LIVEMORE — A woman was stranded on top of her car in a swift-moving Livermore creek for about 15 hours before being rescued Tuesday morning, the Alameda County Fire Department said.

Just after 10 a.m. Tuesday, a camper near the 7000 block of Del Valle Road called the Alameda County Fire Department about a car submerged in the water.

Fire crews at the scene spotted a woman sitting on top of the car and began planning a rescue, while calling the CHP for help. Thanks to appropriate weather, a CHP helicopter was able to lower a rescue technician and get the woman out of the creek.

“It could have had a whole different outcome. She could have been swept downstream, but she was strong enough to get up on top of the vehicle,” said Battalion Chief Kent Carlin, with Alameda Fire. “Maybe out of her tenacity or luck. I don’t know what it was. The entire cab was submerged, so she was able to swim out of the window and climb herself up on the vehicle.”

Video posted on the CHP Golden Gate Division Air Operations account showed the dramatic rescue.

**Water Rescue–Lake Del Valle**

This morning, CHP H-30 responded with Alameda County Fire, Pleasanton-Livermore Fire, East Bay Regional Parks, San Ramon Fire Department Helicopter Rescue Technician (HRT) and Falck Ambulance to a report of an overturned vehicle at Lake Del Valle. It was further reported that the occupant was sitting on top of the vehicle in the middle of a flowing creek.

As firefighters set up for a rescue with rescue swimmers, H-30 arrived overhead and lowered a San Ramon Valley Fire Department Helicopter Rescue Technician (HRT) to the vehicle. The San Ramon Valley Fire HRT placed the victim in a rescue harness for rescue. H-30 was able to hoist the HRT member and victim from the car to waiting firefighters.

The victim was transported to a local hospital by ambulance with minor injuries. It appears the victim attempted to drive across a creek that was moving fairly swiftly due to recent rains causing her vehicle to overturn in the creek.

Posted by CHP – Golden Gate Division Air Operations on Tuesday, January 23, 2024

According to Alameda Fire, the woman tried to drive through the creek around 7:30 p.m. Monday, but she underestimated how deep it was and was running faster than expected causing her car to overturn.

She was stranded for about 15 hours. Rescue crews said she would be OK, but she was still taken to a hospital to be evaluated.

Kelsi Thorud contributed to this report.

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AROUND THE FIRE SERVICE–1900-1909

Excerpts from Fire and Water and Fire and Water Engineering

FIRE AND WATER BECOMES FIRE AND WATER ENGINEERING

“The year of grace, 1903, introduces Fire and Water Engineering to the world–the same old friend, only in a new and improved form. We bespeak for it a hearty welcome and a patronage worthy of its contents.” (Jan. 3, 1903)

The years 1900 to 1909 constituted what may be termed “The Decade of Conflagrations.” Five of the most significant fires are presented here. These disasters brought renewed calls for action in those areas that had been contributing to the devastation and loss of lives and property caused by fire. Those areas included the fireproofing of buildings, especially theaters; the water supply; inspection of fire and life-saving equipment, particularly hoses, life boats, and life preservers on ships; fire drills for crew members of ships; the storage of combustible and flammable materials; and the establishment of an authority with jurisdiction for piers and wharfs.

THE HOBOKEN HOLOCAUST–June 23, 1900

Based on the published account of June 30, 1900.

Firemen of New York City, Jersey City, and Hoboken “fought against the heaviest of odds–odds to which they had no expectation of ever being exposed and which they should never have encountered.”

The Scope of the Fire

Fire desolated the Hoboken waterfront, making “a clean sweep of the piers, wharves, and freight sheds of the North German Lloyd, the Hamburg-American, and the Thingvalla lines, taking off in its course the Campbell stores, located immediately north of the offices of the Thingvalla line …. The southern end of the Campbell Storage Company`s building–consisting of five five-story buildings caught, and in a few minutes flames shot from every window. Four of the buildings were burned.”

Probably more than 200 lives were lost; the exact number will never be known. Many officers of the vessels were lost. More than 300 people were injured.

“The whole civilized world stands aghast at last Saturday`s awful sacrifice of life and property at Hoboken, when within a very few minutes many scores of human beings met their deaths by fire and water, and many more received injuries too frightful to think of.”

It is not known how the fire started. About 4:00 on Saturday afternoon, the fire started among a large pile of cotton bales on Pier No. 2 of the North German Lloyd Company. “It spread so rapidly that in 15 minutes three great piers, taking in over a third of a mile of waterfront, were one mass of flame. In the freight sheds the accumulation of cotton and other dust caught at once, developed great heat, and caused explosions which served to spread the flames farther.” The heat was so intense that the Hoboken and Jersey City firemen “were either disabled or driven back, leaving a hose reel, with horse, and hose to be destroyed by fire.”

The officials of the Hamburg-American line blew up one side of their dock in an attempt to save their pier. In the meantime, however, a number of barges moored alongside were burned. Blazing steamers and barges drifting downstream and across and close to the docks and piers endangered the New York side of the waterfront for some time. It was thought that at any moment the fire might spread to the Jersey City waterfront or that the sparks might set fire to some of the warehouses.

The fireboats New Yorker and Robert H. Van Wyck, which had been telegraphed for, helped to extinguish the fires on burning steamers and other craft and in saving lives.

Spreads to Steamships

The fire came to involve the Saale, a single-crew, 4,965-gross-ton, passenger steamship and the Main and the Bremen, twin-screw firefight and passenger steam-ships of 10,200 and 10,526 tons, respectively. The piers and ships were crowded with workmen, visitors, and people on business. “Those nearest the ends of the piers escaped, and others were forced to leap into the water, and in doing so many were drowned.”

The Saale and the Main caught fire with the piers. “The Bremen and Kaiser Wilhelm were moored at Pier No. 1. The Main, which had arrived only a few hours before and still had several passengers on board, burned so fiercely that no tug could approach her. “The Kaiser Wilhem was rescued, as was also the Phenicia of the Hamburg American line, a 6,761-ton twin-crew passenger vessel, on which the flames had got a good hold. She was towed out to midstream, where the flames were put out. The Bremen was also towed out, but, like the Main, sank all afire.”

“The passengers on board the Main were seen to jump off into the water–a few were rescued by tugs, but many were drowned, while several of the crew, the stewardess, and probably some passengers who could not escape, met an awful death on board the doomed ship. The same fate befell those on board the Saale; a few escaped with their lives by jumping overboard; those who did not perished miserably.”

The Bremen was reported to have 200 visitors, mostly women, on board when the fire reached it. “A boat was lowered from the Bremen shortly after the alarm had been given, but the craft capsized as it touched the water, and all hands were precipitated into the water, and none were saved by those remaining on the vessel.”

Eyewitnesses, such as Rear-Admiral Melville of the United States Navy, reported seeing numerous persons “trying to get through the miserable little air-ports or dead lights, no more than eight or nine inches in diameter.” The officers of the Robert H. Van Wyck fireboat, which pulled alongside the Saale, lamented that “every porthole had a face.” An explosion on board the Saale blew up the forward decks. Three hundred pounds of powder were in the forward part of the ship. Some believed that the men in the engine room were never told there was a fire until it was too late.

Melville reported: “Just forward of this seething furnace a man had thrust his head and arm through another of these miserable ports. The tug to the left of us had a stream already playing on his head. He began to strip himself of his clothing, and at times the crew of the tug put the nozzle of the hose through the air-port and poured water on his back to keep him cool, so near were they to him, and yet unable to extricate him from his horrible position.

“Below us were two German officers with a boat screw, and hammers and cold chisels, cutting away one of the cargo-ports on the port side. After more than a half hour`s work they managed to cut the port open. To the horror of everyone, they found it only opened into a coal bunker. The flap of the cargo-port was raised up, but nobody ventured inside of the vessel to find the opening between the cargo-port and the passenger space where the man was clinging. Shortly after, the man, from heat and exhaustion, fell back inside of the ship.”

THE PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, CONFLAGRATION–Feb. 9, 1902

Around midnight, the fire “swept through a large portion of the business part of the city …. and was checked only after a desperate fight that lasted until late in the afternoon …. A northerly gale gave the conflagration its impetus and carried its burning brands to kindle the blaze afresh at other points.”

“The firemen made stand after stand before the wall of fire, but were repeatedly driven back ….” Firemen and apparatus from every city and town within reach of Paterson responded to relieve Paterson firefighters.

Destroyed were scores of residences, five churches, the new $400,000 city hall, the old city hall, the library, five banks, clubs, seven large office buildings, two newspapers, the police station, a fire station, a theater, hotels, telegraph company buildings, all the principal stores, and some 500 dwelling and apartment houses. Approximately 25 city blocks covering 2,000 feet in length and varying from 400 to 800 feet in width were burned.

The fire de-partment`s equipment consisted of nine steamers, two chemical engines, two hook and ladder trucks, two combination chemical and hook and ladder trucks, one aerial truck, and 10 hose wagons. “There is always about 12,000 feet of good hose on hand and the fire pressure averages about 40 pounds.”

THE IROQUOIS THEATER FIRE– Dec. 30, 1903

The following is summarized from “Iroquois Theatre Fire and Its Lessons” by H. W. Bringhurst (a bulletin from the Executive Committee of the Pacific Coast Association of Fire Chiefs, March 12, 1904).

At about 3:30 p.m., during the second act of the matinee of Mr. Blue Beard, “sparks from an arc spotlight caught in the frayed edge of some drapery a foot away–high above the stage near the arch.” Despite efforts to “beat out” the fire, it spread. “Efforts were made to lower the asbestos curtain, but it caught on a border light when part way down.”

Members of the audience had “full confidence in the alleged fireproof character of the theatre” and did not become alarmed until they found themselves “actually scorching and suffocating” as a result of the flames and smoke caused by the burning of 180 inflammable drop scenes on the stage and other like combustibles. The flame and smoke “had no vent, except into the auditorium and up to the open ventilator over the gallery.” In the panic that ensued, 572 perished, about half of them in or near their seats. Most of the others were entangled together in the dark passages, stairways, and blind exits.

The first alarm was given by a man running down the alley to the station of Engine 13 on the next block. Although the department responded promptly to this and other calls, “an alarm from the theatre itself would have saved two or three minutes time and many precious lives.”

“Fireproof”: False Security

The L-shaped Iroquois Theater, completed on November 23, 1903, was of steel frame and tile construction and had brick walls. The popular fallacy was that a safe exterior shell in itself guarantees the security of a building. Neither the theater`s owners nor inspectors had followed the specific requirements of the city ordinance with regard to providing skylights over the stage and other recommendations such as fireproofing scenery and the installation of automatic sprinklers, an alarm box, and exits.

Although the house wiring was first class, the electrical equipment carried by the Blue Beard company was not up to standard. The permit allowed 1,602 seats, but 1,774 were in place. When the fire broke out, nearly 300 persons were standing behind the last rows. Although there were 22 exits, many were not available. The gallery was unusually close to the stage and so steeply pitched that handrails had to be erected between each row to keep people from falling forward.

Lessons Learned

After the disaster, it was learned that, technically, the fire department had some supervision over fire prevention matters. This fact had not been recognized for years, however, since the only inspectors were those in the building department. The fire force was barely sufficient for extinguishing fires.

After reviewing the details of this and other theatre fires–nearly all of which started on the stage and flashed up in light fabrics–many recommendations were proposed, including the following:

Skylights at least one-thirtieth the area of the stage should be provided to vent flames and smoke if a fire should occur; the skylights were to be opened by the action of heat.

Any high windows above the stage should open automatically. The main or drop curtain should be a fire screen. (The new Chicago ordinance, subsequently adopted, required that the curtain be made of steel, with asbestos on the stage side and an air-space between.) Next in efficiency is a thick curtain of real asbestos fiber.

Treat all hangings, drops, and cordage with cheap and nonpatented solutions of such chemicals as alum or tungstate of soda, and apply fireproof paints or heavy coats of whitewash to all woodwork on the stage. Nothing that can flash up in a quick fire should be behind the footlights.

Install a properly distributed and regularly inspected sprinkler system on every large stage and through all the dressing and storage rooms.

Use only the best electric wiring; protect lights. An accident involving the lighting system on the stage should never make it possible to put out the lights in the auditorium and at the exits.

If the city water pressure is good, standpipes and reels of first-class hose should be provided. If the pressure is weak, a stationary chemical tank should be substituted.

Even small playhouses should have “filled buckets, an ax, a long-handled pike pole, and an extinguisher available.”

Fire drills would be of great advantage.

Install a telegraphic connection to the fire department; test it regularly.

There should be as many exits as possible. They should be as large and as easily traversed as space will permit. Every exit ought to be marked in large letters “Exit” or “Way Out.”

THE BALTIMORE CONFLAGRATION–Feb. 7-9, 1904

This account is based on various reports and correspondence that appeared in the following issues of Fire and Water Engineering: Feb. 13, 1904; Feb. 20, 1904; and Feb 27, 1904.

A fire broke out at 10:45 a.m. Sunday morning in the wholesale dry goods store of John E. Hurst & Co., in the heart of the business district. “The building had a large floor area, with no fire walls, a large area of window openings, no automatic fire service, and was filled with inflammable materials–a condition favorable to the explosion that caused the building to collapse and scatter flaming debris all over the adjoining property before any fire apparatus could be brought into play.” The fire appeared to begin with a series of loud explosions, which were heard in remote parts of the city. It was stopped 28 hours later on Monday afternoon at Jones`s Falls, where some say it burned itself out at the harbor.

When the firefighters arrived, the building was a mass of flames, which spread rapidly as a result of high winds. A dozen big warehouses were burning within a half hour. The fire must have been underway for 15 minutes before the firemen received the alarm. The street box was pulled and was promptly followed by a third alarm and then by a general alarm. Forty-three alarms had been sent in during the course of the fire.

According to one correspondent, “A seven-or eight-story building was destroyed in about 30 minutes …. The iron fronts of buildings, as soon as they became heated, seemed to fall across the street, destroying those on the opposite side. This shows that some other material must be devised for the flooring of the so-called fireproof buildings, as the fire bricks seemed to disintegrate and fall apart almost as soon as the hot fire struck them ….”

The entire city fire department was called out but was powerless to check the spread of the flames, which were aided by high winds. By noon, there were savage fires in at least 30 big warehouses. The fire was steadily eating its way into successive blocks east, north, west and south. There appeared to be no check to the sweep of destruction. “The fire seemed to work its own sweet will until it reached Jones`s Falls.” There, at the harbor, the flames “practically burned themselves out….”

The district swept by the fire comprised 75 blocks and nearly 2,500 buildings–which included “residential, business, manufacturing, ecclesiastical, educational, public, and semi-public structures of wood, brick and stone, of from two to 16 stories, some with wooden roofs covered with tar.” The burned area covered about 140 acres. The loss was estimated to be from $100 to $125 million. A fire department steamer and an 85-foot Hayes truck were also lost.

About 50 persons were injured, including a dozen policemen and firefighters. Chief J. W. Horton was hurt by a live wire and bruised and cut. He had to leave the fight, which was resumed by Mayor McLane.

Fire Department Resources

The fire department had 32 steamers: 26 in commission and six in reserve; a fireboat; two water towers–one in reserve; six hook-and-ladder trucks; eight aerial trucks; 26 combination chemical and hose wagons; three chemical engines; 19 hose carriages, reels, and carts; 78,200 feet of hose (75,000 cotton, rubber-lined, good hose and 3,200 rubber, good); 61 chemical hand extinguishers; 199 horses; and a full-time force of 463 (38 fire companies). “The city was not properly equipped with a sufficient amount of apparatus; it is doubtful, however, if a greater number of engines would have stopped the conflagration after the headway it had gained.”

The hook and ladder and chemical companies took care of all fires in outlying districts; the engine companies fought the main fire (about 280 men, including district chiefs). The first outside company came in service about three hours after the fire started. At the height of the fire, the firefighting force and equipment were augmented by 793 men, 32 fire engines, four hose companies, and one hook and ladder truck from outside cities and towns.

As soon as the fire approached the wharves, the fireboat and the fire pump on the police boat were also brought into service, with a total capacity of about 5,000 gallons a minute. “It would seem that a force of about 1,093 men, with 57 fire engines and two fireboats, having a total capacity of very much over 50,000 gallons a minute keeping in continuous service over 100 fire streams, would have been sufficient, under ordinary conditions, to have brought under control a fire, with a front of not over five blocks at its worst, before it could burn itself out at the water`s edge.”

Water Supply

The total available capacity of water was about 1,240 billion gallons. About 300 hydrant connections were made during the fire. There were about 130 fire hydrants in the district, including five, with two steamer nozzles–about 14 hydrants to each mile of Main street. Eleven hydrants were within 200 feet of the Hurst building and 22 were within 400 feet of the building.

The area in which the fire had started had a normal pressure of from 55 to 65 pounds. When the fire progressed into a conflagration, the water department opened the connection to one of the high-service pumping stations, increasing the pressure to 70 or 80 pounds. As the fire progressed, water department employees went to all fire engines in service at fire hydrants to note the pressure and see if they were getting enough water. There were no complaints about a lack of supply. The total consumption of water in the city for the two days of the fire was 230 million gallons; the normal average for the same period was 126 million.

The capacity of fire engines varied from 500 to 1,000 gallons a minute. Total capacity per minute was around 25,000 gallons. The engines were not all pumping continuously, as they had to shift about as the fire progressed and did not at all times supply the same number of hoselines. The fire department estimated the average to be about two continuous fire streams to each engine, or 61 fire streams in constant service. The combined capacity of all companies (including outside companies) was equivalent to about 35,000 gallons a minute.

The loss of fire hose was estimated to be in excess of 6,000 feet. The constantly shifting of po-sitions by firemen in response to the excessive heat caused considerable water pressure to be lost from abandoning open hydrants. It had been reported that the Washington companies` couplings did not fit the hydrants and that the companies “procured barrels, which were kept filled from the hydrants and furnished suction for their engines.” The latter report was refuted by a correspondent, John H. Clay, of Philadelphia, who wrote the following in a letter in the February 23, 1904 edition: “Allow me to say that such was not the case, as the Philadelphia fire men went to Baltimore fully equipped to couple up to Baltimore fireplugs. Each engine carried fittings, one end of which was Clay-Jones and the other the Baltimore standard, and, therefore, had no difficulty in coupling up ….”

“Peculiar” Contributing Factors

Among the factors that contributed to the spread of this fire were the following:

Fireproofing. “The first impression on visiting Baltimore immediately after its disastrous fire was one of gazing on block upon block and acre upon acre of total ruin, and with nothing from which the advocate of tall fireproof buildings could derive any comfort in favor of his pet theories, that such structures were not only themselves safe from the action of fire, but were, also, capable of acting successfully as checks to the fury of the flames. On the 140 acres thus laid waste were many of these tall buildings, each one built according to the most approved principles that are today applied to those steel framed, brick or stone-veneered erections …. The fireproof buildings were considerably damaged externally by exposure to the flames raging round them. Internally they were absolutely gutted. The intense heat beating against the walls was communicated to their contents, which, in their turn, caught fire. The flames thus produced burst through the windows from round floor to skylight, and communicated to other buildings–thereby doing away with the buffer theory, and leaving its advocates more or less discomfited ….”

Electric wires. “The streets in the burned district presented a network of overhead wires all live …” They caused a loss of time. When the wires fell, “they came in contact with the firemen and their apparatus. They fell across the hose which became conductors of electricity to such an extent as to drive the firemen back, owing to the shocks they inflicted upon them.” Chief Horton was badly injured and could no longer command the fire.

Dynamiting. “The dynamiting was neither prompt enough nor plenty enough, as far as the visiting firemen could judge. The dynamitards seemed either to have lost their heads or to have been afraid to destroy the buildings without first asking and obtaining leave to do so. In one instance, although dynamite had been applied to one large building with the intention of razing it, a large building almost a block away received the shock, demolishing all the windows, and this might be said in other cases where the effort was made to use dynamite.

“It was unfortunate that during the great fire at Baltimore any of the steam fire engines should have been unable to work, either because they were not adapted for pumping salt water or because of the variation in their couplers and coupling threads, which prevented them from coupling on to the city`s hose or hydrants.”

THE GREAT CONFLAGRATION AT

SAN FRANCISCO–Apr. 18, 1906

Based on accounts published in the Apr. 28, 1906 and June 6, 1906 editions and a report by A. J. Coffee in the June 2, 1906 edition.

The terrible “double scourge” San Francisco disaster–earthquake and fire–presented “the kind of terror and torture wrought by … a fire … that creeps along and devours its wretched victims when they are powerless to escape from or resist its approach.” The incidents occurred on April 18, 1906. Statistics recorded in one resource reported that 674 people were killed, 3,500 injured and that 28,000 buildings (514 city blocks) were in ruins, costing more than $500 million in damages (Fire Engines, Firefighters: The Men, Equipment, and Machines, from Colonial Days to the Present, Paul C. Ditzel, Rutledge Books, New York, N. Y., 1976).

Eyewitness Account

A subscriber from Sacramento, California, provided the following account of events in the city that day: “When the first shock came, I dressed myself and went into the street. In about ten minutes fires seemed to break out in all the big buildings south of Market street, and at seven o`clock in the morning I saw that the city was doomed, as there was not a drop of water to be got at any of the fireplugs. The water mains were broken in all parts of the city, and the principal supply, which comes under the bay through two pipe lines, did not give a bit of water. We were without fresh water for over thirty hours, and, believe me, when I tell you that what little water we had to drink we scooped up from the gutters and seemed to be supplied by broken mains. One does not realise what it is to be where the ground was shaking every minute and surrounded by a heat from the fire that was unendurable–and without water at that. When I left San Francisco tonight not a house in the city was standing, except in a few cases. Possibly not fifty houses escaped the fire. There are possibly 450,000 people tonight in San Francisco without knowing where to lay their heads!”

The San Francisco Fire Department

The San Francisco Fire Department had 56 steamers, nine hook and ladder trucks, nine chemical engines, one combination chemical and hose wagon, four turret-batteries, some 120,000 feet of hose, and a force of 500 “brave and skilled men.” An account by A. J. Coffee in the June 2, 1906 edition, noted the following: “Approximately 38,000 feet of hose were burned. Engines valued at $13,500 were destroyed (including one that was in the repair shop and could not be hauled out since its wheels had been removed). Old No. 12 engine–Old Betsy–in use in the department for 30 years, was burned on the corner of Post and Kearny streets, where she was abandoned since she had no horses. Her remains stand there now among the ruins and tell the story more vividly than words can portray of the utter helplessness of the San Francisco firemen in this terrible calamity.” In addition, a hook and ladder and Engine No. 4 were burned.

“Too much praise cannot be given the fire department of the efficient manner in which it worked at the off-set, when the fire alarm service was immediately destroyed. The men went out bravely to fight a dozen or more fires, all of which took the proportions of conflagrations almost immediately, and the firemen succeeded in extinguishing several bad fires that were not in the burned district. After their work was finished at these fires, the firemen took up their hose and apparatus and went to work on large fires in the different parts of the city. They did splendid work, until the city water supply gave out, and there is no doubt that, if water had been plentiful, there would be a different story to tell of San Francisco today.”

Death of the Fire Chief

The tragedy was compounded by “a singular perversity of fate,” in which San Francisco`s Fire Chief Dennis Sullivan was “put out of the fight.” He and his wife occupied the upper story of the fire department house on Bush street. While putting on his turnouts in a room adjoining his wife`s, the chimney (15 or 20 feet) running up above the six-story, brick California Hotel on the side next to the three-story engine house came crashing down on the engine house. It carried with it a portion of the roof, which dropped down through the far side of Mrs. Sullivan`s room, taking the floor down with it. Mrs. Sullivan and the bed tumbled over into the hole in the floor created by the chimney. Fortunately, the mattress on which she was sleeping folded over her and protected her. Hearing the crash, Chief Sullivan ran into his wife`s room in the dark and fell through the same hole. He was seriously wounded, suffering three crushed ribs on his left side, “frightful gashes and cuts across the face,” and a fractured skull. He was taken to the Railroad Hospital; Mrs. Sullivan was carried into the California hotel, where she remained until she was taken to the hospital. Both had to be moved from their respective hospitals, “as the fire burned right up to that quarter.”

The chief died “about the forth day after he had sustained the injuries. Funeral services were held over the chief`s remains,” and he was “laid away temporarily until such time as the fire department can hold the proper ceremonies, and pay the last honors to their beloved chief.”

Dynamite Used Extensively

“During the fire at San Francisco extensive use was made of dynamite and black gunpowder and even of cannonading the buildings as yet unconsumed because there was no possibility of throwing water on the flames. Some question the propriety of having recourse to such extreme methods, especially to the employment of dynamite or other explosives, on the ground that the flying splinters are liable to intensify the evil. It may fairly be asked on the other side, however, in default of the possibility of obtaining or employing water and in the immediate presence and rapid progress of the flames, if any other means could have been adopted.”

Lessons Learned

The water mains “lay twisted, distorted, and broken by the violence of the shock that caused the earth to sink away from below and had thrown upon them a superincumbent mass of debris, tons upon tons of brick, iron, granite and marble” that ultimately caused the mains to rupture and the water “to flow away in torrents and deluge other towns, while in San Francisco there was not left a drop to throw upon the flames, save in the neighborhood of the water-front, where the fireboats and tugs could be placed in operation.”

“Chief Sullivan many times had brought to the attention of the authorities the fact that San Francisco would be in danger of being consumed should a great fire ever start.” He had proposed that a salt water system be developed and that additional apparatus be acquired. The prevailing opinion was that “there is no doubt that, if these had been given him, especially a salt water system–a different story would be told of San Francisco ….”

“The buildings in many sections of the city not only formed a most congested area, in which the exposure hazard reigned, but, also, being for the most part of wood, added more and more fuel to the flames.” Although the iron and steel-framed skyscrapers and taller buildings withstood the earthquake, they were no match for “the flames forming a seething mass round them” as a strong wind aided the spread of the conflagration and there was “nothing to oppose its onward mark.”

Chief Sullivan also had protested “over and over again when permission was given to build frame houses within the fire limits.” The underwriters a year before the earthquake/fire had pointed out how San Francisco “violated all underwriting traditions and precedent by not burning up….”

THE GENERAL SLOCUM DISASTER–June 15, 1904

At 9 a.m., the General Slocum, an excursion steamer left the pier at 13th Street and the East River in New York City, with 1,400 men, women, and children aboard. The passengers, members of the Sunday School of St. Mark`s Lutheran Church, were going on a picnic.. About a half hour after leaving the pier, a fire was discovered in the forward deck. The tragedy took the lives of 1,030 persons, who died by fire or drowning. (“Tragic Trip of the General Slocum,” Fire in America!; Paul Robert Lyons; National Fire Protection Association, 1976)

It was proved “that, although in outward seeming the letter of the law was complied with so far as providing the means of extinguishing fire and escaping death by drowning, yet the hose was either rotten or of the poorest quality, and some of the connections were clogged, hereby rendering the hose useless. The lifeboats and life-rafts were unavailable for use because of the crowd on and round them; the life-preservers and life-buoys stuffed with cork dust, and so manufactured as to destroy and not to save life; beside being placed in racks or under the seats in such a way as to be nearly impossible to get at or to fit in a moment to the panic-stricken and expectant wearers; and the life-lines were of a like character.”

This tragedy evoked many questions and comments. Typical of the questions asked were the following, posed by a firefighter in a letter to the editor: “Why was the 212-inch hose cotton instead of rubber-lined? How old was it? How often was it stretched to get the kinks out? Why wasn`t it ready for immediate action when the fire broke out? Was it used for flushing the decks? If so, it is no wonder if the sea water rotted it, so that it could not stand the pressure when the pumps began to act. If old, it had no business there. If new, what test if any had it been subjected to before being put in service? Was it inspected on the day of the catastrophe …?”

“An Interested New Yorker” related that “on board the General Slocum, the life-preservers, life-buoys and life-lines were simply shams, and destructive shams at that, inasmuch as they dragged the wearers down beneath the surface of the water, instead of buoying them up to safety.”

View of Hoboken fire from North River–the Saale on the left, Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse in the center, the Bremen on the right.

Map of Paterson, N.J., showing burned district.

Map of the burned section of Baltimore.

The post AROUND THE FIRE SERVICE-1900-1909 – Fireplace Engineering: Firefighter Coaching and Fireplace Service Information, Rescue appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Took a break from the news this weekend? Worry not: we’ve rounded up some of the stories you missed in NorCal on Saturday and Sunday.

Oct 15, 2023 8:14 pm PDT | Updated Oct 16, 2023 8:20 am PDT

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — As the weekend wraps up, we’ve rounded up the stories you may have missed Saturday and Sunday to prepare you for Monday.

But before we jump into Northern California’s top stories, residents should know that a brief cooling trend returns on Monday as a weak cold front approaches the North Bay, according to National Weather Service forecasters. Coastal areas can expect highs in the 60s, while the rest of the Bay Area can plan on temps in the 70s and 80s.

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A warming trend is expected for the latter half of the week.

National Weather Service graphic

In other news, a TV actress beloved for decades for her work on the show “Three’s Company” has died. A freeway shooting damaged one vehicle. And the mother of an actor featured in “Sandlot” was found dead.

Suzanne Somers, ‘Three’s Company’ Star, Dies At 76

• Somers had breast cancer for over 23 years and died Sunday morning.

Teen Killed in Fiery Crash Into Creek

• Two other teens suffered life-threatening injuries. The 21-year-old driver, who sustained minor injuries, was arrested for suspected DUI.

CHP Helicopter Rescues Man Trapped Against Sheer Cliff By Rising Tide

• The man was knee-deep in water when he was pulled to safety.

Teen Fires Gun In Altercation With Woman In Supermarket Parking Lot

• The pair skirmished over the sale of a car.

Man Attacked With A Baseball Bat, Hospitalized In San Mateo

• The victim was a Redwood City man. Police arrested a suspect.

Vehicle Hit By Gunfire In I-80 Freeway Shooting

• The shooting happened between Ashby and University avenues in Berkeley.

Deadly Crash On I-680 On Saturday

• The early-morning crash involved multiple vehicles .

2 Arrests In SF Business Robberies: Police

• Victims were pistol-whipped in two of the three cases.

Mom Of ‘Sandlot’ Actor Found Dead In NorCal Home, Boyfriend In Custody

• Deanna Esmaeel, the mother of Marty York and a Del Norte County sheriff’s deputy, was found dead Thursday morning, authorities said.

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Elected officials and public transportation advocates in San Francisco are lashing out at the convention’s budget chairman, Phil Ting, as the deadline for passing the state budget is fast approaching. Meanwhile, the Westside MP is fighting back.

Mayor London Breed, State Senator Scott Wiener and transport advocates are lobbying at Ting to increase funding for public transport in the upcoming state budget, warning of devastating cuts as Bay Area authorities hit “fiscal cliffs” imposed by a sharp drop in passenger numbers.

The newly released Senate and State Assembly budgets still lack billions in operating funds proponents say are needed to avoid drastic benefit cuts.

In a May 24 letter to Ting, Breed called on the assembly to “propose a revised budget that will keep the Bay Area’s transit system operating while ridership recovers from the pandemic and to avoid massive service cuts.”

“Support for public transit in this budget will determine whether our inner cities thrive or die, whether our economies are stifled or supported, whether our outer boroughs are isolated or integrated into the region’s job market and culture, and whether some of the San Franciscos who… who are struggling the most, who are affected.” are able to go about their daily lives,” Breed wrote.

The Senate and Assembly budgets restore $2 billion in capital expenditures that Gov. Newsom cut in his budget bill. But most of those recovered dollars come from a fund that allocates money to communities based on population.

California Senator Scott Wiener speaks during the official opening of the new Bus Rapid Transit corridor on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco Friday, April 1, 2022. | Nick Otto

That’s worrying for those pushing for transit financing for the Bay Area. While the Bay Area is entitled to about 20% of those funds, the region accounts for 50% of the statewide operating deficit, said Cyrus Hall, a data engineer who works with the San Francisco Transit Riders.

“We effectively restored that $2 billion in capital budget, and that’s great,” Hall told The Standard. “But that basically takes us back to where we started before the governor released his budget with a huge operating deficit.”

Wiener started the renewed lobbying efforts on Wednesday with a tweet thread.

In 21 days from today is the deadline for finalizing the state budget so that it can be completed within our deadline of 06/15. can elapse.

As it stands, California transit systems will – without change – take action to drastically reduce service.

That should be extremely worrying for anyone who thinks transit is essential.

— Senator Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) May 22, 2023

Breed’s letter referred to alternative funding plans — proposed by Wiener and a statewide “Survive and Thrive Coalition” that includes the California Transit Association, the Bay Area Council and others — that would also use federal highway funds that have yet to be allocated as a cap -and-trade auction fund to fix the remaining deficit.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will join Breed in its appeal for federal funds.

Regulators Matt Dorsey and Hillary Ronen introduced a resolution Tuesday urging Newsom and the Legislature to allocate the resources “in a manner that, on the one hand, does not penalize San Francisco transit authorities and, on the other hand, is based on a formula that reduces service cuts.” avoids that would affect transit the most dependent riders.”

“For a city like San Francisco, resident population is always an invalid denominator,” Dorsey told The Standard. “We have a population that commutes here; In 2019 we had 26.5 million visitors. That’s roughly the population of Texas visiting. All of this has to be covered by public transport and the police.”

Rep. Phil Ting, chairman of the convention’s budget committee, is under pressure to add Bay Area transit operating funds to the state budget. | Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The Board of Directors is expected to adopt the resolution at its meeting on June 6th.

A number of lobby groups promoting public transit, including Kid Safe SF, are also organizing citizens to call Ting’s office through a website launched Wednesday.

“We need MP Ting to prioritize funding for public transport in the budget to ensure we can lead our city and region into a sustainable future,” Luke Bornheimer, a transport advocate, told The Standard. “It’s about time MP Ting joined Sen. Wiener in making public transport funding a priority.”

Sources say Ting has dodged calls on the matter. Late Wednesday, his office sent out a bulk email to voters who appeared to be opposing the issue.

“I support the support of Muni, BART, SamTrans and others, but I don’t want to hand out a blank check without major improvements, greater accountability and a budget stability plan,” Ting said in the email to voters. “Too many people have told me they don’t want to use public transport because they don’t feel safe or because the seats aren’t clean.”

Ting elaborated on this in an email to The Standard on Thursday, saying that even before the pandemic, public transit use in the Bay Area was declining due to “safety and cleanliness concerns” and a lack of reliability and convenience.

“To be clear, I will do whatever I can to keep our Bay Area transit services running, but we can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Ting wrote. “Rather than just funding the same thing and expecting different outcomes.” “It’s about time our 27 transportation systems in the Bay Area put riders first: We offer concrete plans to bring riders back by seamlessly… Create systems and make public transport travel safe, affordable and predictable.”

Ting’s statement also called on Bay Area governments to rely on a funding measure for regional transit that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission currently has planned for 2026. Wiener has lobbied to include them in an earlier vote, claiming that 2026 is too late for authorities to bail out.

Without bridge funding, proponents say, the fiscal cliff facing the region’s transit systems will spiral into a “death spiral,” in which cuts in service further squeeze ridership and revenue in a cycle of falling revenues.

Jeffrey Tumlin, director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, said that without adequate government funding, the Muni bus system may have to eliminate 20 lines as early as this summer.

The post San Francisco Mayor, Supervisors Press Legislature for Transit Rescue Funds appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Before firefighters had even arrived, teachers and students from Rosa Parks Elementary watched as smoke was coming out of the residential building.

The schoolyard is right behind the apartment complex.

“I yelled for my amazing co-workers to clear the yard and move the kids away from the fire,” said Cicily Ina-Lee a teacher who, along with her colleague Vincent Reyes, ran toward the apartments.

Both teachers pulled down the fire escape ladders. Reyes went inside to rescue residents.

“I went inside the building here when the fire first started. I saw the fire it was pretty heavy on the roof and that’s when I saw the last person hopefully come out of the building,” Reyes explained.

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

One of the residents, who did not want to give us her name, described the teachers’ efforts. “And they were screaming and knocking and calling and trying to get us out and when the doors opened they went in and rescued the old people. They were fantastic,” the resident said. She managed to take her two parakeets with her.

Josh Gant was walking in the area when he saw some of the other victims being taken away.

“They were bringing one lady out, she was burnt really badly on her face and hands. Then they brought another lady out, she had smoke all over her and they brought another lady out, smoke all over her, and they were all like 80 years old, I guess,” added Gant.

Eighteen people were displaced in what exhausted firefighters described as a fast-moving blaze. It was a rescue effort aided by two teachers who thought of their neighbors first.

“We’re teachers, so we care about other people. Hopefully anybody would do the same things,” said Reyes.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Copyright © 2022 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

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PORTSMOUTH, Virginia (WAVY) – Virginia plans to invest millions in improving air quality systems in public schools through the US rescue plan.

$ 250 million would come from state-allocated aid from the American Rescue Plan, and the corresponding $ 250 million will come from the American Rescue Plan and other aid distributed to local governments (approximately $ 939 million Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) II funds were disbursed to local school departments in January and $ 1.9 billion was allocated to school departments through the American Rescue Plan Act (ESSER III).

728 bridges in Virginia are structurally deficient; Senator Warner says infrastructure deal is imminent

The upgrades are key to preventing the spread of airborne diseases in schools, especially COVID-19, says Governor Ralph Northam, as all schools must now allow face-to-face tuition. Northam announced at Hopewell High School that it would start Investment Week to highlight proposals for spending the bailout money.

“This investment will help families, educators, and students feel more confident about the quality of the air they breathe when we return to face-to-face study five days a week this fall,” says Northam.

Virginia publishes mask guidelines for the 2021-2022 school year and gives places the final say

Virginia received $ 4.3 billion under the US rescue plan signed by President Joe Biden on March 11th. Local governments in the Commonwealth received $ 2.9 billion.

According to Northam’s office, the investment will enable the completion of nearly all 463 currently planned HVAC projects across the Commonwealth, which will cost $ 623 million.

School departments receive a minimum of $ 200,000 and more, depending on the number of students enrolled.

The General Assembly will take up the expenditure proposal when it meets on August 2nd. Northam has also requested to spend $ 353 million from the US federal rescue plan to help Virginia’s small businesses and $ 700 million to expand broadband access nationwide.

The post Virginia plans to take a position thousands and thousands through American Rescue Plan to improve HVAC methods in faculties | WJHL appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Derive Systems continues its rapid growth with the expansion of key customer relationships

Broomfield, Colo., Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Derive Systems today announced the expansion of its relationship with ARS Rescue Rooter, a leading American Residential Services LLC brand with more than 69 locations in 24 states nationwide. ARS has trusted Derive since 2013 to support 3,500 fleet vehicles to positively reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by optimizing engine calibration.

A single deployment of Derive VQ Efficiency on a single ARS vehicle removes approximately 1,990 lbs. (0.9 tons) CO2 emissions annually. Applied to the entire fleet of 3,500 vans, the resulting impact will eliminate approximately 6.9 million pounds. CO2 emissions per year (3,166 metric tons). This is equivalent to removing the emissions from 210 vans from the road. In the past eight years, ARS and Derive Systems’ partnership has cost approximately £ 55 million. the C02 emissions from the environment.

The main purpose of the VQ platform is to provide advanced mobility solutions to reduce CO2 emissions from fleet vehicles. The combination of vehicle fleet know-how and state-of-the-art software technology from Derive helps customers achieve sustainable sustainability results. On average, the Derive VQ Efficiency solution generates between 6% and 10% immediate fuel savings per vehicle while implementing speed thresholds on the engine itself.

“ARS focuses on our people and the environment. We chose Derive technology to improve vehicle safety while reducing our environmental footprint, ”said Kevin O’Donnell, Director of Purchasing and Fleet at ARS.

Since 2010, Derive Systems has dedicated itself to revolutionizing the sustainability and security of fleet management with more than two million software installations. Derive Systems offers a scalable fleet management software platform that enables fleet managers to tailor their vehicles for the best performance. Derive’s VQ platform calibrates engines for better fuel efficiency, provides improved telematics for greater savings, and moves safety compliance from the driver to the vehicle.

The story goes on

“We are excited to continue our partnership with ARS to support their safety and fuel efficiency goals,” said John Oechsle, Chief Executive Officer of Derive Systems Fuel Consumption, which has a major impact on our environment. “

Via derivation systems

As a leading automotive technology company, Derive Systems enables its customers to take control of their vehicles. Derive safely and reliably optimizes vehicle performance, fuel efficiency, safety and more through over two million software installations. More information about Derive Systems or its products can be found at derivesystems.com.

About ARS Rescue Rooter

American Residential Services (ARS® / Rescue Rooter®) is a privately held Memphis-based company and one of the nation’s largest providers of air conditioning, heating and plumbing services. Founded in 1975, ARS / Rescue Rooter has built a prestigious national portfolio of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, electrical and energy efficient services. ARS / Rescue Rooter is proud to partner with and acquire some of the best home service providers in the country. The ARS® network offers exceptional service and serves both private and small business customers by providing heating, cooling, indoor air quality, plumbing, drain cleaning, sewerage, radiation protection, insulation and ventilation services. Each location has a knowledgeable team of trained specialists who undergo rigorous training and background checks. Additionally, ARS / Rescue Rooter has long-term strategic partnerships with industry-leading suppliers and retailers to efficiently serve consumers. ARS / Rescue Rooter offers exceptional service and guarantees the highest quality standards and has the experience to do every job right – the first time with guaranteed work. To make it work. Get it right®. In 2020, GI Partners, a leading private investment firm, took a majority stake in the company. The GI Partners team brings extensive industry investment experience as well as operational and technological know-how, providing ARS employees significant opportunities and enhancing the ARS customer experience. Founded in 2001, GI Partners is a private investment company based in San Francisco, California. The company has raised over $ 23 billion in capital from leading institutional investors around the world to invest in private equity, real estate and data infrastructure strategies. Existing investors, Charlesbank Capital Partners (Charlesbank) and ARS management continue to make significant new investments in the business.

CONTACT: Mike Smith Derive Systems, Inc. msmith@yesandagency.com

The post Derive Techniques Broadcasts Extension of Shopper Relationship with Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Big ARS Rescue Rooter appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Derive Systems continues its rapid growth with the expansion of key customer relationships

Broomfield, Colo., Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Derive Systems today announced the expansion of its relationship with ARS Rescue Rooter, a leading American Residential Services LLC brand with more than 69 locations in 24 states nationwide. ARS has trusted Derive since 2013 to support 3,500 fleet vehicles to positively reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by optimizing engine calibration.

A single deployment of Derive VQ Efficiency on a single ARS vehicle removes approximately 1,990 lbs. (0.9 tons) CO2 emissions annually. Applied to their entire fleet of 3,500 vans, the resulting impact will eliminate approximately £ 6.9 million. CO2 emissions per year (3,166 metric tons). This is equivalent to removing the emissions from 210 vans from the road. In the past eight years, the Safelite and Derive Systems partnership has decreased approximately £ 55 million. the C02 emissions from the environment.

The main purpose of the VQ platform is to provide advanced mobility solutions to reduce CO2 emissions from fleet vehicles. The combination of vehicle fleet know-how and state-of-the-art software technology from Derive helps customers achieve sustainable sustainability results. On average, the Derive VQ Efficiency solution generates between 6% and 10% immediate fuel savings per vehicle while implementing speed thresholds on the engine itself.

“ARS focuses on our people and the environment. We chose Derive technology to improve vehicle safety while reducing our environmental footprint, ”said Kevin O’Donnell, Director of Purchasing and Fleet at ARS.

Since 2010, Derive Systems has dedicated itself to revolutionizing the sustainability and security of fleet management with more than two million software installations. Derive Systems offers a scalable fleet management software platform that enables fleet managers to tailor their vehicles for the best performance. Derive’s VQ platform calibrates engines for better fuel efficiency, provides improved telematics for greater savings, and moves safety compliance from the driver to the vehicle.

The story goes on

“We are excited to continue our partnership with ARS to support their safety and fuel efficiency goals,” said John Oechsle, Chief Executive Officer of Derive Systems Fuel Consumption, which has a major impact on our environment. “

Via derivation systems

As a leading automotive technology company, Derive Systems enables its customers to take control of their vehicles. Derive safely and reliably optimizes vehicle performance, fuel efficiency, safety and more through over two million software installations. More information about Derive Systems or its products can be found at derivesystems.com.

About ARS Rescue Rooter

American Residential Services (ARS® / Rescue Rooter®) is a privately held Memphis-based company and one of the nation’s largest providers of air conditioning, heating and plumbing services. Founded in 1975, ARS / Rescue Rooter has built a prestigious national portfolio of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, electrical and energy efficient services. ARS / Rescue Rooter is proud to partner with and acquire some of the best home service providers in the country. The ARS® network offers exceptional service and serves both private and small business customers by providing heating, cooling, indoor air quality, plumbing, drain cleaning, sewerage, radiation protection, insulation and ventilation services. Each location has a knowledgeable team of trained specialists who undergo rigorous training and background checks. Additionally, ARS / Rescue Rooter has long-term strategic partnerships with industry-leading suppliers and retailers to efficiently serve consumers. ARS / Rescue Rooter offers exceptional service and guarantees the highest quality standards and has the experience to do every job right – the first time with guaranteed work. To make it work. Get it right®. In 2020, GI Partners, a leading private investment firm, took a majority stake in the company. The GI Partners team brings extensive industry investment experience as well as operational and technological know-how, providing ARS employees significant opportunities and enhancing the ARS customer experience. Founded in 2001, GI Partners is a private investment company based in San Francisco, California. The company has raised over $ 23 billion in capital from leading institutional investors around the world to invest in private equity, real estate and data infrastructure strategies. Existing investors, Charlesbank Capital Partners (Charlesbank) and ARS management continue to make significant new investments in the business.

CONTACT: Mike Smith Derive Systems, Inc. msmith@yesandagency.com

The post Derive Techniques Declares Extension of Consumer Relationship with Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Large ARS Rescue Rooter appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) – As the fire season begins, animal rescue groups recommend that Bay Area residents involve their furry friends in emergency drills and household evacuation plans.

A good first step is to prepare a stretcher with supplies like linen, medicine, plenty of food, and portable bowls. Without proper transportation equipment, nervous pets can easily get loose when an owner stops to refuel or settles in an unfamiliar area.

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Michelle Hurst, host of community-run California Wildfire Pets rescue site on Facebook, is working to reconnect pets with their owners during the forest fire season, the most common cases she encounters being cats.

To prevent animals from taking off in stressful situations, she recommends that owners put their dogs on a harness or two leashes and put their cats in a stretcher or pillowcase if there is no other option during the evacuation.

“Often times people don’t have their stretcher, so they grab the cat in their arms and try to get from the house to the car,” said Hurst. “The cat freaked out because she can feel that you are upset, your adrenaline levels are going to zero … any sound can freak them out and they’ll scratch you and run away.”

The more practice an animal has in loading it into a truck – or livestock trailer – the less stressful it will be to move it quickly and the less likely it is to run free. Saanen Kerson, vice president of the Napa Community Animal Response Team, recommends practicing the process of moving animals in vehicles to prevent this from happening.

“If you have cats and dogs at home, we recommend just putting them in a box, putting them in the car once a month, just driving them around town, and then taking them home,” said Kerson . “That way, it normalizes the situation for them. They are used to walking in their pet carriers and they just know that dogs and cats do that sometimes. “

For a dog who loves driving, preparing for evacuation can be a breeze, but pets that are older, have an illness, or are more nervous may need some practice.

Training can also increase the chances of success in those worst-case scenarios when people evacuating their homes have to leave animals behind. This is especially true of farm animals, Kerson said. One of the most difficult situations evacuation workers get into is locking up groups of cattle that are not trained to load into trailers.

“When we are called to a site and have to run around a field to catch a horse, we are pressed for time to keep moving and being in the middle of an evacuation is not training time,” said Kerson. “It’s not really the time to teach an animal everything it needs to know about loading trailers.”

CONTINUE READING: Thieves rave about the Louis Vuitton store in Palo Alto and steal $ 100,000 in handbags; 11 suspects wanted

Sometimes, like chickens or feral cats, animals have to stay behind. But they can be safe at home while their owners are evacuated, as long as the room is clear of flammable vegetation and open food and water are available.

During the two evacuations in Napa County last year, Kerson said her team was responsible for screening these animals while the owners continued to stay away.

“We had hundreds of animals out in the field where they were safe. The fire was over and they were fine, but their owners just couldn’t get back in because they were still being evacuated. We also looked after these animals until those evacuation orders were lifted, ”said Kerson.

The final result? “Evacuate early, even if you are not sure if it is necessary at all,” said Kerson. “If you feel unsafe, go. Take your animals, go early, have plans.”

© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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