Fire Station 17 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

On November 7th, 2012 at 2 p.m., Richmond Fire and Emergency Services will host a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new Fire Station 17 located at 2211 Semmes Ave.

Working Fire / N. Adams Street

In the early afternoon hours of August 31st, Richmond Firefighters were called to the 300 block of N. Adams Street for reports of smoke coming from a building. Crews arrived on scene within minutes to find a multi-story mixed use building with heavy fire & smoke visible from the top floor and roof area. Searches of the residential units on the upper floors revealed that everyone had exited the building safely. The fire was brought under control after a short period of time, but not before the building suffered extensive damage. No injuries were reported and the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Working Fire / Minefee St.

On August 27th, an early morning fire displaced an adult woman and her daughter. 911 calls to Richmond Department of Emergency Communications Center stated that there was "smoke coming from a home" in the 1400 block of Minefee Street on the City's Southside. Quint 21 arrived first due to report a single story home with smoke venting from the attic and roofline. The fire was located and confined to the living room area, but the home suffered smoke damage throughout. The Greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross was requested to assist the displaced family. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Working Fire / Carlisle Ave.

On August 24th, Richmond firefighters quickly extinguished a fire that erupted in the rear of a 1 story home on Carlisle Ave. Crews arrived within minutes of being dispatched to find smoke and flames visible from the rear of the home. The incident was brought under control in about 15 minutes. No one was at home when the fire started, and the cause is currently under investigation.

Small Fire in Bell Tower/Capitol Grounds

Just after noon on Wednesday, July 25th, 2012, Richmond Firefighters were called to 101 N. 9th street, The Capitol Grounds, for what was initially reported as a building fire. Firefighters arrived at the address of the Bell Tower that sits at the intersection of E. Franklin and N. 9th streets. Some wooden areas beneath the roof of the tower began to smolder after contractors had performed some renovation work. Firefighters removed charred material and remained on scene for an extended period of time ensuring the areas were wet down.

2nd Alarm; Westover Hills Blvd.

Just after 11AM on July 2nd, 2012, Richmond Fire was summoned to the 600 block of Westover Hills Blvd for reports of a building fire. Engine 17 arrived on scene to report a three story, brick, apartment building with smoke venting from a 3rd floor apartment and the roof line. Firefighters initially experienced some difficulty locating the fire which later was determined to have started in a wall between two apartments on the bottom level. For the second time in a week, a 2nd Alarm was transmitted as firefighters worked in elevated outside temperatures for an extended period of time. All occupants evacuated the building safely and no injuries were reported by any civilians or emergency personnel on scene. The GRTC Transit System provided an air-conditioned bus for firefighter rehab while the Greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross worked with Property Management to assist any displaced occupants.

2 Alarm Fire on E. Main St.

Just before noon on June 27th, 2012, Richmond Firefighters were called to the 500 block of E. Main Street for reports of a building fire. Upon arriving on scene, Engine 5 reported a two story brick commercial structure with smoke venting from the second floor. There were initial reports of an individual possibly still inside the building; it was discovered that Fire Prevention personnel assisted one male to safety from an area of the building that had not yet been affected by the growing fire. A second alarm was transmitted during the incident to bring fresh resources to the scene as firefighters were operating in outside temperatures above the 90's. The greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross was requested to assist two adults.

Fireworks reminder!!

**Remember** It is a violation of the city code for any person to store, offer for sale, expose for sale, sell at retail, or use or explode any fireworks, except as provided in the rules and regulations issued by the fire code official for the granting of permits for supervised public display of fireworks by the jurisdiction, fair association, amusement parks and other organizations. Every such display shall be handled by an approved, competent operator.

2911 Jefferson Davis Highway

On June 10th, 2012, just after 8:00 AM, Richmond Firefighters were summoned to 2911 Jefferson Davis Highway for reports of a Mobile Home/House Trailer on fire. Crews arrived on scene within two minutes of being dispatched to find one house trailer already consumed by fire and a second being impinged upon by the flames of the first. Firefighters immediately initiated aggressive measures to control the blaze in the consumed structure and protect the exposure structure from any further damage. All occupants were able to exit both homes safely and the fire was brought under control in just over twenty minutes. In addition, no injuries were reported by any civilians or firefighters at the scene. It took approximately 35 firefighters to control the incident which completely destroyed the two homes. The Greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross was requested to assist 16 individuals that were displaced by the fire.

House Fire on Northside

At 15:47, on January 21st, 2012, Richmond Fire responded to 2917 Fendall Avenue, on the City’s Northside, for reports of a “House on Fire”. Quint 14 arrived on scene to report a one story, brick residence, with a large amount of fire and smoke consuming the structure. Crews were able to extinguish the bulk of the fire in a matter of minutes but remained on scene for lengthy overhaul operations. A neighboring house suffered some damage from the flames and intense heat of the fire, but firefighters were able to extinguish the exposure fire before it entered that home. The Red Cross assisted three adults and one child who were displaced as a result of the fire. One civilian reported an injury to the leg but was treated and released at the scene. The fire is currently under investigation.