Dave Statter reported on a busy day for Washington DC Jakes yesterdayand it was just as busy for Roanoke’s bravest.  Here in “The Noke”, our brothers and sisters were also faced with battleing two fires … one residential and, the second; a commercial multi-alarm fire. The house fire, which came in just after shift break; appears to have been intentionally set. Get that story from WDBJ7   HERE.

Photo by Mike Overacker Roanokefirefighters.com

The 2nd fire occurred in a vacant (empty due to renovations) 3 story hotel. The Days Inn is located at a major intersection just off I-581 and adjacent to the Roanoke Civic Center. The fire cause major traffic delays due to crews having to shut down all lanes (both East and West) of Orange Ave (Route 460) in order to obtain a water supply.

We had early coverage of the Days Inn fire right here @ Ironfiremen.com. I say we because my “little buddy” (Rhett Fleitz of FireCritic / VaFireNews) andI kind of tagged teamed the fire.  We were both off duty so Rhett was able to go to the fire in his personal vehicle (mini van with a “gumball” red light on the dash). He was sending pics and info back to me so I could get little “updates” up to the site.

Apparently, yesterday was a slow day for news because the fire even made it National. CNN was one of the first networks to cover the fire … WOW! little ol Roanoke on CNN. Check out their coverage  HERE

photo by Kyle Green Roanoke Times

There was plenty more coverage as well.  The photo to the left is from our local paper, The Roanoke Times. You can see their story / coverage  HERE

Rhett posted on the fire over @  The Fire Critic

He also got some really good photos of the fire and posted an article on his 2nd site Va Fire News. See that article and photos  HERE

Retired Lt. Mike Overacker was also on scene with his camera in hand. As usual, Mikey also snapped some great shots which can be found   HERE

Here is the News coverage from this mornings local broadcast … WSLS 10

It looks and sounds as if Roanoke’s Bravest did a good job stopping the fire.  It took over 40 members andseveral hours to bring the blaze under control. Still yet, members remained on scene throughout the night mopping up hot spots and hidden fire.  Yesterday’s attack quickly moved defencive and had ladders up and master streams flowing. I mentioned earlier that the 3 story hotel was vacant due to renovations so the defencive option seems like a logical and smart decision.

Early reports are of no injuries to firefighters or civilians. I do not have an estimate of the damages at this time.  I also hope to speak with the 1st in Officer and get ya some details of what our Brothers and sisters were faced with upon arrival. The Department “called back” a limited number of members. I’m not sure if these folks were used on scene or to fill stations. Roanoke County Fire / Rescue responded at least an air-truck for mutual -aid but again Im not sure if they sent any other equipment or back fill City stations.

photo by Rhett Fleitz

The fire also had some unusual situations and, lucky for us; Rhett was on top of it. Check out this shot of a vehicle atop a charged 5″ supply line.

Leave it to Roanoke’s firefighters to find a floor jack in the middle of a major fire but somehow, somebody got the vehicle jacked up and off the line. Maybe we should open a category for “stupid driver pics” here on the site.

Honestly, I’m a little jealous. Deep down, I think all of us would like to be faced with that “Backdraft” moment just one time..LOL. Lucky for this driver that the car was straddling the hose. I know the capabilities of Roanoke’s firefighters andif needed, that car would have been in a thousand pieces in a matter of moments.

Here’s a PUBLIC SERVICE ANOUNCMENT for you readers not on the job… DO NOT RUN OVER FIRE HOSE WITH YOUR VEHICLE!  If you even have the opurtunity to, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO THE INCIDENT. Driving over hose can damage the hose, the fire truck it’s attached to, your vehicle but, most importantly;  it can cut off the water supply to firefighters operating a hose line. This could result in the death or injury of that firefighter(s).

Ok, some good coverage and a GREAT job by all the members on scene (including Kassie from Medic Unit 101). Moving on real quickly .. the Roanoke Rampage held practice last night. Again, we are a team of Police, Fire and Rescue members from the Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas who play full contact football for charity. We play in  The Nation Public Safety League and will face teams such as Chicago and The DC Generals this season.

We are in need of  SPONSORSto help cover our cost this season. For all you “corporate” types out there, PLEASE check out  THIS LINK to see how as little as $250 can help make a difference for a great cause and charity.

The Buckaroo made practice with me last night and had a BLAST. He thinks I play for the NFL because every time there is a game on TV he says “there’s Paw-Paw” LMAO. He also thinks he’s gonna play with the Rampage. I think we had better wait a few years so he doesn’t injure anyone …. here he is at last night’s practice…

The little fella ran a couple hundred miles down the side lines. He was a tired as I was when we got back home …

That’s him …not me  LOL. Ok, so just remember to support the Roanoke Rampage in any way possible. You don’t have to play … we need support help etc. If you know of a good or possible sponsor, contact me here, Captain Stone @ #6-A or Captain Mac Craft @ #3-A.

I’ll check back in as soon as I can. Thanks for reading / following along. Don’t forget to “share” and”friend” us on Picture Book and “tweet” us on Churp Churp.

Nominations for the Black Diamond 2010 Blog of the Year is still open. Vote your concious  HERE

Until next time, stay safe and in house!

Captain Wines