firefighter

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When Wildfire Smoke Sickens Firefighters, Help Isn't a Given
By Age 24, His
Firefighting Days
Had Cost Him Big
LONGFORM
Sep 20, 2025 5:30 AM CDT

By Age 24, His Firefighting Days Had Cost Him Big

NYT deep dive looks at contract firefighters and cancer risks, lack of safety nets battling wildfires

(Newser) - Joel Eisiminger had spent six years fighting wildfires in the rugged backcountry, enduring smoke, rashes, and exhaustion—until, at 24, his body suddenly gave out. In July 2024, while helping protect homes in Northern California, Eisiminger's face suddenly went slack. He ignored it at first, but he soon...

Chicago Fire Captain Dies in Line of Duty

David Meyer, a 28-year CFD veteran, was fatally injured in garage collapse

(Newser) - A routine call on Chicago's west side led to the death of a veteran fire captain and father of four Chicago Fire Department Captain David Meyer, 54, died early Wednesday while responding to a garage fire. The fire was reported just after 4am, and a mayday alarm was...

Sad Ending for Firefighter Who Vanished After Boss Died

Remains of Carlos Baltazar found in San Bernardino County, 4 years after he disappeared

(Newser) - For more than four years, firefighter Carlos Baltazar has been missing, after a mysterious disappearance following the death of his fire chief. Now, remains found in October in a remote part of the San Bernardino Mountains have been identified as those of the 35-year-old. Per SFGate , Baltazar had been part...

Cops: Years After Killing Hubby, She Killed Wife the Same Way

Yolanda Marodi, accused of stabbing longtime firefighter in California, may be in Mexico

(Newser) - Months before she was due to retire, Rebecca Marodi, a California fire captain who battled last month's Eaton Fire, was found stabbed to death on Feb. 17. Days later, police said the suspected killer was Marodi's wife of two years—a woman convicted of fatally stabbing her first...

In the 'Undescribable' Wildfire Ruins, a Glimmer of Joy

Firefighter Chien Yu recovers his wedding ring in rubble of his home lost in California's Eaton Fire

(Newser) - Before heading off to battle California's blazes, Pasadena firefighter Chien Yu evacuated his wife and two kids to safety from their own home in Altadena, reports KABC . Sadly, the Eaton Fire destroyed his house and others in the area, but there was a small bit of light as Yu...

Pro vs. Private Firefighters: 'We Consider Them a Liability'

Private firefighters inspire controversy as they protect the rich, insurance firms, government agencies

(Newser) - As the Palisades Fire raged last week, wealthy local entrepreneur Keith Wasserman put out a tweet he's come to regret. "Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home?" he posted in the since-deleted tweet. "Need to act fast here. All neighbors houses burning. Will...

Baltimore Firefighter Dies, 4 Injured in Rowhouse Blaze

Similar tragedy killed 3 city firefighters last year

(Newser) - A rapidly intensifying blaze that engulfed multiple rowhouses in northwest Baltimore late Thursday afternoon left one firefighter dead and four others injured, city officials said. The injured firefighters sustained varying degrees of burns and are receiving medical treatment, officials said at a news conference Thursday night outside Baltimore's Shock Trauma...

Choppers Fighting a Blaze Crash in Midair

3 are dead after 2 firefighting helicopters collide in Southern California

(Newser) - Three people were killed after two firefighting helicopters collided in Southern California on Sunday while fighting a blaze in Riverside County, emergency officials said. One of the helicopters landed safely, per the AP . "Unfortunately, the second helicopter crashed, and tragically, all three members perished, which included one Cal Fire...

Firefighter Adopts Infant He Found in 'Baby Box'

Florida couple had been trying to start a family for almost a decade when little Zoey appeared

(Newser) - A firefighter on duty in Ocala, Florida, suddenly detected a silent alarm. It told him that someone had opened the state's first Safe Haven Baby Box, installed two years earlier at the MLK First Responder Campus, home to Ocala Fire Rescue. When he looked inside the climate-controlled box, which...

Handcuffed Man Spits at Firefighter, Gets Punched

Suspended Miami firefighter says 'consider my actions public education'

(Newser) - Robert Webster, a City of Miami Fire Rescue lieutenant, was suspended in October after punching an arrested man handcuffed to a stretcher—and he says he doesn't regret it. Video made public this week shows Antonio Cruz spitting in the direction of Webster's face in the emergency room...

Firefighter Battled Blaze He Allegedly Set

Ray Boyd Kerns charged with felony arson, destruction of property in Woodstock, Va.

(Newser) - A volunteer firefighter who helped put out a blaze in Woodstock, Va., on Friday is also the person who set it, authorities say. A surveillance camera spotted Ray Boyd Kerns of the Woodstock Fire Department outside an abandoned multi-story, 22,000-square-foot building 30 minutes before a fire was reported by...

Firefighter Arrives to Find 10 Family Members Killed

Pennsylvania victims include 3 children

(Newser) - Fire tore quickly through a house in the wee hours of Friday, killing seven adults and three children and horrifying a volunteer firefighter who arrived to battle the blaze only to discover that the victims were his family, authorities said. Nescopeck Volunteer Fire Co. firefighter Harold Baker said the 10...

SUV Falls on Firefighter During NYC Rescue
SUV Falls on
Firefighter During
NYC Rescue
VIDEO
Jul 18, 2022 4:53 PM CDT

SUV Falls on Firefighter During NYC Rescue

Bystanders helped free him from under vehicle

(Newser) - A New York City firefighter was seriously injured Sunday afternoon while trying to rescue the occupants of a BMW SUV that had become lodged on top of a Volvo sedan. As firefighters tried to stabilize the SUV, "the driver of one of the vehicles hit the gas and caused...

Fire, Then Building Collapse Kills Philly Firefighter

4 other firefighters and a city inspector were pulled from the rubble and are now in stable condition

(Newser) - One firefighter has died after being trapped in a building that caught fire in Philadelphia and then collapsed early Saturday, fire officials said. The fallen firefighter wasn't immediately identified, but Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said he was a 27-year department veteran, per the AP . Four other firefighters and...

Firefighter Fatally Shot While Responding to Dumpster Fire

Suspect arrested in Stockton, Calif., tragedy

(Newser) - A veteran central California firefighter was fatally shot Monday when he and others responded to a report of a dumpster fire, and authorities have arrested a suspect, officials said. Fire Capt. Vidal “Max” Fortuna was shot before dawn in the city of Stockton and died at a hospital, Stockton...

His Heavy Lift Puts Fire Chief in Hot Water

New Bedford, Massachusetts, fires Paul Coderre Jr., citing video evidence of injury fraud

(Newser) - Paul Coderre Jr. helped load a 176-pound smoker grill into his pickup truck on a sunny day last June, before later removing it on his own. For the city of New Bedford, Mass., that routine action was hugely significant. As acting fire chief, Coderre had claimed work-related injuries that resulted...

Wife: Cops Are Concealing Firefighter's Murder in Mexico

Elijah Snow, found dead in a hotel window, appeared to have been beaten

(Newser) - Mexican authorities said Elijah Snow, a Texas firefighter on a trip to Cancun for his 10th wedding anniversary, died when he became stuck in a small hotel window . But his wife believes police are covering up his murder. Speaking Monday on the Season 20 premiere of Dr. Phil , Jamie Snow...

He Was on Paid COVID Leave. Then They Asked to See the Tests

Dallas firefighter William Carter has been charged with felony theft

(Newser) - The pandemic hit Dallas firefighter William Jordan Carter's family hard, his employer thought: He received weeks of paid time off after reporting that first his wife and then his daughter had tested positive for COVID-19. Two days before he was due to return to work, he said he had...

Naked Woman Found Stuck Between 2 Buildings

Firefighters in Santa Ana say it was a 'cautious and technical' rescue operation

(Newser) - Firefighters in California say that after a "cautious and technical" operation, a woman was rescued from a tiny gap between two buildings. The naked woman had somehow become stuck in the space between two businesses in Santa Ana, Fox 11 reports. Max Benett, the owner of Tim's Auto...

New Wrench at Condo Scene: a COVID Outbreak

At least 6 firefighters helping search and rescue efforts at Surfside collapse site have tested positive

(Newser) - As people get ready to celebrate the holiday weekend with barbecues and other get-togethers, a COVID outbreak at the site of the South Florida condo collapse reminds us that the pandemic isn't over just yet. Six firefighters helping out at the scene in Surfside have tested positive, Miami-Dade Fire...

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