NFPA Journal - Spring 2023 - 16

STR/VIETNAM NEWS AGENCY / AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Dispatches Oddities
HUH?
RECENT HEAD-SCRATCHERS FROM THE
WORLD OF FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY
DUDE, YOUR PANTS
ARE ON FIRE
In January, a pair of would-be
arsonists made a spectacle of
themselves when one of the
firebugs managed to set himself
ablaze while attempting
to light a building on fire.
Surveillance video outside
a business in Bakersfield, California,
captured two suspects
pouring what appeared to be gasoline
on the side of a building,
then igniting it. But along with a wall
of the building, the fire also took a liking to the person who
struck the match, setting the suspect's clothes on fire as an
accomplice looked on. The suspects fled the scene.
Firefighters arrived shortly after and extinguished the fire,
which was contained to a garage area, though smoke damage
occurred on the inside of the building.
The building housed an immigration services business, which
included tax preparation work. The owner of the business told local
media that he was " devastated " by the incident; with tax season
approaching, he said he was unsure if the business could continue.
Kern County fire officials described the video of the episode
as " quite dramatic " and were asking for the public's help in identifying
the suspects.
UP IN THE AIR
In November, first responders
in Montgomery County,
Maryland, were faced with a
challenging rescue scenario
when a small plane crashed
into a power line tower and
hung suspended from the
structure with the pilot and his
passenger trapped inside.
The plane had departed the
Westchester County Airport
in White Plains, New York, on
November 28 on its way to
Montgomery County Airpark
in Gaithersburg, Maryland, but
struck the tower at about 5:30
p.m. The occupants of the
plane were injured but were
able to contact and communicate
with responders using
cell phones.
Before rescue efforts could
begin, however, the power
company contractor had to
remove any remaining power
from the tower and the surrounding
area, a process that
took about six hours. The
next step, completed around
midnight, was to secure the
position of the aircraft to prevent
it from shifting during
rescue operations. Shortly
after the plane was secured,
fire personnel brought the
plane's occupants to the
ground and transported to
them to a nearby trauma
center with serious injuries.
About 85,000 electricity
customers lost power as a
result of the incident, which
is under investigation.
PUP SWEET TOOTH
SPARKS BLAZE
On Christmas Day, Twitch, a
Labrador, was home in suburban
Frisco, Texas, with her
pal Asher, a boxer, while their
owners were out. Twitch took
a shine to a batch of freshbaked
holiday cookies on the
kitchen counter, and in-home
surveillance footage captured
the rest. As Asher looked on
from the couch, Twitch slid
through an open dog gate,
and in the process of standing
up against the counter to
scarf down the treats managed
to turn on the gas range.
Flames from the stovetop
ignited nearby combustibles,
16 | NFPA JOURNAL * SPRING 2022
and soon a significant fire was
burning in the kitchen.
Modern technology helped
prevent a disaster. An app
on the homeowner's phone
alerted her that fire alarms
were going off at home, and
she could see surveillance
images of smoke and fire filling
her home. With firefighters
en route, she contacted a
neighbor who got the pups
out to safety, then doused the
flames with water.
The home experienced
smoke damage, and the
family is reportedly living in a
rental while repairs are made.
Of Twitch's misadventure, her
mom said, " I was never mad
at her, never. "
NFPA Journal - Spring 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Spring 2023
