apartment building fire News

Human Error Blamed in Pennsylvania Gas Explosion

Fire officials are blaming human error for a gas explosion and three-alarm fire at a central Pennsylvania apartment building that has left 22 people homeless. The blast happened Friday morning in Ephrata, Lancaster County. Lincoln Fire Chief Randy Gockley said …

Three Charged in Paid Arson at Rhode Island Apartments

Three men have been charged with federal crimes in an arson-for-profit scheme at a Providence, R.I., apartment building. The Providence Journal reports that an indictment unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Providence charged Abraham Kerkula of Pawtucket and Gbabia …

Hot Glue Gun Causes Fire That Destroyed Idaho Building

Officials in Jerome, Idaho, say a fire that destroyed an apartment building and damaged two nearby buildings last month started when a woman accidentally left a hot glue gun on a plastic chair. Fire Chief Jack Krill says a woman …

Germany: Fire at Apartment Building Kills 8

An early-morning fire Sunday at an apartment building in southwestern Germany left eight people dead, seven of them children, police said. Three other people were injured in the fire in Backnang, a town near Stuttgart, and taken to hospitals. Police …

Smoking Blamed for Fire That Displaced 25 Families

The state fire marshal says careless smoking sparked a fire that displaced 25 families living in a South Florida apartment building. Battalion Chief Joel Gordon says an occupant in the Plantation apartment where the fire started admitted he had been …

Demo Workers Hurt in St. Louis Stairwell Collapse

Two demolition workers are hospitalized after a stairwell collapsed at the site of an apartment building fire in St. Louis, Mo. The men were working Sunday when the collapse occurred. Tom McLain of the St. Louis Fire Department says the …

Smoking Cited for 10-Story Indiana Apartment Building Fire

Fire investigators in Evansville, Ind., say smoking materials in a bed caused a smoky blaze that forced the evacuation of a 10-story apartment building for the elderly and the disabled where one person died. Authorities say 66-year-old Gwendolyn Hunt died …

Lightning Investigated as Cause of Pennsylvania Fire

Officials in suburban Philadelphia, Pa., say lightning may have caused a four-alarm fire that displaced 30 people and sent several firefighters to a hospital. The fire broke out shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday at the Windsor at Harper’s Crossing complex …

Wakefield Man Helps Rescue People From 7 Alarm Boston Fire

A Wakefield, Mass., man is being called a hero for running into a burning East Boston apartment building and helping residents escape. Twenty-three adults and seven children were displaced in the seven-alarm blaze Sunday afternoon, but things might have been …

Chicago Man Charged in Deadly Arson

Authorities have charged a 38-year-old man with setting an apartment building fire in Chicago, Ill., that killed a resident. The U.S. Attorney’s office said Thursday that Juan Adame had a domestic dispute with a woman who sometimes lived in one …