Firefighters are starting to make headway in their fight against the La Tuna brush fire near Burbank, California in Los Angeles County, which has grown to become the largest fire by acreage that LA has seen. On the 3rd September, fire crews had the 7000 acre blaze contained by 30% by the evening, which was double their containment levels from earlier on in the day. Life is slowly returning to normal for residents too, as Interstate 210 – a major traffic artery in Los Angeles – reopened on the 3rd September, having been partially closed since the 1st September due to the La Tuna fire. A state of emergency for Los Angeles County was issued by California Governor Jerry Brown on the 3rd September as a result of the ongoing blaze, and this declaration now means that state personnel and equipment can be used in fighting the blazes, at the direction of the California Office of Emergency Services. Over 1000 firefighters from both the immediate region and throughout California are tackling the blaze, of which four have suffered from non-life-threatening injuries. The fire itself has destroyed three homes and significantly damaged one other. At present, 206 fire engines and nine helicopters are specifically dedicated to dealing with the fire, which started on the 1st September before ripping through the La Tuna Canyon Park area of the Verdugo Mountains.

Blazes in Butte and Nevada counties continued to be battled by firefighters on the 31st August, but smoke from wildfires in southern Oregon and Northern California has made its way into the Sacramento area. 30% of the Ponderosa Fire in Butte County has been reported as contained, though it managed to burn across 3570 acres on the 31st August according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. As for the Pleasant Fire, which has been burning off Highway 49 and Pleasant Valley, which is south of North San Juan, this was being reported as 40% contained, with 280 acres burned. The Ponderosa Fire itself broke out in the afternoon on the 29th August at Ponderosa Way and Lumpkin Road, located east of Lake Oroville. By the 31st August, 20 homes had been burned as well as seven outbuildings. The firefighters on the 31st didn’t see the explosive growth in the fire which had taken place on the first day, however they continued to fight the spot fires on the southern edge. The 31st August also brought excessive heat and red flag warnings, and higher than usual night-time temperatures and low humidity meant that firefighters couldn’t see the typical overnight decline in fire activity – these conditions are expected to last through to the 1st September at the very least.

There’s been little respite for Southern California at present, as despite already suffering from a heat wave, intense summer storms struck on the 31st August, and as a result of that, lightning strikes which sparked off as a result caused brush fires as well as intense downpours. At about 4:36pm, a 25-acre brush fire emerged near the 5 Freeway in the midst of a lightning storm, which caused havoc. The timing of the initial blaze couldn’t have been worse as it ignited just as two smaller fires, which were north of Lake Hughes Road, meant that the freeway’s northbound lanes had to be closed. Since 1pm on the 31st August, around 3400 lightning strikes have been reported in both the Ventura and Los Angeles counties, while in Santa Monica, beachgoers were told by city officials to immediately evacuate all ocean areas and find cover until the storm had finished. Many inland areas had triple-digit temperatures (Fahrenheit), while the weather service claimed that there were several communities which had hit new high temperatures for the day, which included Ramona and Riverside. Meanwhile, while thunderstorms moved through San Bernadino County towards Los Angeles County, parts of the Santa Clarity Valley were pummelled by heavy rain. Parts of the Inland Empire – which includes Fontana, Rialto and Riverside – were issued flash-flood warnings, while forecasters have also predicted that further lightning strikes are quite likely.

More than a quarter of specialist fire safety staff have left their positions at fire services in England since 2011, as discovered by an investigation by UK based newspaper, the Guardian. Fire safety officers have a host of responsibilities, which include carrying out inspections of high-risk buildings in order to make sure they comply with safety legislation, while they can also take action against landlords whose buildings are deemed unsafe. Under the Freedom of Information Act, the Guardian had the figures released to them, which showed that the number of specialist staff in 26 fire services had been cut from 924 to 680 – a drop of 244 officers between 2011 and 2017. According to the National Audit Office, the government cut back on its funding for fire services by between 26% and 29% between 2011 and 2016, which as a result resulted in a 17% average real-terms reduction in spending power. Cumbria, County Durham, Avon, Darlington and Gloucestershire are among the worst affected fire services, with staffing being cut by more than half in those areas. The timing of the figures isn’t ideal for the UK government, as they were released after the government announced an indecent review of building regulations and fire safety following the Grenfell Tower disaster back in June. Police believe that at least 80 people died as fire took over the entire building, and it’s feared that number could significantly rise. Unsurprisingly, the decrease in staffing for the fire services has been mirrored by a drop in the number of enforcement notices and inspections, both of which are issued whenever a building violates safety regulations. Back in 2010/11, there was 84,575 audits in England – however there were 63,201 in 2015/16, which is a drop of 25%. As well as this, the number of enforcement notices dropped at an alarmingly faster rate according to the Home Office figures, with fire services claiming there was a 45% reduction over the same period.

91-year-old Norman Abrams, honorary chief of the First Aid Company, had his achievements celebrated at the home of Baldwin Fire Department Chief Karen Bendel following more than 60 years of service in the department. A whole host of people from the First Aid Company, the Inwood Fire Department and the Baldwin Fire Department itself turned up in force to show their support to Abrams, who has dedicated pretty much his entire life to helping his community. As such, Abrams is very well known and highly respected within members of the department, and holds the honour of bowing the oldest living member of the First Aid Company. However, despite the festivities that took place, several members of the Fire Department and the First Aid Company would occasionally hop into an ambulance and assist members of the public, as the trained EMTs are pretty much permanently on call. Abrams starting his lengthy firefighting career at the Inwood department, where he was a member for six years before he joined the Navy during World War II. In 1950, Abrams left the Navy and married his wife Katherine – a Baldwin native – and subsequently moved there in 1952. The pair were married for 58 years until Kathrine’s untimely death in 2010, but Abrams still lives in the same Baldwin home that they bought on Jefferson Place. Abrams joined the Baldwin company back in 1952, ended up being a secretary in 1962, but progressed to second lieutenant in 1969. In 1970, Abrams became first lieutenant, and a year later in 1971, as was made captain according to former department chief Bill Werfelman, who has known Abrams for the majority of his time with the company. The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York presented Abrams with a proclamation, while the State Office of Fire Prevention and Control awarded him a certificate of appreciation.