of New York City's deadliest fire in decades include a man who immigrated to the Bronx from Ghana and dreamed of becoming a military policeman.

A relative told The New York Times that Emmanuel Mensah had rescued a number of people before going back into the burning building, where he died of smoke inhalation.

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Massive fire that killed 12 started by child playing with stove, causing 'unprecedented' loss

ABC News

Julia Jacobo and Morgan Winsor

December 29, 2017

A massive apartment fire that killed at least 12 people -- including a 1-year-old girl found with her mother in a bathtub -- was sparked by a small child playing with a stove, city officials said.

When the family fled the first-floor apartment unit, they left the door open, allowing the flames to spread into the stairwell and shoot up the staircase of the five-story residential building.

"It took the fire so quickly upstairs, people had little time to react," New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said at a press conference Friday morning. "Open stairs act as chimneys."

The burned-out halls of the building are seen in video released by New York fire officials on Friday. Soot and ash cover the hallway and stairwell from floor to ceiling.

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Vietnam Veteran Died Trying To Save Family

“He’s our hero” – Vietnam veteran dies trying to save his family from their burning home 
WHNT 19 News Alabama
BY LAURA CHRISTMAS
NOVEMBER 10, 2015

"He was a hero then, he was a hero trying to save us that night," Dana Hayes

ROSALIE, Ala. (WHNT) -- A Jackson County man nearly died while fighting in the Vietnam War; injured so badly medics didn't think he'd make it when they found him all those years ago. Jim Hayes' family says he was a hero then and say he's a hero now - because he died trying to save their lives. 

"He was a wonderful man," says Jim Hayes' wife Dana. Jim Hayes was sent over to Vietnam as member of the U. S. Army. "He was very proud to serve," Dana explains, "He would have even gone back if they let him."

She recalls how Jim would always thank veterans every time he saw one, even though he was one himself. He was wounded in the war, earning him a Purple Heart. "He was a hero then, he was a hero trying to save us that night," Dana says. read more here

Triple shock for family of Vietnam Vet killed in fire

Imagine someone you loved dying in a fire. Then imagine someone else in your family did it then killed himself. Pretty shocking with just that but then add in the veteran you thought you knew turned out to have not been telling the truth.

Military medal doubted for vet found dead in south Sacramento fire
Sacramento Bee
By Sam Stanton and Morgan Searles
Published: Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013

By any standard, Dennis Felmley's death was a tragedy.

The 64-year-old Vietnam veteran died after suffering violent injuries and being found in a burning south Sacramento home on July 22, a fire that authorities say may have been set by a nephew who later killed himself in a Huntington Beach park.

On Wednesday, the tragedy appeared to be even greater, with Felmley's paid obituary in The Sacramento Bee listing him as a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award.

But online databases do not show Felmley as having received the award, an honor that is closely tracked by authorities and military historians nationwide.

Felmley's daughter Shannon said her father's wartime experiences and the lore of the medals he received had been passed down over the years by family members. She added that the family had difficulty getting records of his service because of the July 12, 1973, fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis that destroyed as many as 18 million official records.
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Station Nightclub fire survivors battle depression, PTSD

Study: Station survivors battle depression, PTSD
By: NBC 10 News
Published: October 22, 2012

A recently released study found a high percentage of Station nightclub survivors are battling depression and post traumatic stress disorder.

The study, conducted by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Harvard Medical School, found that nearly just as many survivors are battling those problems, whether they were burned in the fire or not.
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at 7:13 the fire starts

The Station nightclub fire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Station" redirects here. For the online sketch channel, see The Station (YouTube).

The fire at 40 seconds. Daniel Biechele is facing camera at right.
Date February 20, 2003
Time 11:07 pm
Location West Warwick, Rhode Island
Injuries 200+
Death(s) 100
The Station nightclub fire was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in American history, killing 100 people. The fire began at 11:07 PM EST, on Thursday, February 20, 2003, at The Station, a glam metal and rock and roll themed nightclub located at 211 Cowesett Avenue in West Warwick, Rhode Island.

Amateur researcher found dark secret tied to James A. Haley Veterans Hospital

Vet takes issue with hospital's namesake
By HOWARD ALTMAN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 22, 2012

TAMPA

Bob Sawallesh figures he has spent thousands of hours over the years helping patients at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital.

He has driven them to appointments, interviewed homeless veterans to help them get assistance and worked with the wounded and their families.

But in all that time, the retired Army lieutenant colonel from Valrico never saw a picture of the hospital's namesake prominently displayed.

Curious, Sawallesh began to look into Haley. Always interested in research, he spent hours in front of the computer, in dusty library stacks and going through boxes of documents.

What he found spurred him to ask that the hospital's name be changed.

In 1945, Haley was sent to prison for what prosecutors say was his role in one of the worst fires in the nation's history — a blaze at a Ringling Brothers circus show in Hartford, Conn., that killed 168 and injured nearly 500 others.

"How can you name a hospital that treats severely burned combat veterans after a man who spent time in jail for a fire that killed so many?" asks Sawallesh.
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Fort Hood soldier among 3 dead after fatal fire

UPDATE
2 Hood GIs killed in apartment complex fire
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Sep 17, 2012 14:09:49 EDT

KILLEEN, Texas — Authorities say two Fort Hood soldiers are among three people who died in a fire that destroyed an apartment complex near the central Texas Army post.

Pfc. Seth Micheal Soulsby of Mogadore, Ohio, and Pvt. Christopher Micheal Sroka of Findlay, Ohio, died early Friday morning.
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Mogadore soldier Seth Soulsby, 19, dies in apartment complex fire near Fort Hood, Texas
By: Stephanie Ramirez
newsnet5.com

CLEVELAND - A Mogadore family of a young soldier is now planning for a funeral. Close friends said a devastating fire, that broke out at an apartment complex just outside of Fort Hood in Texas, killed 19-year-old Seth Soulsby.

The young soldier's father told NewsChannel5 his son had been stationed at Fort Hood for about one year. He received word of his son's death Friday. Now, not just family but close friends of the young soldier are also mourning, still in disbelief.

"To find out he passed in a fire...that's what really makes it worse," said Chris Harris. He and his wife, Penny, said his house was home away from home for Soulsby, who was close friends with their daughters. Others who knew Soulsby described a similar loving relationship.

The blaze reportedly killed three people early Friday morning and left another 30 without a home.

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Fort Bragg Green Beret to be buried with daughters at Arlington

N.C. girls to be buried at Arlington with dad
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 8, 2012

U.S. ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND VIA APChief Warrant Officer Edward Cantrell died March 6 along with his daughters, 6-year-old Isabella and 4-year-old Natalia. He and his daughters will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The two young daughters of a decorated Green Beret who died trying to rescue them from a burning house near Fort Bragg will be laid to rest with their father at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Fort Bragg Green Beret dies trying to save kids from fire

Elderly veteran dies in apartment fire

Elderly veteran dies in apartment fire
Updated: Friday, 25 Nov 2011
Cory Pippin
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - An Army veteran in his 70s, who used a wheelchair and lived alone, died Thursday morning when his Pensacola apartment caught fire.

Eloise Nelson said the victim was Leo Lambert. She had lived next door to him for more than a year. She said when she looked out her door Thanksgiving morning, emergency responders were everywhere.

“I told the fireman that there was a man in the apartment. That’s when they broke down the door and pulled him out. They tried to perform CPR on him for a while," said Nelson.
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Elderly veteran dies in apartment fire: fox10tv.com

Vietnam veteran found dead after fire

Vietnam veteran found dead after fire
Updated: Wednesday, 20 Jul 2011, 6:10 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 20 Jul 2011, 10:06 AM EDT

Nalina Shapiro
Posted by: Eli George
KENMORE, N.Y. (WIVB) - A Vietnam veteran was found dead inside a burning apartment in Kenmore. It's still unclear what killed 62-year-old Donald Dake.

Kenmore Police and fire officials responded to a fire inside Dake's Ken-Dev studio apartment around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning and found heavy smoke inside the unit. At the time, many residents were sleeping and thought it was a false alarm.

Tammy Fisher said, "We've had false alarms, several of them in the recent past. This one was real, and I'm glad I got out because I was contemplating whether to just stay in bed or not."

Neighbors say it was tough for many people to get out quickly.
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Vietnam veteran found dead after fire

Grandparents killed in accident after mobile home fire killed 3 grandchildren

Couple killed on way to plan funerals for three grandchildren
Tragedy added to tragedy Tuesday when an Ohio couple died in an accident on their way to help make funeral arrangements for their three grandchildren.

Marc and Misty Royce of Circleville were killed in a crash on a snowy road on their way to help Marc Royce's daughter, Kacey Stacey, plan funerals for her three children, who died in a mobile home fire over the weekend, CNN affiliate WBNS-TV reported.
Couple killed on way to plan funerals for three grandchildren

Fires claims lives in Mississippi and Massachusetts

Mysterious Fires in Massachusetts Town Kill 2
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (Dec. 28) -- Local and state authorities in Northampton, Mass., are investigating a string of suspicious fires that killed two people and left residents shaken, officials said Sunday.

In just more than an hour early Sunday, five structures -- including a single-family residence -- burned, in addition to "numerous cars," district attorney Betsy Scheibel told a news conference that included fire and police officials and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

Two people were found dead on the first floor of the residence, Scheibel said. Identities of the victims are being withheld pending autopsy results.
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Mysterious Fires in Massachusetts Town Kill 2


Apartment Blaze Kills 9; Kids Among the Dead
STARKVILLE, Miss. (Dec. 28) -- Nine people, including at least six children, died early Monday in an apartment fire, officials said.

The blaze was reported around 4 a.m., according to Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt. He and state Fire Marshal Mike Chaney confirmed the deaths.

Firefighters were still at the scene more than six hours later, and there was no word on how the blaze started.

"All I can tell you is we had a fire in one of the older apartment buildings," Starkville Fire Chief Rodger Mann said. "That's about all I can say. When a fatality is involved, things move a lot slower."
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Apartment Blaze Kills 9

E. Houston fire kills twin girls while mom is away

E. Houston fire kills twin girls while mom is away
By MIKE GLENN Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Dec. 10, 2008, 7:38PM
On a wet, gray, bone-chilling afternoon, Curnitra Winzer stood outside her east Houston home and gazed sadly at a blackened shell of a neighbor's home littered with remnants of two young lives that had been snuffed out.

"It's terrible," Winzer said on Wednesday, looking at the duplex where 18-month-old twin girls had died in a fire early that morning after their mother left them to go to the store. "It's a sad thing for kids to die so young."

On the lawn outside the small wood-frame home in the 1700 block of Sam Wilson were the remains of a charred couch, on which the babies' bodies were found.

Nearby lay a small plastic bag filled with red-and-green striped Christmas candy canes.

The girls, Shakayla and Makayla Carroll, were the daughters of LaVera Moore, who police said had left two stovetop burners on to provide heat while she stepped out around midnight to buy cigarettes at a nearby store.

She returned about 12:20 a.m. to find smoke gushing from the house, investigators said.
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Soldier Describes Watching Fatal Fire Burn

Soldier Describes Watching Fatal Fire Burn
WSMV - Nashville,TN,USA

FT. CAMPBELL, Ky. -- A Fort Campbell soldier injured in a fatal fire on post said he watched helplessly as his wife tried to save the couple's children.

Rebekah Smallwood, 2, and Samuel Fagan, 9, were killed in the May house fire that investigators said was arson.

Spc. Wayne Smallwood, 33, said he shattered his leg jumping from the building to get water to try and put out the fire.

Smallwood said he couldn't stand up to help his wife, Billi-Jo, as she tried to escape to the roof with the three small children.

His wife was badly burned trying to reach the children. The couple's infant child, Nevaeh, was unharmed by the blaze.

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Video: Fort Campbell Fire Kills 2 Children
June 15, 2007: Officials: Fatal Fort Campbell Fire Deliberately Set

UK:Murder-suicide believed in Foster deadly fire

Police: Tycoon killed family in mansion arson
British police said Tuesday they now believe a millionaire killed his wife and daughter, pictured above, before setting fire to their mansion home and killing himself. Security cameras show a man, who police believe is Christopher Foster, rampaging through the estate's grounds, torching outbuildings and blocking the entrance. full story

Oxygen tanks fuel fatal fire in Casselberry

Oxygen tanks fuel fatal fire in Casselberry
Sara K. Clarke Sentinel Staff Writer
July 7, 2008

Casselberry resident Leah Truszkowski was putting her baby to bed when she heard a loud boom. Leftover fireworks, she thought.

Then she heard the cries for help from her neighbor. Her husband, Kris, ran to the house next door, which was burning out of control.

Paul D'Agostino screamed one final time before another blast.

Oxygen tanks that belonged to D'Agostino, who was recovering from a heart attack and coma, proved deadly after they exploded and fueled the flames that had engulfed his house, trapping him inside, officials said.
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