state fire marshal News

Oregon Wildfire Grows Rapidly, Destroys Several Structures

MERLIN, Ore. (AP) — A wildfire in remote southwest Oregon continued its rapid spread through a rural area and destroyed several structures, after forcing evacuations and prompting the state to take command of efforts to contain the blaze, officials said …

Evacuations Extended Near Northern Illinois Industrial Fire

MORRIS, Ill. (AP) — Toxic fumes and smoke from a burning former paper mill in northern Illinois that officials had believed was long abandoned but actually contained massive amounts of lithium batteries prompted officials to extend an evacuation order into …

Central Oregon Wildfire Grows, Cities Ban Fireworks

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters on Wednesday tried to contain a wildfire that burned 10,000 acres near the farming community of Dufur, Oregon. Gov. Kate Brown invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act in response to the fire, allowing the state fire …

New Hampshire Town’s Snow Plows Destroyed by Fire

A fire has destroyed a fleet of snow plows in the small New Hampshire town of Henniker, as another storm approaches that could dump up to a foot more of snow. The fire broke out at the Henniker Highway Department …

New State Fire Marshal Appointed to West Virginia Fire Commission

The West Virginia Fire Commission has appointed a Charleston firefighter as state fire marshal. Charleston Fire Department Capt. Ken Tyree will replace Tony Carrico, who is leaving the position at the end of the year. Media outlets report that the …

54 Fire Deaths in Washington in 2013

The number of fire fatalities in Washington continued a downward trend last year. The Office of the State Fire Marshal reports there were 54 fire deaths in 2013, compared with 63 the previous year and 71 in 2011. The office …

West Anniversary Prompts Call for Safety Changes

The state fire marshal wants 46 facilities that store ammonium nitrate in Texas to make safety improvements following the deadly West fertilizer plant explosion last year. State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy on Monday proposed new building requirements ahead of this …

Mississippi Biodiesel Plant Fire That Caused $3.5M Damage Ruled Accidental

The state fire marshal’s has ruled as an accident the January fire and explosion at JNS Biofuels plant near New Albany, Miss. The report was released Wednesday. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports the fire marshal found the likely cause …

Minnesota Fire Deaths Down 14 Percent

The number of people killed in Minnesota fires was down 14 percent in 2013. According to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, there were 43 fire fatalities in 2013 compared to 50 in 2012. In a news release, State Fire Marshal …

4 Fire Fatalities Recorded for 2013 in New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s state fire marshal says four people died in fires in 2013, a record low for the state. Bill Degnan says more people are maintaining their smoke alarms. He tells The Telegraph of Nashua that a 2007 law that …