Fire Extinguishers
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See It – Grab It – Use It

DETROIT, MI – The EMT’s were first to arrive on the scene of a reported house fire. Fire crews were battling another fire and were not able to get to the second fire immediately. The two EMT’s acted quickly, grabbing a portable fire extinguisher to knock down the flames before they worked to evacuate the family. At first, no one inside the house was responding to the EMT’s as they knocked on the doors. Finally, when someone answered the door, they were able to evacuate all the residents, some of whom were children. The actions of the EMT’s ensured that the fire did not spread beyond the front of the house and that no one was injured as a result of the fire.

Fox 2 Detroit (Detroit, MI)

COPPERAS COVE, TX – A Copperas Cove maintenance employee was driving a school bus one morning when he spotted a quickly spreading yard fire. He immediately pulled over the bus, ensured the children were being supervised by the bus aide, and sprang into action. He first notified a neighbor, then grabbed the portable fire extinguisher from the bus and proceeded to put out the flames before they could reach the home. Students on the bus later told reporters that he was a “bus driving, fire-fighting super hero.”

KCEN TV (Copperas Cove, TX)

MEMPHIS, TN – Just before 10 p.m. on a Friday night, a bystander witnessed a car crash and catch on fire. The man said he could see that the fuel line was busted, so he quickly ran inside a nearby store and grabbed a portable fire extinguisher. He knew his priority had to be putting out the flames with the extinguisher. As a result of his actions, the fire did not spread and the first responders were able to remove the three people from the vehicle. The Memphis Police Department said all three people inside the vehicle were taken to the hospital in non-critical condition.

WMC Action News 5 (Memphis, TN)

BALTIMORE, MD – Howard County, MD residents retold the story of how a smoldering match almost cost them the contents of their house. On New Year’s Day, the homeowner was lighting candles in her house when the tip of lit match broke off and disappeared under a dresser. Soon after, the husband and wife discovered a quickly growing fire in their bedroom closet. Luckily, the homeowners had a portable fire extinguisher nearby, and the husband was able to put the fire out before it was able to spread. The couple had one piece of advice to share from the experience: “Please check with all your loved ones and friends to be sure they have a fire extinguisher and know how to use it.”

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, MD)

MILWAUKEE, WI – The head chef at a Milwaukee restaurant was outside hanging Christmas decorations when he noticed that the man grilling across the street had set his porch on fire. The chef and two other men grabbed several fire extinguishers from the restaurant and ran across the street. The restaurants’ business manager was watching the three men; she said that the flames were growing quickly. The men, however, managed to completely put the fire out using the extinguishers before the fire department arrived. No one was hurt as a result of the fire.

WISN 12 (Milwaukee, WI)

VISALIA, CA – Visalia fire authorities labeled a small fire at the city’s Target as suspicious after employees discovered the fire in the toilet paper aisle. A store employee put out the flames by using a portable fire extinguisher before fire crews arrived at the store. The employee was able to extinguish the fire before the store’s fire sprinklers were activated, preventing a potential $50 million loss of products. The actual estimated loss was reported to be $350, but due to the suspicious nature of the fire, two engines and a battalion chief responded to the scene.

Visalia Times-Delta (Visalia, CA)

LITCHFIELD PARK, AZ – All of the animals at the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park are safe after an electrical fire started in the otter exhibit. Two of the park’s employees discovered the fire shortly after 7 a.m. The employees worked together to save the animals; while one employee put out the flames with a portable fire extinguisher, the other worked to evacuate the air-breathing animals. The fire was extinguished before fire crews arrived on the scene, and only minimal damage was reported.

Story Link

DALLAS, TX – An American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth, TX on route to Indianapolis, IN had to be diverted to Little Rock, AR after a passenger’s e-cigarette caught fire in the airplane’s restroom. Crew members responded swiftly by using a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Passengers reported that while the flight attendants were able to extinguish the fire quickly, the plane still performed an accelerated decent to the Little Rock airport. None of the passengers or crew members were injured, and upon inspection, no damage to the plane was discovered.

RT News (Dallas, TX)

MCALESTER, OK – No students or school personnel were injured when a fire ignited underneath a school bus. Two sisters, who were going to the school to pick up their nieces, discovered the fire and acted quickly to alert the bus driver. Once alerted, the bus driver evacuated the students from the bus, while the sisters and another bystander put out the flames with a portable fire extinguisher. Officials stated that all those involved in the incident acted exactly as they should have, and that the fire started after a battery cable shorted out near a transmission fluid leak.

McAlester News-Capital (McAlester, OK)

NILES, MI- No one was injured when the Niles Fire Department responded to a grease fire at a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Workers first noticed a fire underneath the fryer, but then the flames spread upward. As some employees called 911 and evacuated the restaurant, other workers used a portable fire extinguisher to put out the flames. When the fire department arrived, the flames had been extinguished and damage had been limited to the frying machine.

The Herald Palladium (Niles, MI)

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