Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "sac city fire"

Commute interrupted, vehicle crashes into downtown business

2011-12-13T19:29:41Z

Sacramento, CA | Busy morning Downtown commute interrupted Tuesday morning when a vehicle crashed into a building.

Close to 7:30 Tuesday morning, the busy downtown commute was interrupted when a woman driving east on J Street, reportedly felt sick and passed out behind the wheel. Her vehicle hopped the curb and crashed into "Patino Building" at 1010 J St. The driver was transported to hospital via paramedics.

Budget cuts impact resources for major hazmat incident in South Sacramento

2011-07-07T01:43:59Z

Sacramento, CA | A level 3 Hazmat situation shuts down a large industrial area in South Sacramento. Budget weakend hazmat team has to reach out with unusual mutual aid requests.

Wednesday morning, the Sacramento City Fire Department was called to Mike and Sons Inc, in the 8500 block of Elder Creek Road, for a commercial trailer fire. When firefighters arrived “they realized the doors were shut and there was a very pungent odor; so they turned this into a level three hazmat which is the highest level of hazmat response that we have”, Niko King, Assistant Chief for Sacramento City Fire Department stated.

As things progressed, they contacted the shipper and the property owner discovering that there were over forty household products in the trailer, King stated. “For some unknown reason, something happened in there and there was a chemical reaction taking place.”

Evacuations began immediately. King stated that as a result of the off-gassing of the product and wind direction, over fifty-five business were evacuated which equated to 520 people. Reverse 911 was utilized to assist with the evacuations. Traffic was backed up all the way down Young Creek Drive as area workers vacated the industrial park. King stated that the evacuation was in place for about four hours. King also stated that a seven digit hotline was put in place to update evacuees and let them know when they could return to their businesses.

One person, who reportedly inhaled a good amount of the vapors, was transported to the hospital via paramedics.

Large fire suppression lines were put in place in the event they had to fight fire, and measures were taken to protect storm drains from potential contaminated water runoff as a result of firefighting efforts.

“What’s unique about this, Sacramento Fire department just experienced some budget cuts; it cut our hazmat team right in half,” King stated sternly. “…so, we had mutual aid resources from Metro Fire, Hazmat 109 come in. And what was really unique, we had to reach out and get Roseville’s hazmat team to come into the City of Sacramento to assist in mitigating this incident.”

It was finally determined that the substance was some sort of refrigerant oil. The assumption is that due to the warm rising temperature in the trailer, the container of product exploded then mixing with other materials in the trailer.

Many agencies responded to this incident to assist Sacramento City Fire, such as: Sacramento Metro Fire, Roseville Fire, and CERT to name a few. The Red Cross also responded with their Disaster Relief unit.

King stated that all the hazards had been mitigated and the incident would be turned back over to the shipping company.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS>>

Violence and bottles break at downtown Parlare Euro Lounge

2011-05-22T01:01:00Z

Sacramento, CA | Fists and bottles fly early Saturday morning at Parlare Euro Lounge, leaving one person in serious condition.

Just around midnight Saturday, a fight started at the Parlare Euro Lounge on the corner of 10th and J Streets in downtown Sacramento.

“The fight spilled out from the club into the street. One of the security guards was hit in the head with a bottle, subsequently fought with the original suspect who in turn, turned and fought with another suspect who was also hit with a bottle,” Sargent Wendy Brown, Sacramento Police Department stated.

Later the area was deemed a tapped off crime scene with CSI collecting evidence and photos as one of the injured person’s condition worsened. Per Sargent Norm Leong, Sacramento Police Department’s Public Information Officer, the subject is now listed in serious condition.

Vist the scene via raw footage and hear from Sargent Brown about the incident>>

See what we're up to at Maverick Photography

Visit us for Sacramento Action news
colaborating with Sacramento Press

DUI driver injures three in Downtown crash

2011-04-17T03:35:58Z

Sacramento, CA | An alleged drunk driver crashed into an occupied taxi cab early Saturday morning in Downtown Sacramento, next to City Hall.

Early Saturday morning, at the intersection of I St. and 10th St., a drunk driver crashed into an occupied taxi cab.

Two people were transported to the hospital in critical condition, a third was transported with minor injures.

Being struck by the alleged DUI driver, the taxi cab careened across the front lawn of City Hall and came to rest on against a light pole and across the sidewalk next to the steps of City Hall.

After being given a field sobriety test and refusing to take an in field breathalyzer test, the driver was arrested for DUI.

See more Downtown action>>

Downed tree injures one and damages vehicles

2011-03-21T02:53:02Z

Sacramento, CA | Club goers leaving a local club escape fallen tree incident with minor injures and damaged vehicles.

Late Saturday night, as Azukar Lounge at 16th Street and J Street was winding down and club goers filled the parking lot heading to their cars, a large tree collapsed landing on one occupied, damaging others and pinned a female to the ground. Several bistanders worked together to get the tree off the girl as resue crews responded. The victim was transported to the hospital via paramedics with minor injures.

Occupants of the vehicle struck by the tree were unharmed and able to exit the vehicle without further incident.

For more weather impact photos and stories, CLICK HERE>>>

To stay on top of current weather conditions, CLICK HERE>>>

Single apartment destroyed by fire

2011-01-22T23:03:22Z

This morning just before 10 a.m. Sacramento Regional Dispatch center received multiple calls reporting an apartment fire with explosions. Fire crews from both Sacramento and Sacramento Metro Fire Departments responded and arrived within minutes to find fire blowing out of an upstairs window. The apartment was occupied at the time of the fire and officials were informed that citizens assisted one adult male occupant from the apartment that was on fire.

Quick actions of the fire crews kept the fire from spreading to adjacent apartments; however during the fire operations Sacramento Police were requested to respond to restrain the resident from attempting to re-enter the apartment while it was on fire. Fortunately no one was injured and the initial reports of explosions were determined to be from the fire burning materials inside the apartment.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation and has not yet been determined. The upstairs apartment was completely destroyed and adjacent upstairs units suffered minor smoke damage. At this time the Sacramento Fire Department would like to remind everyone not to attempt to re-enter a building once it is on fire. Fire doubles in size every sixty seconds, and one inhalation of smoke can be fatal.

DUI driver injures several in Midtown wreck

2010-12-31T02:35:12Z

Sacramento, CA | A drunk driver with passengers collides head-on with a Taxi minivan leaving several injured in Midtown early Thursday morning.

At approximately 1:47 am Thursday morning, a black compact car collided head on with a taxi cab minivan at 20th and N Streets in Midtown. Occupants in both vehicles were injured and transported to area hospitals with non threatening injuries, per Sacramento Police department. more from this incident and about Midtown DUI checkpoint >>

Sacramento Firefighter Receives Governor’s Medal of Valor

2010-12-07T23:53:25Z

Today Sacramento Firefighter-Paramedic Robert Walters will receive the Silver Governor’s Medal of Valor Award for a successful rescue mission completed while serving in the California Army National Guard.

Staff Sergeant Robert Walters and 3 other crew members were successful in the rescue efforts of a 14-year-old boy scout member that was trapped under a ten-thousand pound bolder on June 26, 2008 in Fresno, California.

Robert Walters is a nine year veteran of the Sacramento Fire Department and continues to serve in the California National Guard. He is an eleven year veteran of the California National Guard. The Sacramento Fire Department is proud to have such a member within its organization, and would like to take this opportunity to recognize and congratulate Firefighter Paramedic Robert Walters.

The ceremony will be held at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K Street Sacramento, CA today at 2:00 pm.

Sacramento Fire Department of Facebook

Sacramento Fire Department on Twitter

Transient flees when his fire burns out of control

2010-07-28T17:37:03Z

Sacramento, CA Local transient fled the scene when his fire burned out of control Tuesday evening.

Aprox 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, SacCity Fire was called to a vegetation fire between the Sacramento River and the bike path off Jiboom by the water treatment plant. On arrival, firefighters found a blaze burning upsloap from the beach area toward the bike path. The fire was brought under control quickly. Witnesses in the area saw a transient leaving the scene. He's described as a white male, mid 30's to to early 40's, aprox 5'8" and dark brown shoulder length hair. He was wearing blue jeans and a small dirty red backpack. SacPD Officer Gunville and area Park Rangers had detained a couple of potential suspects, however they proved not to be the suspect and were immediately released. The suspect was last seen fleeing the area running south on the bike trail from the water treatment plant area. If you have information or see anyone in the area matching this description, you are urged to call the Sacramento Police Department or Sac City Fire.

CLICK HERE TO SEE INCIDENT VIDEO>>

Follow our SacMav News Twitter>>

Downtown structure fire threatens surrounding homes

2010-07-26T13:34:06Z

Sacramento, CA, Neighbors wake to flames and sparking power lines in Downtown Sacramento

Around 2:45am Monday, the Sacramento City Fire Department responded to a garage fire at 1314 26th St. Neighbors were evacuated as the fire threatened surrounding homes. A resident of one of the evacuated homes said, "At 2:45 in the morning, you're woken up to a fire, it's scary, it's a heart pounding experience". Power lines popped overhead as firefighters knocked down the fire. The fire is currently under investigation.

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO>>>

Fatal accident on Hwy 50 near I-5

2010-05-25T12:04:06Z

A life was lost this morning when a disabled vehicle was slammed into on Hwy 50 in Downtown Sacramento
May 25, 2010, Sacramento, CA

The call came in at 12:40 this morning for an accident that occurred on west bound HWY50 just before the North Bound I-5 interchange downtown.

A Z28 broke down on the freeway just before the interchange and was slammed into by a second vehicle. The CHP officer on scene stated that they are not sure yet if the Z28 ran out of gas or was broken down. CHP also stated that there were no skid marks indicating that the driver of second vehicle probably didn't even see the white Z28 before slamming into it at full speed. The driver of the Z28 had to be extricated and the passenger was pronounced dead on scene and had to be extricated for the coroners office. CHP hadn't talked with the driver of the second vehicle yet, but stated that it appeared that both occupants of the second vehicle were uninjured.

CHP wants to remind, if you do break down on the freeway, especially in the middle of night, be sure your emergency flashers are on and seatbelt fastened. If able, it may be advised to safely exit the vehicle and get to the side of the road to safety.

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO COVERAGE>>

Click here to view
our action news
coverage.

South Oak Park home explodes

2010-02-07T13:19:47Z

An unoccupied South Oak Park home explodes Sunday morning and the cause is under investigation.

An unoccupied home in the South Oak Park area exploded early Sunday morning. Debris from the home blew all the way out to the street. The home was a total loss and while the cause is under investigation, natural gas has not been ruled out. Per Sac City Fire, the home was a total loss and no one was injured.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SCENE VIDEO

Visit us at Maverick Photography and SacMav for the action news the News misses

Sparks at the Capitol?

2009-11-12T00:52:58Z

A minor electrical problem summoned Sac City Fire to the west steps of the Capitol building on Veteran's Day

around 12:35pm. Firecrews dashed in with hoses and other equipment. Didn't stay long. Apparently further

action wasn't required.

Photo | Kati Garner

Action news capsule: for the night of Wednesday, September 16, 2009

2009-09-17T20:48:11Z

#1. WEST SAC- West Sacramento police and Davis SWAT served warrants on several locations in West Sacramento related to recent
gang activity occurring in the city including the fatal shooting at the Ortega's Night Club. Two people were arrested and a medium sized
marijuana grow was located during the operation.

#2. SOUTH SAC- A shooting occurred in an apartment on 44th Ave near 39th St in south Sacramento. The victim was shot once in the
leg and transported to Kaiser South Trauma Center. Further details were unavailable at the time.

#3. SAC COUNTY- A shooting occurred at an apartment complex on Tuolumne Dr near La Riviera Dr in Sacramento County. One victim was shot in the arm while standing outside the apartment and another victim holding a small child was shot in the arm when a stray bullet
came through the wall of the building. The first victim was self transported to UCDMC before officials arrived and the second victim
holding the child was transported by ambulance to UCDMC, the child was not injured.

#4. RIO LINDA: A shooting occurred in the area of Rio Linda Blvd and Rivera Dr in the Del Paso Heights area. The victim was shot
five times in the upper body and transported to UCDMC. (No Photos)

#5. SOUTH SAC- A hit and run crash involved a vehicle and a sheered off fire hydrant that caused a geyser of water to shoot high
into the air on 65th St and 53rd Ave in south Sacramento. The driver of the vehicle ran on foot from the scene and was found at his home by
CHP and arrested.

#6. FAB 40's- A large play structure was burned in the backyard of a home on 44th St in Sacramento. The structure was a total loss and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

MEDIA SOURCES: Full photos, video and write-ups available by emailing media@maverickphotography.us or calling 916.340.1926
Photography by MaverickPhotography.us, Available Video by Andrus Media
Incident briefs by Calvin Andrus

Metro Fire saves apartment complex while manager gets uppity with media

2009-08-03T08:54:13Z

This photographer/writer has been accused of being "snarky" in the past, but I'll put it right out there and warn you on this one…I'm going to be Snarky!

Sacramento, CA- Metro fire executes a rapid "knockdown" on apartment fire, containing the blaze to one unit and saving the complex.

Early Sunday afternoon, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department, assisted by Sacramento City Fire Department, was called to the apartments at 7326 Stockton Boulevard, for a report of smoke. When crews arrived they found heavy smoke coming from the windows and front door of a top floor apartment. A second alarm was immediately struck out for additional resources due to the "high density residential housing," per Battalion Chief Walter White.

The fire was a "well involved contents fire" that started in a bedroom", said White, "and extended into other portions of the residence".

Two fire investigators were called to the scene for a "routine investigation" per White. Approximately 15 firefighters helped to control blaze and no injuries were reported.

(Here's the snarky part) Part way through the incident, the complex manager became very insistent that all media, including TV networks, leave the premises. When asked why, she refused to answer and became quite animated and demanding. Myself and other on scene media asked her what she was afraid we would discover. We then asked her if she was sure she wanted us to leave and let her know that now we were curious as to what was being hidden. So now instead of leaving this story at just the awesome job the firefighters did in saving this apartment complex, everyone's belongings and keeping from more than one family being displaced; we now start asking the questions: were the required smoke detectors working? …were there proper fire extinguishers available? …were there unattended electrical issues, etc.? So, property managers and owners, know that media personnel are there to cover the story at hand; when you adamantly demand that we leave, it makes us start asking questions that you may not want asked. (Please note that I am an independent photographer/writer and not on staff with SacPress)

Dog's swimming infatuation gets him stranded

2009-07-27T05:09:16Z

Sacramento- When firefighters arrived at Discovery Park Sunday afternoon, Buddy was on a small piece of beach surrounded by water on one side and a dirt wall on the other, with no way out; whimpering and whining, looking up at everyone staring down as if to say, "don't just look at me, get me out of here."

Sacramento Fire Department's Engine 14 and Rescue 20 responded to Discovery Park Sunday afternoon for the rescue.

Buddy, a 9 year old Wiemaraner, was with his owner for a Sunday walk in Discovery Park. Wiemaraners are known for their hunting and love of water. Buddy, took off for the water and jumped about 10 feet down to the river. His K9 senses weren't calculating "how am I going to get out"?

After Buddy got cooled off, he made his way to a small dirt beach, but had no way to get up the dirt wall to his owner. The only option was to call the Sacramento Fire Department.

Engine 14 firefighters arrived and assessed the situation. Rather than risk firefighters' safety, they felt it best to call in the Rescue unit which specializes in difficult rescues and carries specialized equipment for "over the side" rescues.

When Rescue 20 arrived, with ladder, rope and a harness, they were able to safely rescue Buddy from his small piece of beach and reunite him with family.

Buddy's owner stated that Buddy had never got himself in this type of a situation before. The question remains, will this incident linger in Buddy's memory so next time his K9 senses will calculate the risk before another plunge is made?

Editor's Note: The Sacramento Press editorial staff made minor alterations to this article with the author's permission.

Firefighters rescue sleeping man from burning house fire

2009-07-14T01:15:26Z

At 3:16P.M. Monday, Sacramento Firefighters were called to the 7600 block of Tattershall Way. When firefighters arrived, they found smoke coming from the home and a well involved fire in the kitchen area.

On a primary search of the home, firefighters found a sleeping man in the back bedroom and quickly removed him from the burning home. He was transported to the hospital with smoke inhalation.

Engine 57 arrived within three and half minutes of the call. Captain Jim Doucette stated "If not for the quick response of Sacramento Firefighters, and the next door neighbor quickly reporting this fire, there is a very good chance this man would not have survived."

Doucette also noted that the home had no working smoke detectors.

*WHY DO THEY DO THAT?
Onlookers at incidents often ask, "Why are they doing that?", when they see firefighters tearing into the walls and ceilings and cutting holes in the roof. "Are they just destructive boogers and into tearing up things or is there actually a reason they are doing that?"

In the posted photo of the interior of this fire, you will notice there is no fire damage in the front room, but the ceiling is all torn out. During a structure fire, fire will get into the attics and walls and travel. To be sure the fire has no "extensions", firefighters use tools called "closet hooks" and "pike poles" to pull the ceiling apart to ensure that the fire has not traveled and has been completely extinguished.

Second playground fire under investigation

2009-07-13T01:22:10Z

SACRAMENTO, CA- At 4:07 P.M. today, Sacramento Firefighters were called to Freeport Elementary School for a playground fire. This takes place in the wake of a similar fire at a Roseville park playground just a few nights ago.

Captain Jim Doucette of the Sacramento Fire Department stated, "The fire does not appear to be an accident".

Anyone with any information about this fire is encouraged to contact the Sacramento Fire Department Arson Tip Line at (916) 808-8732.

Vehicle upside down in the ditch, driver unscathed

2009-07-10T17:53:13Z

Sacramento, CA- 19 year old Sarmeet Singh is not only lucky to be alive today, he escaped his vehicle landing upside down in a drainage ditch without even a scratch.

Friday morning Singh called 911 from his cell phone at 8:16 A.M. stating "I just flipped my car". Per Singh, he was exiting Highway 99 on the Florin Road West off ramp when his car slid off the road, under the fence and flipped over in the cement storm drain.

Emergency crews at first were not able to locate the vehicle because it slid under the fence and out of view. The fencing had to be cut and opened up for crews to access the vehicle. Singh asked Chief King, "Is there a chance of the water hitting the battery and starting a fire…because my speakers are in there?"

Battalion Chief King immediately called for a level two HazMat assignment due to oil leaking in the storm drain. The fluids were quickly contained protecting the environment.

Older man stabbed on Broadway, during rush hour

2009-07-07T03:33:43Z

Sacramento, CA- Early Monday evening, at about 6:30 P.M., Sacramento Police and Sacramento City Fire and Paramedics were called to a stabbing at the front of New Station Seafood in the 1800 block of Broadway.

Firefighters and police found a 54 year old man sitting on the bus bench bleeding from the chest. Per the on scene police sergeant, the man sustained a 3 to 4 inch deep laceration across the chest and was very intoxicated.

Due to the man's level of intoxication, authorities were having challenges getting accurate information from the victim. Per the sergeant, police do have a couple persons of interest in the case. It appears that the subject also took the victims cash he had on hand from his SSI.

Police will be tracking down the alleged subjects to make an arrest.

Brush fire delays south area Light Rail

2009-07-02T23:52:45Z

Sacramento, CA- Early Thursday after noon, a small blaze broke out off of Hing Avenue, near Franklin and 47th. The fire was contained to the dry field area between the homes and railroad tracks.

Light Rail service was minimally impacted. Trains were briefly delayed during the high part of the blaze then permitted to move through at a reduced speed due to limited visibility resulting from heavy smoke, per on scene RT rail worker.

Several structure firefighting engines were in place to protect the homes along the field, while brush rigs and crews moved through the field to attack the fire and bring it under control. Per Captain Doucette, the cause of the fire is unknown.

Firefighters rescue injured transient from water channel

2009-06-30T02:52:23Z

Sacramento, CA- Firefighters called to rescue an injured transient on the steep slope of a water channel

William Lockwood and his girlfriend, Angel Love have been residing under the overpass, that spans the water channel, on 88th Street off of Fruitridge Blvd. Monday morning Lockwood lost his footing at the top of the channel and tumbled down the steep cement side coming to a stop just before the water. Injured and unable to climb back up the steep cement slope, Angel summoned for help.

Sacramento Fire Truck 10 and Paramedics received the call near 11:30 a.m. The truck crew had to commence a rope rescue with the stokes litter to safely bring Lockwood to the top.

Lockwood was transported to the hospital by paramedics with minor injuries.

Midtown dumpster fire escalates to garage fire and threatens apartments

2009-06-13T15:38:12Z

Sacramento Midtown apartments were threatened earlier this morning when a dumpster fire spread to the large all wood garage surrounded by the apartments.

Firefighters were called to the rear of 1015 26th in the alley for a "dumpster fire" Engine four arrived on scene quickly, just five minutes from the time the call came in to 911. When they arrived the garage was well involved with fire. The two dumpsters on fire were pulled away from the garage and after gaining access the firefighters made an aggressive attack, knocking down the blaze.

While the major part of the fire was immediately taken care of, some fire remained in the eves and roofing. Due to remodels and several layers of siding, firefighters had a challenge getting the fire completely extinguished immediately, but kept it under control and from spreading to the adjacent apartments.

The early morning fire hailed a compliment of five engines, three truck companies, one HazMat Company, two Medic Units, five Command/Support staff and 50 firefighters.

In a press release, Capt. Doucette stated, "A Sacramento Fire Department Haz Mat Team was called out to monitor the water run off."

There were no injuries in this incident however the cause is under investigation. Short after the fire, "the person of interest" was sighted down the street going through dumpsters.

Pocket Fire Blaze impacts two homes, one destroyed the other damaged

2009-06-12T03:57:20Z

Two homes caught fire Thursday around 2:51 p.m. As firefighters arrived, the fence between the two homes was completely on fire and the side of the two story home on the left was well involved. The second home (one story), caught fire and burned into the attic.

There was an initial report that victims may have been in the home. The first in engine crew executed a search of the home and no one was found.

In the end, the two story home experienced a partial roof collapse while firefighters were inside. Firefighters pulled out and went into defensive mode to save the one story home and protect other surrounding exposures. The two story was a total loss and the one story home had fire damage in the attic and back bedroom as well as contents.

SacCity Firefighters were on scene in less than five minutes from the time of the call. Deputy Fire Chief Lloyd Ogan stated that weather definantly played a factor with the Delta Breeze picking up.

In a press release, Acting Battalion Chief, Jim Doucette stated, "There were no reported injuries and Sacramento Fire Department Investigators are on scene trying to determine the cause of the blaze. Additional Firefighters from Sacramento Metro and Cosumnes Fire also responded." A total of 75 firefighters and 4 command staff were engaged on this incident.

Sacramento City Firefighters quickly knock down blaze allegedly sparked by homeless.

2009-05-29T07:00:06Z

Just months after Mayor Kevin Johnson clears out "tent city", Sacramento's homeless are back in the area setting up camp.

Just south of what was formerly known as "tent city", Sac Firefighters were called to a grass fire behind Downtown Ford, and off of 18th Street and Brier Rd. at approximately 9:20 p.m.

Down an embankment between the bike path and Downtown Ford, some homeless had set up camp. Sources say that there was an altercation and the area was purposely set on fire.

Sac City Firefighters contained the fire to the immediate area with approximately two to three acres involved. Per Capt. Jim Doucette, SacFire, Paramedics transported one victim of the altercation to the hospital with facial injuries. At this time, it is unknown if there have been any arrests.