Middletown-Lower Swatara, PA
Police & Fire
Explosions Rock Home During Intense Lower Swatara Blaze, Firefighters Say Explosions Rock Home During Intense Lower Swatara Blaze, Firefighters Say
Explosions Rock Home During Intense Lower Swatara Blaze, Firefighters Say A raging house fire accompanied by explosions tore through a home on Union Street late Friday night, Feb. 28 prompting a multi-agency response, authorities announced on Saturday, March 1. Firefighters from Company 59, Lower Swatara Fire Department, Tanker 54, and Engine 54 were dispatched to the 1500 block of Union Street just before 10 p.m., to battle the blaze, according to first responders. Heavy fire engulfed the garage and rapidly spread into the home, fire crews said. Engine 59 arrived first on the scene, immediately deploying multiple hose lines to knock down the bulk of the flames w…

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by Jillian Pikora
Greencastle, PA
Police & Fire
Overnight Blaze Fills Letterkenny Business With Smoke, Crews Rush To Contain Flames Overnight Blaze Fills Letterkenny Business With Smoke, Crews Rush To Contain Flames
Overnight Blaze Fills Letterkenny Business With Smoke, Crews Rush To Contain Flames A fire broke out inside a Greene Township commercial building early Friday, Feb. 28, filling the structure with smoke and prompting an urgent response, officials said. Firefighters were dispatched around 2 a.m. to Opportunity Avenue in Letterkenny after an automatic alarm signaled trouble, Franklin Fire Company reported. When Letterkenny Army’s Engine 13-2 arrived, they found the single-story building standing in darkness with no visible flames. But inside, thick smoke billowed through the structure. As Engine 45 neared the scene, firefighters upgraded the response to a full box alarm. Cr…

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by Jillian Pikora
Hagerstown, MD
Police & Fire
Wind-Driven Wildfire Scorches 20 Acres In Hagerstown Before Being Contained Wind-Driven Wildfire Scorches 20 Acres In Hagerstown Before Being Contained
Wind-Driven Wildfire Scorches 20 Acres In Hagerstown Before Being Contained A fast-moving wildfire tore through nearly two dozen acres of mountainside near Burnside Bridge Road in Hagerstown, keeping more than 100 firefighters busy battling the blaze before it was finally contained, officials confirmed. The wind-driven fire broke out on Feb. 27, presenting major access challenges for crews, according to the Washington County Division of Emergency Services. The fire was first reported shortly before 2 p.m. on Thursday, prompting an immediate response from firefighters. The Washington County Division of Emergency Services reports that a wildfire that burned appr…

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by Zak Failla
Fredericksburg, VA
Police & Fire
Two Homes Destroyed In Late-Night Fires Minutes Apart In Spotsylvania Two Homes Destroyed In Late-Night Fires Minutes Apart In Spotsylvania
Two Homes Destroyed In Late-Night Fires Minutes Apart In Spotsylvania Two homes in Spotsylvania County went up in flames just minutes apart late Wednesday, Feb. 26, keeping firefighters racing across the county, officials said. Crews from Spotsylvania County Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management responded to the first fire on Hummingbird Lane in the southern part of the county just before midnight.  Moments later, a second fire broke out on Foxhall Circle in the northern part of the county, officials said. Despite firefighters arriving at both scenes within seven minutes, the homes suffered significant damage, authorities said. Surrounding fire depart…

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by Zak Failla
Mahopac, NY
Police & Fire
Assistant Fire Chief Busts Down Door, Puts Out Flames Before Crews Arrive At Mahopac Home Assistant Fire Chief Busts Down Door, Puts Out Flames Before Crews Arrive At Mahopac Home
Assistant Fire Chief Busts Down Door, Puts Out Flames Before Crews Arrive At Mahopac Home A quick-thinking assistant fire chief took matters into his own hands, forcing entry into a burning Putnam County home and using a fire extinguisher to knock down flames before more crews arrived. The blaze broke out in Mahopac around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at a one-story home near Hill Street and Hitchcock Hill Road, prompting police to close Hill Street between Bullethole Road and Hitchcock Hill Road during the afternoon hours.  According to the Mahopac Falls Fire Department, Assistant Chief Tompkins was first on the scene and confirmed that flames were coming from the r…

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by Ben Crnic
Mahopac, NY
Police & Fire
House Fire Causes Road Closure In Mahopac House Fire Causes Road Closure In Mahopac
House Fire Causes Road Closure In Mahopac A house fire has closed a stretch of road to traffic in Putnam County.  Hill Street in Mahopac between Bullethole Road and Hitchcock Hill Road is closed as firefighters battle a house fire in the area, Carmel Police announced on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at around 3:30 p.m.  Motorists are asked to avoid the area and use detours.  More information about the fire has not yet been released. Check back to Daily Voice for updates. 

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by Ben Crnic
Annapolis, MD
Police & Fire
First Fire-Related Deaths Of The Year In Anne Arundel: Elderly Couple Killed In Annapolis Blaze First Fire-Related Deaths Of The Year In Anne Arundel: Elderly Couple Killed In Annapolis Blaze
First Fire-Related Deaths Of The Year In Anne Arundel: Elderly Couple Killed In Annapolis Blaze An elderly pair who died in a devastating Annapolis townhome fire have been confirmed as the first fire-related fatalities of the year in Anne Arundel County, officials said. Paul D. Tisdale, 84, and Pamala S. Fox, 70, lost their lives when flames ripped through their home in the 900 block of Riversedge Circle on Thursday, Feb. 20, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, which identified them on Wednesday. Crews were dispatched around 9:45 p.m. and arrived to find the middle-of-the-row townhouse fully engulfed. Firefighters launched an aggressive attack on the blaze while…

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by Zak Failla
Mount Holly, NJ
Police & Fire
Driver Dies, Officer Hospitalized In Fiery NJ Street Racing Crash: 'Roads Are Not Racetracks' Driver Dies, Officer Hospitalized In Fiery NJ Street Racing Crash: 'Roads Are Not Racetracks'
Driver Dies, Officer Hospitalized In Fiery NJ Street Racing Crash: 'Roads Are Not Racetracks' A driver has died following a violent street racing crash on Route 38 that left first responders injured as they attempted a daring rescue, according to the Mount Holly Township Police Department. Local police say an officer patrolling the area near McDonald’s last week spotted the wreckage of a crash and immediately called for backup on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Upon arrival, officers and emergency personnel found the driver trapped in a burning vehicle. First responders from surrounding jurisdictions worked tirelessly to free the driver before firefighters arrived, authorities said. Despite thei…

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by Cecilia Levine
Port Jervis, NY
News
Fire Rips Through Garage In Port Jervis Fire Rips Through Garage In Port Jervis
Fire Rips Through Garage In Port Jervis Fire crews in Orange County battled an early morning garage fire that was quickly knocked down before it could spread, firefighters said.  Crews responded just before 3 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, to a reported fire at 15 Franklin St. in Port Jervis, according to the Port Jervis Fire Department.  Arriving firefighters found a working fire at the rear of the property. Crews soon gained access from both Hammond Street and Franklin Street and had the flames under control within 10 minutes. Port Jervis crews were assisted at the scene by Milford FAST and Huguenot Engine 814. Firefight…

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by Ben Crnic
Point Pleasant, NJ
Police & Fire
Off-Duty Cops Rescue Guests From Burning Point Pleasant Beach Motel Off-Duty Cops Rescue Guests From Burning Point Pleasant Beach Motel
Off-Duty Cops Rescue Guests From Burning Point Pleasant Beach Motel Three off-duty police officers sprang into action early Sunday morning, Feb. 23, pulling guests from a burning motel before firefighters arrived, authorities said. The fire broke out around 3:06 a.m. at a motel on the 200 block of Broadway, according to Point Pleasant Beach Police. The motel was identified in various reports as the Shore Point Motel. The off-duty officers happened to be passing by when they saw smoke and flames coming from the building. Recognizing the danger, they immediately began evacuating guests, moving them to safety before on-duty officers arrived, officials said. P…

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by Cecilia Levine
Fairfax, VA
Police & Fire
Two-Alarm Fire Tears Through Fairfax County Home Two-Alarm Fire Tears Through Fairfax County Home
Two-Alarm Fire Tears Through Fairfax County Home Fairfax County firefighters sprang into action early on Saturday morning after a raging two-alarm blaze tore through a home in the Crosspointe neighborhood, officials said. The fire broke out around 4:45 a.m. in the 9200 block of Cross Oaks Court on Feb. 22, where crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames engulfing a single-family home, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. With all residents safely out of the home, firefighters launched an aggressive attack, officials said, though the intensity of the blaze forced them to switch to defensive operations, tackling the fire from out…

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by Zak Failla
Lancaster, PA
News
Firefighters Turn Fire Starters: Lancaster County Volunteers Accused Of Arson Firefighters Turn Fire Starters: Lancaster County Volunteers Accused Of Arson
Firefighters Turn Fire Starters: Lancaster County Volunteers Accused Of Arson Two Lancaster County volunteer firefighters allegedly set a string of fires they later rushed to battle, igniting shock and outrage in their community, East Hempfield Township police announced on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Joshua Scott Lightcap, 23, of Columbia, and Mason Scott Howard, 21, of Akron, face arson charges after a three-month investigation linked them to five blazes between October and November 2024, including a $15,000 brush fire, according to police, court records, and arrest affidavits obtained by Daily Voice. Lightcap admitted to starting fires with Howard and a 16-year-old from East…

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by Jillian Pikora