For the period of Friday June 12, 2009 to Thursday June 18, 2009 the Niagara Falls Fire Department responded to 130 calls for assistance.
Friday June 12 – A Carbon Monoxide detector sounding in a home in conjunction with a call from National Fuel sent firefighters to the 400 block of 25th Street at 11AM Friday morning. Firefighters found the detector which was located in the basement sounding indicating the presence of the toxic gas. Using specialized meters, firefighters determined that the level of the deadly gas was 10 times the acceptable level as determined by the EPA for residential occupancy. It was determined that the source of the problem was a defective water heater which was taken out of service. The home was ventilated to remove the gas and the occupants were instructed to have the appliance serviced by a qualified contractor.
Friday June 12 – Shortly after 4PM firefighters from the downtown companies were alerted to a potential problem a Whirlpool State Park. Firefighters arrived at the park and were instructed that an individual had fallen on the steps approximately half way down to the river. Firefighters descended into the gorge and found individual suffering significant injuries due to a fall. The patient was evaluated for possible internal injuries and was assisted to the top where they were transported to the local hospital.
Friday June 12 – Just before midnight firefighters from the Royal Avenue station were alerted to some type of outside fire in the 2700 block of Forest Avenue. They arrived to find a motorcycle on fire in the front yard of a residential structure. The fire was quickly extinguished; however it caused extensive damage to the motorcycle. Information obtained led firefighters to believe that this was more then and accident and investigators from the Fire Prevention Bureau were summoned to the scene. An extensive amount of forensic information was recovered at the scene which not only confirmed that this fire was deliberately set but may aid in identifying the arsonist.
Saturday June 13 – As units were clearing a major water leak on Main Street a Border Patrol helicopter on routine patrol spotted a warehouse fire in the north end of the city. Black smoke filled the sky as units converged on the intersection of College and Highland where they found smoke coming from the rear of the abandoned industrial site. Once inside the gates firefighters were confronted with a well involved fire in a 25’ X 60’ structure. Being an abandoned site, many of the yard hydrants were inoperable and firefighters laid thousands of feet of supply hose from nearby municipal hydrants. The contents of the building proved to be extremely difficult to extinguish and firefighters used specialized firefighting foam and a backhoe to assist in extinguishing the fire and removing the contents of the building. All on-duty city resources were committed to this fire and a combination of off-duty crews and mutual aid companies were brought in to assist not only on the fireground but also in maintaining coverage for other emergency calls. The fire is considered suspicious and is under investigation by the staff of the Fire Prevention Bureau.
Sunday June 14 – The area around Willow, Michigan, and Weston Avenues was the scene of a number of minor outside fires that were reported to firefighters between early Sunday morning and Monday mid afternoon. Some of the fires had actually burned themselves out and were noticed by the occupants while dumping their trash. Recently at least two of these deliberately set outside fires have spread to occupied structures causing serious damage. Residents in this area are asked to remain vigilant and report all suspicious activity. In addition trash and other combustible material should not be placed next to or allowed to accumulate near buildings. Unfortunately some within our community find enjoyment is starting fires and it is only a mater of time until someone is seriously injured or killed in these types of fires.
