RACINE (WITI) — Crews responding to a house fire in Racine were surprised to find what they’re calling a “clandestine drug lab” when they entered.

Neighbors watched firefighters make the shocking discovery.

“The minute they got in, they got out pretty quick because apparently whatever they saw in there was pretty bad,” said Mitch Bass.

Hazmat crews removed materials that were apparently used to make drugs.

“To have some kind of meth lab or that many chemicals or flammable materials around, it’s frightening,” added Bass.

Otis Jones, another neighbor, said the owner of the home has been in hospice undergoing physical therapy and hadn’t lived there for months. When the owner came home the morning of April 27th, his place was boarded up.

“I feel really sorry for him, he didn’t, I heard him holler out, he didn’t even know what was happening. His home was nice when he left it. Now it’s all boarded up,” said Geraldine Jones.

Neighbors also say the home owner’s nephew had been caring for the house while he was undergoing therapy.

“I just sincerely hope the police catch whoever is responsible for that,” added Bass.

Racine firefighters say timing was everything and the fire could have been much worse.

Related stories:

• Firefighters uncover drug lab at Racine apartment building

According to officials at the scene, two children were home alone when the fire started on South Ligonier Street in Derry Borough.

Neighbor Fred Suell said he saw smoke – like people burning tires – coming past his window. When he looked outside, he saw a fire which appeared to be in his neighbor’s backyard.

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The two children got out of the burning house safely.

Derry Borough Fire Chief Brock Dwire said that his men have been in structure fires before where snakes have been rescued.

Dwire added, jokingly “It was probably a good thing that we didn’t know about the snakes before we went in, I know myself I’m not a big fan [of snakes].”

• PHOTO GALLERY:Firefighters save snakes from fire

Matthew Shaffer, who with his sister got out of the house without injury, saidall his snakes but one survived.

Chief Dwire said a state police fire marshal is expected to be in Derry Borough on Monday to try to determine a cause.

Two ferrets and two dogs died in the blaze.

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The house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene, Police Chief Douglas L. Meadows said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

One girl, around 10 years old, escaped, with the help of a passerby, the police chief said. She was taken to the hospital but is expected to be fine, he said.

The victims were identified as Alonna McCrary, 28; Eriel McCrary, 5; Messiaay McCrary, 3; Nikiay McCrary, 2; and McKenzie Flourence, 1.

All of the victims were related, the police chief said, but Alonna McCrary was the mother of only two of the deceased.

“She always took care of her girls, she always made sure that the other sisters were together,” Shannon Arnold, a relative of the victims, told CNN affiliate WSB about the mother. “She just had so much love for all the girls.”

Heavy smoke could be seen coming from the roof of the home in the 1900 block of Carruthers Street at Sutherland Avenue just before 5 p.m.

When crews arrived, a small fire was discovered in the attic of the home and was quickly doused.

There were people in the house at the time of the fire but all got out safely.

No one was injured in the incident.

There is no word at this time on what caused the fire.

It happened at 141 Milbert Lane, which is a steep and deeply rutted road.

The nearest water source is 5,000 feet away on Rochester Road. For the first hour, firefighters had to drag their ladders up a hill to get to the blaze.

Ross Township fire marshal, John Reubi says it was quite a challenge.

“So we had to use an extended amount of hose to get up here, Reubi says. “Even by the time we got here the house was fully involved.”

The unoccupied home is owned by Marian Cherbeck.

Her grandchildren were living there until a week and a half ago. The home was fully furnished.

“The owner’s son was hoping to come back and fix the house back up and eventually stay here,” Reubi says.

The call came from the only neighbor just before 11:00 a.m. Friday morning.

“He was upstairs smelled some smoke – looks out – sees part of the structure burning- calls 911,” Reubi explains.

Even surrounding trees caught fire from the radiant heat.

The electricity had been turned off and gas is supplied from a private well on the property.

“The resident next door went down and said he secured the gas after he noticed the fire,” Reubi says.

It took 10-12 fire companies and more than 50-firefighters to get the fire under control.

The cause remains undetermined.

Fire Marshall’s from Ross Township and Allegheny County are investigating.

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The first fire broke out at a residence on Cerise Drive off Clement Avenue.

The structure was fully involved when firefighters arrived.

Three adults, two children and three dogs made it out safely.

Two cats and two guinea pigs are unaccounted for.

The cause is under investigation.

The second fire broke out at a residence in the 400 block of Holbrook Road East where flames were coming from the basement.

All five occupants and their pets made it out safely.

The cause is considered suspicious.

Firefighters were called to the Oxon Hill home about 7:30 a.m. Friday after police reported the man was involved in a dispute with relatives, had set a fire in the home and stayed inside.

Fire officials say the man went on the roof of the burning house and threw something at police officers.

Authorities say firefighters arrived to find heavy fire and smoke coming from the first floor. They say the man eventually jumped to the ground and was taken into custody.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control. The man, whom officials would not identify, was taken to a hospital. No other injuries were reported.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Desha and James Jones took their four kids out, and a half hour later, they got a phone call that their home was on fire.

Fire crews initially thought someone was trapped inside the home, but it turned out to be the family’s dog. The dog was in a crate and died in the fire.

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Desha Jones says she thanks God for giving her the idea to go out Thursday night.

“We were only gone for an half an hour,” Desha Jones says. “A half-hour [later], all seven of us would’ve been dead.”

One fire fighter was injured when he got debris in his eye. He was taken to the emergency room.

The Jones family is now staying with relatives.

No word on the cause of the fire.

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The fire broke out around 5:15 p.m. on the second floor of a home on Claymont and Edmondson Avenues.

There is no word on the cause of the fatal fire.

Stay with WJZ and CBSBaltimore.com for the latest on this breaking news.

MIDWEST CITY, Okla. – A fire has claimed a Midwest City home Thursday afternoon.

Authorities said a woman was home with her grandson  when they spotted smoke coming out of a vent in their house near N.E. 18th St. and Post Rd.

The two ran outside to escape just as a neighbor was coming to warn them.

The grandmother said she moved in just last December.

Officials have not confirmed what caused the blaze but said it seems the first started in the air conditioning ducts.

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Crews responded to the 2000 block of 21st Avenue North Wednesday night on a report of a house fire. Authorities said two adults and five children were displaced as a result of the fire.

The extent of the damage to the home is not known, but the American Red Cross has stepped into assist the victims with food, clothing, shelter and support.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The fire was reported around 6:40 p.m. by an off-duty Contra Costa County battalion chief coming home from work who found a well-involved garage fire at 54 Edgeview Court, East Contra County Fire Protection District Chief Hugh Henderson said.

The battalion chief called a second alarm as the fire was spreading to a neighboring home at 50 Edgeview Court.

The fire destroyed the first house and caused moderate damage to a single-car garage at the second house and smoke damage throughout, Henderson said.

Firefighters also feared that the fire could spread to another adjacent house but managed to put the fire out before that could happen.

The fire was under control about an hour later. The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District provided mutual aid.

No one was injured.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

One Injured in Laguna Niguel House Fire

A painter and firefighter were injured in a two-alarm fire that tore through a Laguna Niguel home Thursday.

A painter in his 30s was hospitalized with burn injuries and a firefighter required treatment for heat exhaustion due to a two-alarm blaze at a Laguna Niguel house this afternoon.

Firefighters were alerted at 4:44 p.m. and were on scene at 22 Red Rock Lane six minutes later, Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Kris Concepcion said.

“The initial arriving engine crew reported seeing black smoke from the second story of a single family residence,” said Concepcion. “They initially went into the house to fight the fire, but, because of the intensity of the fire, they had to back out.”

Firefighters later called a second alarm and were still attacking the blaze as of 6 p.m. About 20 minutes later the fire was declared contained, but firefighters would likely be on scene for several more hours putting out hot spots, Concepcion said.

A cause and damage estimate were not expected until Friday, Concepcion said.

The man in his 30s who was burned was part of a painting crew working on the inside of the two-story house, Concepcion said. The man’s injuries were not life threatening and he was being treated at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, Concepcion said.

The firefighter’s injuries were minor, Concepcion said.

One person was hospitalized as firefighters battled a two-alarm fire at a Laguna Niguel house today. Credit Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Kris Concepcion

But Martinez, 21, wasn’t home, and neither was anyone else who lives with her, because they were at the hospital.

“It’s a blessing in disguise,” said Dakota’s mother, Veronica Martinez. “I mean I don’t know how else to look at it, you know?”

The family went through the rubble to see what they might be able to salvage. All they recovered was a few pictures. Dakota’s husband, Zach, found the two family dogs, and broke down.

Martinez said her daughter decided on her grandson’s ironic middle name before the fire happened.

Fire officials said the fire doesn’t appear to be suspicious.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Police say a fire might have been set to cover up a murder in the city’s Kingsessing section Wednesday morning.

The unidentified victim was found with a gunshot wound to the head on the second level of a row home near the intersection of 59th and Springfield streets.

The one-alarm fire was reported at about 7:30 and quickly extinguished. Firefighters discovered body during a secondary search of the property.

Homicide detectives and the fire marshal are conducting a joint investigation.

I was sadly kept out of my studio over the weekend we had to spend it wrapping up purchasing replacement items from our house fire a year ago.

Today was the first in several I could do anything creative.  It was week 3 of my sewing class.  I now only need to attach sides, the top zipper and the side binding.

So far so not too terrible

It happened at the terrace apartments, which is near northwest 10^th St. and MacArthur.

The fire was mostly contained to the living room of one of the apartments.

Fire officials said a woman was on oxygen and possibly lit up a cigarette.

The woman was treated for smoke inhalation and is expected to be OK.

The apartment suffered about $5,000 in damage.

According to officials, all occupants were able to exit the home safely.

The cause of the fire is unknown, however, officials are calling it accidental in nature.

No additional details have been released at this time — including the cause of the fire or the amount of damage the home sustained.

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.

Jeff and Cheryl Meierotto and their 5-year-old daughter were sleeping early Saturday when their cats, Stripe and Rocky, began to make a ruckus, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports.

“I believe if the cats hadn’t woken us up we wouldn’t be here,” Cheryl Meierotto told the newspaper. “The smoke alarm didn’t go off because there was nothing burning in the house. There was no smoke in house.”

According to the paper, Jeff Meierotto woke up about 12:30 a.m. from the noise the cats were making. “He went to kick them off the bed and that’s when he saw this orange glow outside,” his wife added.

The outside wall of the cabin was on fire. Cheryl Meierotto rushed downstairs and grabbed their daughter while her husband went to see if he could put out the fire.

“He opened the door and the flames were licking up under the deck and we couldn’t go out that way,” she said. “We turned around and went out the back door.

After the door was opened, the entire cabin filled with smoke. Cheryl Meierotto took their daughter outside while her husband went back into the burning house to look for the cats.

“I was outside waiting for him and it was like, ‘Oh, my God,’” Cheryl Meierotto, said. “I was standing there trying to figure out if I go back in and find him or stay out there with my daughter. At about the point I was going to freak out, all of a sudden I saw him flying out of the house and he landed in the snow,” she said. ” He had to leap through a wall of fire to get out.

The paper reported that Jeff Meierotto suffered burns to his face, arm, leg and foot on his left side.

The couple feels there was little the fire department could have done to save the cabin since it burned so fast. It appears the fire started outside at an exhaust pipe for a stove and fuel tank. The house was destroyed, and the family also lost personal belongings, including photo albums, artwork and an ivory collection.

“What I take from this is that we had an opportunity to get out alive and we took it,” Cheryl Meierotto said. “The sad thing is the cats didn’t make it.”

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

The fire broke out around 8 a.m. in the 82400 block of Wingate Avenue in Argus, the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office said.

“Upon arrival San Bernardino County Fire extinguished the fire and located the resident, 85 year-old Jane Vassar, in the house,” the coroner’s office said.

Vassar was pronounced dead at the scene.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the fire. The cause of the fire is unknown.

BFF and I didn’t know we’d end up being amateur reporters today!  We only wanted to see PRETTY things!

Have you ever just wanted to get away from everything so that you can regroup or decompress your busy brain?  Yesterday was one of those days for me!  My bff, Beth or “Flashychick”, as you will come to know her on her new blog, decided to go for a Sunday drive and just take the day to look at the beauty that surrounds us.  We were noticing that this year, the Spring colors seem to be brighter than they’ve been in more recent years.  Why not take my fancy schmancy new camera out and learn to use it!  lol  We also wanted to unclutter our minds because we’ve been discombobulated with all this badness that’s going on in the world.

Well… where ever we are and no matter what good intentions we have, we seem to always find trouble.  In yesterday’s case, we found tragedy before we found beauty.

I’ve never seen a house on fire in REAL life.  Not like this, anyway.  On our way to “somewhere”, we saw this tragic sight, directly on the highway!  Leave it to me to pull over and run through the field to get some shots, right?  I was like the Pied Piper because after I pulled over, other ambulance chasers (people like me) pulled over and before long, we had a whole slew of amateur reporters getting their cell phones out to take pictures.  I could tell that people WANTED to pull over but they only got the courage to actually DO it once they saw me running through the field.  lol  When I got home last night, I saw that MANY of my Facebook “friends” had seen the same thing and posted their pictures of this fire.  It’s strange to me how whenever I see something that gets my adrenaline pumping, I lose all sense of “self preservation”.  I got pretty dang close to this and now that I’m looking at the pictures, I’m realizing that there COULD have been an explosion from propane and I COULD have been blown up with the house.

Before you judge me for talking about myself…  There was nobody in the house, THANK GOD, and I did send quite a few prayers up to heaven for the owners of this house.  This truly was a sight that made me so sad.  I couldn’t help but notice the little kids playground and tree house in the back yard.  By the time the Fire Department got there, even the playground burned.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the neighbors houses caught on fire too because the houses were so close together and this fire was MASSIVE.  I’m still shocked at how long it took for the fire department to get there.

Can you see the little swing set?  Also notice how close together the houses are.  See THIS is why I want to live far away from other houses!  I never did like the idea of a subdivision and this is why.

Finally, the fire department showed up.  You can see the little white fire truck to the left of the RV.  They had to call for back up from neighboring towns because this little fire truck couldn’t get control of this angry fire.  On our way back through, we noticed that the other houses didn’t burn.  Again, Thank God.

It amazes me how when I begin to think I have it so bad, I’m always reminded that it could be worse.  Count your blessings, friends!  We really have SO much to be thankful for.  Knock on wood or fingers crossed, I’ve never experienced a house fire.  I couldn’t imagine losing all my memories.  Forever gone.

And to conclude our Sunday devastation report… we bring you more flood damage!  This is the main road, in and out of, Lake Timberline – where my brother and Dad live.  The road complete washed away.  It SHOULDN’T have happened.  The “Board of Trustee’s” won’t upkeep the roads.  They keep raising assessments (money residents have to pay in order to have the “privilege” of living here) but they won’t fix the roads!  They take the money they collect from the residents and apply it to their own special interests.  Like dams for the lakes.  It seems to me that basic road upkeep is a necessity and not a “want”.  If the residents can’t get into their homes, safely, without fear of their vehicle being eaten by a huge hole in the road or without fear of the road literally washing away, I wouldn’t think it matters much about beautifying the beaches or the dams.  The board of Trustee’s say they’re going to fix this though… just as soon as they raise the assessments again.  ARGH!  And this is why I would never live inside Lake Timberline!

But HEY!  The “Timberline Falls” are nice, right?  lol  It’s always good to end bad reporting with a pretty picture

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A little bit of fire science for ya. I will always be a student of my profession and never take for granted that I know it all. This video allows me to explain just what exactly is going on inside a structure that is on fire and when there is an aggressive interior attack occurring. I have had people ask me why do we go inside to put out a fire when we can just “shoot the water from the outside into the windows”. The reason why is because you can not search for or find and rescue any victims from the outside and you can not effectively put the fire out. The logical order to a fire attack is to Locate, Confine,Extinguish the fire. If you aim a stream through a window you are not confining the fire but rather pushing it into uninvolved areas. It’s sloppy and unprofessional and ultimately very dangerous to anyone trapped inside.

The Video

At about the 1:30 mark you will see flames going over the top of the firefighters. This is called Roll Over. At this point in a fire there is a natural phenomena called thermal layering that occurs. As the fire burns , the products of combustion, smoke and gases , are located at the ceiling level of the room while the firefighters are crouched low in the safer cooler air near the floor. As they watch the flames roll over their heads they are seeing the super heated gas and carbon monoxide laden smoke being burned off.

It looks cool to watch but this is a temporary state and this rollover is a signal to the firefighters that the fire is burning its way toward the next stage. What happens is all of the contents of the room are beginning to heat up and those heated items, furniture, walls and anything else start to feedback the heat into the room thus making the temperature increase more rapidly. At some point if the firefighters do not open up the nozzle and cool the room down, the smoke will begin to bank down to the floor and everything being heated in the room will reach ignition temperature. When this happens the fire has reached the flash over stage. The flash over stage of a fire is where the whole room ignites in flame and it is not survivable , even by firefighters.

When firefighters open up the line they will cool the superheated gases but they will also disturb the thermal layering. The water is turned to steam and along with it the hot gases get pushed down onto the firefighters. If the nozzle man doesn’t understand this and keeps the line open for too long the steam can burn the firefighters because the wetness has a way of penetrating the protective turnout gear they are wearing. So to prevent this from happening the firefighters use controlled bursts that are directed at the ceiling and at the object(s) that are on fire.

Also it is hoped that this is a well coordinated fire attack and a crew of firefighters have begun ventilation of the fire room. When a firefighter on the outside is told to take out the window this firefighter has to time it accordingly. If he or she takes the window too early (before the interior attack team has water and is in place) the addition of fresh air can cause the room to flash over too early thus taking away any chances of finding any living victims. If the outside vent firefighter breaks the window too late the steam that banks down along with smoke and gases will also kill any  victims. But a well timed vent will produce stellar results in knocking down the fire and pushing the dangerous products of combustion and steam out the window and allow rescue crews to grab the victim and deliver them to EMS for medical aid.

What does all this mean to someone who is not a firefighter? It means that you can also understand the way fire works inside a structure and use your knowledge the same way we do. If you can stay low and not panic (I know, easier said than done) then you can find your way out of the fire room and shut the door behind you. You just confined the fire !

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