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<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Sunday <keyword id="12934019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="apartment-fire" source="Orion">apartment fire</keyword> in the Bronx killed 17 people, including 8 children.</li><li>Officials on Tuesday identified 14 victims and said an investigation into faulty doors in the complex is ongoing.</li></ul>Officials on Tuesday identified 14 of 17 victims killed in a Sunday <a href="https://www.insider.com/dozens-injured-in-apartment-fire-bronx-2022-1">apartment fire in the Bronx</a>, after a <a href="https://www.insider.com/bronx-fire-portable-heater-started-deadly-blaze-chief-says-2022-1">faulty space heater</a> sent smoke billowing through the entire complex. The identified victims range in age from 5 years old to 50 years old, and their names follow:<ul><li>Muhammed Drammeh, 12</li><li>Nyumaaisha Drammeh, 19</li><li>Foutmala Drammeh, 21</li><li>Fatoumata Drammeh, 50</li><li>Haji Dukary, 49</li><li>Fatoumata Dukureh, 5</li><li>Mariam Dukureh, 11</li><li>Mustapha Dukureh, 12</li><li>Haja Dukureh, 37</li><li>Omar Jambang, 6</li><li>Sera Janneh, 27</li><li>Haouwa Mahamadou, 5</li><li>Seydou Toure, 12</li><li>Fatoumata Tunkara, 43</li></ul>The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Tuesday that all 17 victims died of smoke inhalation. A spokesperson for the agency told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/us/new-york-bronx-apartment-fire-tuesday/index.html">CNN</a> that the manner of death for all the deceased was determined to be an accident. Fire officials are focusing their investigation on self-closing doors inside the building that possibly malfunctioned, allowing the smoke to quickly spread throughout the 19-story complex, according to <a href="https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2022/01/11/bronx-high-rise-fire-what-went-wrong/">WLNY</a>. At least eight of the deceased were children, officials said earlier this week, and dozens of additional residents were injured. According to CNN, at least eight patients are still being hospitalized in relation to the fire as of Tuesday, while another 25 have since been treated and released. Several residents in the 120-unit building told the outlet that fire alarms throughout the complex frequently malfunctioned, causing a delay in response time among many people in the building on Sunday morning. The building was home to a large population of Muslim immigrants from West Africa, CNN reported, and many of the units housed multiple family members. One 23-year-old woman, Fatima Drammeh, who was at work when the fire broke out, lost her mother, brother, and two sisters, according to a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/4-family-members-lost-in-a-tragic-bronx-fire">GoFundMe. </a> The fundraising page said Drammeh's 16-year-old brother is currently hospitalized after he was rescued from the unit. Another Bronx resident, Yusupha Jawara told the <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-bronx-fire-families-victims-20220110-cp4c7ywzprhnjcl4rlx7v24ytm-story.html">New York Daily News</a> that his two nieces and two nephews were left orphaned by the fire. Jawara's brother and sister-in-law were not among the released victim names on Tuesday. "The four children don't know about it yet," Jawara told the outlet. "We're still trying to figure out how to break the <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword>."

Officials identify 14 of the 17 victims killed in Bronx apartment fire

Indian consumers spent nearly four hours daily watching content on their <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/amazon-fire-tv-cube-streaming-box-launched-in-india-at-12999/articleshow/82178452.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Amazon Fire TV devices</a> in 2021, up from 3 hours per day as compared to 2020, the company said on Monday. One in three <keyword id="2180439" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fire-tv" source="Orion">Fire TV</keyword> customers said farewell to a cable or DTH connection while they interacted with Alexa on an average of once every 4 seconds on Fire TV devices. "Over 150 million Fire TV devices have been sold worldwide, with users streaming billions of hours of content every month," said Parag Gupta, the India Head of Amazon Devices. "We will continue innovating on behalf of our customers to help them seamlessly discover and enjoy new shows, movies, and more," he added. Customers purchased Fire TV devices in 80 per cent of pin codes across the country. "Smaller cities like Hisar, Tiruvallur, Chittoor, Alwar, Imphal, and South Andaman saw an increased growth in sales of Fire TV devices," the company said. Comedy retained its spot as the most preferred TV genre among Fire TV consumers. Smart home control requests by customers using Alexa on their Fire TV devices increased by over 150 per cent in 2021 versus last year, said the company.

Indians watched content for 4 hours daily on Amazon Fire TV devices in 2021

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11940265" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="amazon-fire-tv" source="Orion">Amazon Fire TV</keyword> is a video streaming device first released by <keyword id="11893181" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="amazon" source="Orion">Amazon</keyword> in 2014 that now has five different models.</li><li>Fire TV has a remote control with Alexa-powered voice recognition. </li><li>In addition to Amazon Prime Video, Fire TV has access to thousands of streaming channels, streaming music like Spotify, and even games. </li></ul><keyword id="12387890" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="amazon-fire" source="Orion">Amazon Fire</keyword> TV is a video streaming device created by Amazon - it connects to a television or monitor and lets you watch TV shows and movies streamed over apps like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and thousands of others. Amazon released its first version of the Fire TV in 2014, and has since developed several different models.<h2>What is Fire TV?</h2>Fire TV works like other media players (such as Roku, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-google-chromecast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google Chromecast</a>, and the Apple TV). It's a device that connects to a TV or monitor via an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-hdmi-cable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HDMI</a> port and behaves sort of like the TV's operating system. It has its own home page and library of free and subscription-based streaming apps that you can use to watch videos and listen to music. In that way, Fire TV turns any ordinary TV into a "smart" TV - or can be used as a replacement for the OS built into a smart TV.<div type="image" title="image of amazon fire home on TV screen" height="1077" width="1536" msid="87530168" hostid="261"></div>Currently, Amazon offers five versions of Fire TV, from the value-priced Fire TV Stick Lite to the premium Fire TV Cube. In between those two, Amazon offers three other models: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-amazon-fire-stick" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Fire TV Stick</a>, Fire TV Stick 4K, and the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. In general, all five devices work essentially the same and offer the same array of streaming apps, streaming music, and games. <div type="image" title="image of amazon fire stick device and remote" height="871" width="1856" msid="87530169" hostid="261"></div>The difference between models is mainly a matter of image quality, sound quality, and connectivity. The Fire TV Stick Lite and Fire TV Stick only display HD, for example, while the other models offer 4K video. Likewise, all but the Lite output sound in Dolby Atmos, and you need at least the Fire TV Stick 4K Max to connect to the new WiFi 6 wireless standard.<h2>What can you do with a Fire TV?</h2>Like any streaming media player, Fire TV is an entertainment device that gives you access to a vast array of content - free and subscription movies and TV shows, as well as music and games - via an internet connection. The primary focus of Fire TV, and no doubt the main reason most people purchase one, is for streaming TV shows and movies. That means you can connect to countless streaming apps such as Netflix, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/can-i-watch-youtube-tv-on-fire-tv" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a>, Hulu, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-hbo-max-on-amazon-fire-stick" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HBO Max</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/is-disney-plus-on-fire-stick" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disney+</a>, and many others including, of course, Amazon's own Prime Video. <div type="image" title="Image of streaming app options on Fire TV" height="1000" width="1493" msid="87530170" hostid="261"></div>Fire TV does a lot more than just streaming TV and movies, though. It can also stream audio. Using apps like Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Sirius XM, you can listen to music on demand as well as radio stations and podcasts. It is also a gaming system, after a fashion. You can use Fire TV to play a large assortment of games. Titles range from mobile classics like Candy Crush to a modern version of Pac-Man and GTA Street Fighter. Some games can be played with the Fire TV remote, though for a more satisfying gaming experience you will need to add an optional game controller. <h2>How Fire TV differs from its competitors</h2>The streaming media player field is fairly crowded; you can choose among Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, and Apple TV, and that doesn't include several less popular models. Most of these devices have a lot of baseline features and capabilities in common, such as access to a vast library of streaming content and a range of products across all price points. Although, Apple TV is an outlier, with no low-end product to compete with the inexpensive Fire TV Stick Lite.Fire TV distinguishes itself from competing products in a few important ways:<ul><li>Fire TV is built on the Android OS, but Amazon has modified the software substantially, so it cannot run Android apps. That's in contrast to Chromecast with Google TV, which has access to the entire library of Android apps, including Android's mobile games. </li><li>Because Fire TV is an Amazon product, it emphasizes Amazon services. You certainly have full access to other channels and apps, but Amazon emphasizes its own services, like Prime Video and Prime Music, by default when you look for content.</li><li>While other streaming players may or may not include voice control, Fire TV has voice control built into every Fire TV model using Alexa, the same personal assistant found in Echo smart speakers.</li></ul><a data-type="5cc1dbb3b14bf46dd76e65e5">All the ways you can watch Amazon Prime Video on your TV, from smart TVs to streaming from an iPhone</a><a data-type="5cb0de663de6004cc73c263b">A beginner's guide to the Roku Streaming Stick: How to install and use the device</a><a data-type="5cc1e6974a167562fd7d0962">'What can the Amazon Echo do?': Everything you need to know about Amazon's smart speakers</a><a data-type="5a8c59b9d030721b008b4762">A complete guide to the Amazon Echo family, the smart speakers that will change your home forever</a>

What is Amazon Fire TV? A guide to the streaming device and how it differs from its competitors

The <keyword id="2572043" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Fire-TV-Stick">Amazon Fire TV Stick</keyword> is one of the most popular streaming devices available in India. It can be plugged into the TV’s HDMI port, allowing you to convert your regular TV into a smart TV and giving you access to various subscription services such as <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> Prime Video, Netflix and more. While using a <keyword id="2180439" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="fire-tv">Fire TV</keyword> Stick is not very complex, there are some features that not everyone may know about. These features will help you get the most out of your Fire TV Stick. Best tips for Fire TV Stick users Name your Fire TV Stick You can change the name of your Fire TV Stick from the default name. This is useful especially when you have multiple devices. <ul><li>Go to Manage your Content and Devices <a href="https://www.amazon.com/mycd">page</a> and login. </li><li>Go to ‘Your Devices’ and select the Fire TV Stick you wish to rename. </li><li>Click on ‘Edit’ next to the name of the device. </li><li>Once you have entered the name, click on ‘Save’. </li></ul>Sideload apps While Fire TV Stick comes with several in-built apps, you can also sideload apps on the device. <ul><li>Go to Fire TV home page </li><li>Go to Settings, select ‘Device’ and then select ‘Developer Options’. </li><li>Now enable ‘Apps from Unknown Sources’ and ‘ADB Debugging’. </li><li>Now, download the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.koni.appstofiretv">Apps2Fire</a> app on an Android phone and make sure you are on the same Wi-Fi network as the Fire Stick. </li><li>Open the Apps2Fire on your phone, tap the overflow button (three dots) and select ‘Setup’. </li><li>Now, click on ‘Network’ and select your Fire TV Stick from the available devices. </li><li>Now, tap on ‘local apps’ and select the app you wish to install. </li><li>The app will be sent over the network to your Fire Stick TV and it will be installed in the background. </li></ul>Fire TV Remote app If you are someone who often loses the Fire Stick remote, you can install the official remote app for your Android or iOS device. <ul><li>Download the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.storm.lightning.client.aosp&amp;hl=en">Android app</a> or the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amazon-fire-tv-remote/id947984433">iOS app</a> as per your requirement. </li><li>Make sure you are on the same Wi-Fi network as the Fire Stick. </li><li>Open the app on your phone and you will be able to select your Fire TV. </li><li>You will get a code on your TV that needs to be entered in the app. </li><li>You can now control your Fire TV with your phone. </li></ul>Disable personalized Ads Like most services these days, Amazon also tracks your activities for personalized Ads. You can stop this easily. <ul><li>From the Fire TV home page, click on ‘Settings’. </li><li>Now, go to ‘Preferences’ and click on ‘Privacy Settings’. </li><li>Now, turn off Internet-based Ads. </li></ul>Mirror your phone <ul><li>From the Fire TV home page, click on ‘Settings’. </li><li>Now, click on ‘Display and Sounds’. </li><li>Now, enable ‘Display Mirroring’. </li><li>Now, search for the screen mirroring option on your smartphone. This may vary depending on your device. </li><li>If you are on the same network as the Fire TV, the mirroring will begin. </li></ul>Delete your voice recordings Amazon Fire TV automatically records everything you search for using the mic. You can clear all such recordings from your Fire TV. <ul><li>Go to the Manage your Content and Devices <a href="https://www.amazon.com/mn/dcw/myx.html#/home/devices/1">page</a>. </li><li>Select your device. </li><li>Now, click on ‘Delete voice recordings’ and select ‘Delete’.</li></ul>See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/how-to-reset-an-amazon-fire-tv-stick-to-its-factory-settings-whether-its-malfunctioning-or-you-want-a-fresh-start/articleshow/69697458.cms">How to reset an Amazon Fire TV Stick to its factory settings, whether it's malfunctioning or you want a fresh start</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/amazon-fire-tv-launch-pricing-and-comparison-with-xiaomi-smart-tv/articleshow/72475330.cms">Amazon to take on Xiaomi's smart TVs with Fire TVs made by Onida</a>

Best Amazon Fire TV Stick tips and tricks: Get the most out of Fire TV Stick using these tips

<div type="image" title="kincade fire" height="1286" width="2291" msid="77685348" hostid="261"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Lightning and a scorching heat wave are causing hundreds of fires in <keyword id="2379" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="California">California</keyword>, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.</li><li>Devastating fires are nothing new in California, although their severity has increased in recent years.</li><li><keyword id="9071581" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="business-insider-weekly">Business Insider Weekly</keyword> visited Sonoma County residents whose homes and businesses fell victim to an especially brutal wildfire season earlier this year, and their stories are worth revisiting almost a year later.</li></ul>A scorching heat wave in California is causing hundreds of deadly fires that are causing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.The lightning-fueled blazes have already killed five people and injured 33 more, <a href="https://www.insider.com/10000-lightning-strikes-spark-major-fires-in-california-2020-8">authorities said on Friday</a>.While devastating blazes are nothing new in California, climate change has increased their severity in recent years. Business Insider Weekly visited residents in Sonoma County whose homes and businesses fell victim to an especially brutal wildfire season in December and January, and one year later, their stories are worth revisiting.<div type="image" title="Screen Shot 2020 02 11 at 11.00.28 AM" height="1074" width="1915" msid="77685350" hostid="261"></div>Chris Arai is the owner of the last home standing on a ridge that was swallowed up by the <keyword id="8270043" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kincade-fire">Kincade Fire</keyword>, the 2019 season's most destructive blaze.Its survival is possibly thanks to the handmade <keyword id="28762" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="fire">fire</keyword> defenses Arai has installed over the past several years.Arai, an electrical engineer, had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-fire-fireproof-home-sonoma-county-kincade-2020-2">dedicated himself to building a home that could withstand wildfires</a>. His painstaking fire-prevention techniques include a concrete basement he poured by hand, a fire-repellent gel he coats his windows with, and a sprinkler system that dampens surrounding vegetation to prevent fires from consuming them.Fifteen years later, as the Kincade Fire loomed, the local sheriff and multiple fire crews visited his property, and all advised him to evacuate immediately. He said he estimated he had a "95-plus"-percent chance of survival, but evacuated anyway.And amazingly, his defenses worked, and his house stood standing."I would definitely ride it out now. Absolutely. Because now I know that the house didn't burn."But that doesn't mean Arai is out of the woods. He is one of over 350,000 California homeowners who have been dropped by insurance companies in the past two years, in what some experts have called a crisis.A similar fate awaited Michelle Hall, whose home 10 miles down the road was completely burned to the ground."So the companies, a lot of them wouldn't even, like you said, touch our house," Hall said. "They said absolutely not. We're not going to insure you. It's too high risk.""I don't want to look at anything that's going to remind me of this ever again. I just want it to be over with and be able to move on."<div type="image" title="kincade fire" height="682" width="1024" msid="77685352" hostid="261"></div>A local charity is helping Hall's family pay for accommodation while they figure out what's next. Although Hall's family has lived in the house for generations, the fire may finally cause them to say goodbye — Hall is staying in Texas, and plans to move to Idaho while she waits on money from her fire settlement."The fires, you know, they're helping push me, and the high costs of living, you know?" she said. "That's probably the No. 1 reason, because if we wanted to move into town, we couldn't do it."Another local charity, Corazon Healdsburg, set up a "free store" to provide necessities like diapers, socks, and paper towels to people who lost everything.Moody's estimates the fire cost the average resident $765, and the average business $16,000.Overall, Sonoma County took about a $725 million hit. The county is <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2020-01-15/sonoma-county-prepares-to-sue-pg-e-for-damages-from-fire">preparing to sue PG&amp;E,</a> California's electric utility, for damages. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but PG&amp;E has told state regulators that it had a problem at a transmission tower near the fire's ignition point.For one local staple called the Jimtown Store, the losses have been too great to bear. The fires and ensuing blackouts forced it to close in late December. Three years of lost income because of the disasters had become too much to handle for the store that had been open for three decades."It's more than a dusty roadside cafe — it really is the heart and soul of this community," co-owner Carrie Brown said.But even for those who escaped the flames, the future is still uncertain.<div type="image" title="kincade fire" height="662" width="1024" msid="77685354" hostid="261"></div>Across the state, an insurance crisis is unfolding. Multiple reports suggest that the recent wildfires have wiped out decades of profits for the industry.In December, as insurers continued to drop policies, the state of California stepped in. It temporarily blocked insurance companies from cutting off close to 1 million more customers in 2020.Meanwhile, Silicon Valley has offered a technological solution — the startup <a href="https://www.zesty.ai/">Zesty.ai</a> uses artificial intelligence to help insurance companies more accurately assess risk.Zesty's platform rated the iconic Soda Rock Winery as high-risk for fire, even though most other agencies hadn't expected it to burn. Zesty was proven right when the 150-year-old local landmark was leveled in the fire.David Shew, a former firefighter who consults with Zesty, said the company's model factors in "adjacent structures, what those structures are built out of, how close they are, the vegetation, the age of the structure." He said since the Kincade Fire, residents and businesses have been more sensitive to fire prevention.Zesty could become an indispensable tool for those who wish to remain in a landscape that will continue to be reshaped by fire."The public has to accept the fact that if you choose to live in a fire prone environment, it is a constant piece of work that you have to maintain your structure," Shew said.

As deadly fires force tens of thousands to evacuate in California, we look back on those who've lost their homes and businesses

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Insider uncovered joke comments by a senior fire-safety expert disparaging disabled people.</li><li>Colin Todd sarcastically described disabled people dying in a fire while arguing against measures to protect them.</li></ul>A fire-safety expert taking part in the official inquiry into the blaze at Grenfell Tower wrote sarcastic jokes online about disabled people dying in fires.Colin Todd is a prominent fire-safety expert in the UK, whose company drafted controversial official guidance suggesting that public housing did not require individualized plans to help disabled people escape in a fire.The <keyword id="13319439" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="grenfell-fire" source="Orion">Grenfell fire</keyword> in London in 2017 forced a national reckoning on fire safety. Seventy-two Grenfell residents died, due in part to unsafe flammable cladding material on the exterior and poor evacuation advice given to those inside.Disability rights groups have criticized Todd's guidance, and his <a href="https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/evidence/colin-todds-expert-report">position as an expert witness</a> in analyzing the <keyword id="13319440" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="grenfell-tower-fire" source="Orion">Grenfell Tower fire</keyword> (in which many disabled people died), and also the comments discovered by Insider. Todd's comments were <a href="http://firenetforum.org.uk/index.php?topic=6224.0">written in 2014, in a forum for fire-safety professionals</a>. They came in a thread discussing whether building owners should be required to install special fire alarms for those less able to move and escape. Arguing against the idea, Todd wrote this fictional description of disabled people being alerted to a fire but unable to escape:"And Brian is right, what fun we will have watching Rudetube videos of the poor disabled people crawling on their hands and knees down smoke filled corridors when the common parts fire alarm system operates to tell them to get out into the corridors because there is smoke in them.""it all promotes equality, because the able bodied people will have to go on their hands and knees too when the smoke layer gets too low, rather than staying in the safety of their flats."Speaking to Insider over email, Todd confirmed he was referring to "Rude Tube", a TV show that ran from 2008 to 2017 aggregating comedic highlights from social media video sites. In an email to Insider, Todd confirmed that he wrote the comments, but said they were sarcastic and had been taken out of context. His intention, he said, was to argue against the extra alarms, which he claimed would put disabled people at greater risk.<div type="image" title="Smoke rises from the burning 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London on June 14, 2017 in London, England." height="2000" width="2666" msid="90030570" hostid="261"></div>Todd pointed to an earlier post he was arguing against, which adopted a similarly flippant tone while arguing for the alarms to be present.The anonymous user wrote: "Its important to tell people, who are unable to react, that they are in a burning building. We wouldn't want them to safely sleep through a fire in the building. Where's the fun in that?"Todd told Insider he stood by what he said, writing an email to Insider saying "you are quite correct, of course, to confirm that I wrote these comments, as this is a fact.""The comments were intended to support a similar posting by another poster as a sarcastic rebuke of a suggestion that would have placed disabled (and other) residents at serious risk," he added.Todd explained that he was rebuking comments suggesting that you should not put fire alarms in common areas, which he said could mean disabled people would not be adequately alerted to a fire. <h2>'This comes down to whether or not we have the right to survive a fire'</h2>Sarah Rennie, co-founder of the campaign group Claddag, which advocates for better fire safety measures for disabled people, told Insider: "We are sent these comments day after day by concerned people who read them. They speak to his mindset on how serious he thinks this issue is.""It's not a joke," Rennie said. "This is a really traumatic issue for us. And it's not a laughing matter. This comes down to whether or not we have the right to survive a fire when all our neighbors are running out of the building or have heard the fire alarm.""We don't have that privilege and we are making sure that our right to evacuate is being respected and enforced." Tanni Grey-Thompson, a member of the House of Lords, <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2022-02-02/debates/0A62E1DB-CA20-47EC-9E51-0D07B71A1817/BuildingSafetyBill">raised Todd's comments in Parliamen</a>t in early February, noting that she was "very concerned" and that they ought to be "interrogated."Todd's advice on fire-safety, including for disabled people, has been endorsed at the highest level in the UK, and earned him an MBE award in 2020.Guidance produced by his company, C.S. Todd &amp; Associates, and circulated by UK officials, said it was "usually unrealistic" to develop what is known in the industry as "personal emergency evacuation plans" for disabled people in general-use housing. The advice featured in a <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1020410/Fire_Safety_in_Purpose_Built_Blocks_of_Flats_Guide.pdf">2011 government handbook</a> and remained in use for 10 years before it was withdrawn in 2021, and replaced with blacked-out text pending an update.Many local government sites still have the unredacted guidance on their site, such as <a href="https://leics-fire.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/fire-safety-in-purpose-built-flats.pdf">Leicestershire Fire Service.</a> The guidance states: "In 'general needs' blocks of flats, it can equally be expected that a resident's physical and mental ability will vary. It is usually unrealistic to expect landlords and other responsible persons to plan for this or to have in place special arrangements, such as 'personal emergency evacuation plans'. Such plans rely on the presence of staff or others available to assist the person to escape in a fire.""... It is not realistic to expect such an approach to be adopted where there are disabled people and others requiring assistance in a 'general needs' block. Any attempts to keep information of this kind must be updated regularly as inaccurate information could potentially be harmful than no information."The <a href="https://assets.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/GTI%20-%20Phase%201%20report%20Executive%20Summary.pdf">phase one report from the Grenfell Fire inquiry</a> found that advice for disabled people to "stay put" in a fire had failed. <a href="https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2021/march/almost-half-grenfell-fire-deaths-were-disabled-people-and-children#:~:text=Fifteen%20of%20the%2037%20Disabled,latest%20phase%20of%20the%20Inquiry.&amp;text=41%25%20of%20Disabled%20people%20who,the%20Tower%20died%20that%20night.">According to Disability Rights UK</a>, 15 of the 72 dead were disabled. The group said there were 37 disabled people in total in the building, giving them a survival rate of around 60%, far worse than able-bodied residents.Despite the "stay put" guidance having failed at Grenfell, <a href="https://assets.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/documents/Colin%20Todd%20report_0.pdf">Todd stood by it in his expert witness report</a> on the fire, wherein specialists are called to provide their expertise on an issue. Todd wrote that "a 'stay put' strategy is actually favorable to vulnerable people and consistent with the principles of equality."<h2>Potential conflict of interest</h2>Advocates for the victims of the Grenfell fire have raised additional questions about Todd's role as an expert witness. In March 2021, the industry publication <a href="https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/grenfell-tower-inquiry-experts-son-is-head-of-fire-safety-at-rbkc-70255">Inside Housing reported</a> that Todd had an apparent conflict of interest. His son was hired in 2019 as head of fire safety at the local authority responsible for Grenfell Tower. Todd told Insider he had no comment on this. In the report for the digital publication, Adrian Williamson QC, a judge who represented the bereaved, survivors, and residents of Grenfell at the inquiry, said "We do not agree with Mr Todd's general approach and do not accept that he is an appropriate expert to guide the inquiry."In December 2021, <a href="https://atamis-8888.cloudforce.com/sfc/p/#58000000L5A4/a/4I000001R3LQ/Ks9DcWJj2WKrwRp.WeLjnbHs7brBcD1PLAZ4BOoRPi0">Todd was given a contract</a> by the government to continue advising it on fire-safety issues. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/fire-safety-expert-grenfell-contract-b2001388.html">The Independent reported</a> that it is worth £210,000.Sal Brinton, another House of Lords member, <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2022-02-21/debates/7FE81524-1DD6-4308-ADBE-541FFCC2AD2E/BuildingSafetyBill">said in a recent debate</a> that many disabled people opposed the appointment.<h2>He 'doesn't believe in evacuation plans for disabled people'</h2>Claddag <a href="https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/legal-action-seeks-justice-over-award-of-fire-safety-contract/">is pursuing a judicial review of the Home Office's decision</a> to award Todd the contract. Rennie, the Claddag founder, told Insider, "We don't believe Mr. Todd is the appropriate author for this policy because he doesn't believe in evacuation plans for disabled people."She also <a href="https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/legal-action-seeks-justice-over-award-of-fire-safety-contract/">told the Disability News Service</a> that "In awarding this contract, we believe that the home secretary has failed in her public sector equality duty towards disabled people."In a statement to Insider, the Home Office confirmed the existence of the judicial review case, and defended Todd's appointment."The appointment of C.S. Todd &amp; Associates to write fire safety guidance was conducted in accordance with due and proper process," a spokesperson said. "There is strong governance in place, which is kept under regular review, to oversee the detail of the guidance so that it is as effective as possible at keeping people safe."

Grenfell fire expert joked about disabled people 'crawling along smoke-filled corridors'

Nearly 200 <keyword id="28762" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="fire">fire</keyword>fighters battled a 5-alarm fire in a garage in the Bronx on Thursday.
No injuries have been reported, but the fire <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/02/us-usa-newyork-fire-idUSBRE9410OL20130502?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=domesticNews">has spread</a> to eight buildings in the area.
UPDATE: See "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/nyregion/five-alarm-fire-in-bronx-disrupts-subway-service.html">Fire Devastates Businesses in Bronx, and Neighborhood Laments Loss</a>" by Nate Schweber of The New York Times.

The blaze broke out at about 6:15 a.m. on 225th Street in the neighborhood of Wakefield and escalated to a fifth alarm by 7:30 a.m. 
Heavy smoke was seen for miles, and a user on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/mrs_morantin/status/329930045118373892">said</a> she can smell it from the other side of the borough.

Fire officials said the building — a detached garage behind an apartment building — is <a href="http://bronx.news12.com/news/5-alarm-fire-rips-through-detached-garage-on-east-225th-street-in-wakefield-1.5181866">partially collapsed</a>, and they don't know what was inside.
ABC has more <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/gallery?section=news&amp;id=9087629&amp;photo=1">pictures of firefighters</a> dealing with the flames.
No word yet on the cause of the fire.
More to come as information becomes available.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Photo: My neighborhood. The garage fire you’ll hear about on the news <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Wakefield">#Wakefield</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23bronx">#bronx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23fire">#fire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23garagefire">#garagefire</a>... <a href="http://t.co/mIDyb4CAQr" title="http://tmblr.co/ZtnSJyk2Vc4j">tmblr.co/ZtnSJyk2Vc4j</a>
— Bernadette(@WisdomOrganic) <a href="https://twitter.com/WisdomOrganic/status/329940368072253440">May 2, 2013</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.@<a href="https://twitter.com/fdny">fdny</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Bronx">#Bronx</a> blaze started in garage behind row of businesses. Entire block on fire. No injuries. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%231010WINS">#1010WINS</a> <a href="http://t.co/HDqVlB1eYq" title="http://twitter.com/SandbergSteve/status/329938030532120577/photo/1">twitter.com/SandbergSteve/…</a>
— Steve Sandberg (@SandbergSteve) <a href="https://twitter.com/SandbergSteve/status/329938030532120577">May 2, 2013</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NOW: We are watching a massive garage fire in Bronx. Here is a screen shot of the blaze. Stay tuned. <a href="http://t.co/nrJaUJRJOT" title="http://twitter.com/WSOC_TV/status/329916569427783680/photo/1">twitter.com/WSOC_TV/status…</a>
— WSOC TV (@WSOC_TV) <a href="https://twitter.com/WSOC_TV/status/329916569427783680">May 2, 2013</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
INCREDIBLE ARIEL PHOTO OF <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23BRONX">#BRONX</a> 5 ALARM FIRE - 685 E 225 St &amp; White Plains Rd - @<a href="https://twitter.com/news12chopper">news12chopper</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Wakefield">#Wakefield</a> <a href="http://t.co/UmV6olgGLu" title="http://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/329926938691002369/photo/1">twitter.com/Breaking911/st…</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/329926938691002369">May 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Woke up to a giant fire in the Bronx <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23bxfire">#bxfire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23holymoleythisishuge">#holymoleythisishuge</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23dontplaywithmatcheskids">#dontplaywithmatcheskids</a> <a href="http://t.co/mVGKBVnKO4" title="http://twitter.com/SixthBoroughPro/status/329929564153327616/photo/1">twitter.com/SixthBoroughPr…</a>
— Justin Gaitas (@SixthBoroughPro) <a href="https://twitter.com/SixthBoroughPro/status/329929564153327616">May 2, 2013</a></blockquote>

Firefighters Battle Massive Fire In The Bronx

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — As smoke thickened and a <keyword id="28762" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="fire">fire</keyword> grew in the back of a limousine, Nelia Arellano desperately tried to squeeze through a 3 foot by 1 ½-foot partition.
Stuck for a moment, Arellano made her way into the front seat. Four of her friends quickly followed. Five others didn't make it. Their bodies were later found pressed against the partition.
Arellano said in an interview Monday with KGO-TV that she believes the driver, Oliver Brown, could have done more to help during the fire, which took place Saturday night on one of the busiest bridges on San Francisco Bay.
"When he stop the car, he get out from the car, he just get out from the car," she said.
Arellano and other women had started the night celebrating the recent wedding of Neriza Fojas and were headed across the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge to a hotel in Foster City.
Brown — a San Jose man who worked for the limo company the past two months — has said in interviews that one of the passengers tapped on the partition behind him, saying something about smoke as music blared from the back. No smoking was allowed, he told them.
Then the taps turned to urgent knocks, and someone screamed "Pull over!"
Brown said he stopped on the bridge as soon as he could. Then he helped pull the women out through the partition, he said.
One of the women who made it through the partition ran to the back and yanked open a door, but Brown said that provided oxygen to the fire and the rear of the limo became engulfed in flames.
Brown said he believed it was an electrical fire.
"It could have been smoldering for days," he told KGO on Monday, noting there was no explosive boom.
Authorities searched for answers Monday, hoping to learn what sparked the blaze and why five of the victims killed Saturday night couldn't escape.
The position of the bodies at the partition suggested they were trying to get away from the fire, San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said.
Fojas, 31, a registered nurse from Fresno was planning to travel to her native Philippines to hold another wedding ceremony with relatives. Her friends in the limousine were fellow nurses.
Fojas was among the five who died. Her mother, Sonya, broke into tears during an interview in the Philippines with local TV network GMA News.
"How painful, how painful what happened," she said.
The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, Harry Thomas Jr., on Tuesday expressed condolences to the Fojas family.
"Mystery surrounds deadly limo fire," he said in a Twitter message. "Condolences to the Fojas family in the Philippines and the U.S. and other nurses."
Fojas and another woman who died, Michelle Estrera, were nurses at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno. The remaining three victims haven't been identified.
The medical center's CEO, Jack Chubb, said in a statement Monday that Fojas and Estrera were outstanding nurses, loved by their patients, colleagues and staff.
"Both were good friends, stellar nurses and excellent mentors who served as preceptors to new nurses," he said.
A relative of Fojas said the young nurse was preparing to get her master's degree.
Christina Kitts said Monday that Fojas lived in Hawaii while she reviewed for her nursing exam, then took a job in Oakland for two years before moving to Fresno about a year ago.
Three survivors hospitalized were identified as Jasmine Desguia, 34, of San Jose; Mary Guardiano, 42, of Alameda; and Amalia Loyola, 48, of San Leandro. Arellano, 36, of Oakland, was treated and released.
California Highway Patrol Commander Mike Maskarich said the state Public Utilities Commission had authorized the vehicle to carry eight or fewer passengers, but it had nine on the night of the deadly fire. Maskarich said it was too early in the investigation to say whether overcrowding may have been a factor.
State PUC spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said Monday that the commission is looking into whether the operator of the limo, Limo Stop, willfully misrepresented the seating capacity to the agency. If so, Limo Stop could be penalized $7,500 for each day it was in violation.
Limo Stop is licensed and has shown evidence of liability insurance, Prosper said. The company has seven vehicles with a seating capacity of up to eight passengers listed with the commission, and it has not been the target of any previous enforcement action.
The CPUC requires that all carriers have a preventive maintenance program and maintain a daily vehicle inspection report, Prosper said. Carriers also certify that they are have or are enrolled in a safety education and training program, she said.
Prosper said requirements for emergency exits only apply to buses, and limousines are not required to have fire extinguishers.
Joan Claybrook, the top federal auto-safety regulator under President Jimmy Carter, said the stretch limousine industry is poorly regulated because the main agency that oversees car safety doesn't have enough money to prioritize investigating the small businesses that modify limos after they leave the assembly line.
"I think the oversight is pretty lousy, because the modifications are so individualistic, and there are not that many companies out there that do this. Mostly, they are mom-and-pop operations," said Claybrook, a former administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who previously led consumer group Public Citizen.
Instead, the agency tends to focus more on problems with new cars and major recalls, she said.
U.S. Department of Transportation data shows five people died in three separate stretch limo accidents in 2010, and 21 people died in another three stretch limo accidents in 2011.
Stretch limos are typically built in two ways.
In the first process, one carmaker builds the limousine's body, then another company customizes or stretches the vehicle.
The second company has to issue a certification that the car meets National Highway Traffic Safety Administration safety standards for new vehicles, and that all safety equipment is working as required before it can be sold to the public, said Henry Jasny, an attorney with the Washington-based nonprofit Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
In the second process, a customer buys the limousine directly from the carmaker, then takes it to be customized. But modifying the car after it has been sold is considered a retrofit, so is not something NHTSA would regulate, Jasny said.
Many older models such as the 1999 Lincoln Town Car that caught fire Saturday were modified after they left the factory, said Jerry Jacobs, who owns a boutique limousine company in in San Rafael with a fleet that includes two stretch limos.
"There is nothing wrong with having these older models on the road. Many have low mileage and immaculate interiors because we take care of them. But when these cars start getting older and the rubber boots wear out, they start running hot," Jacobs said. "The key is you have to keep doing all the right maintenance to make sure they're running smoothly."
___
Associated Press writers Sudhin Thanawala in San Francisco and Gosia Wozniacka in Fresno contributed to this report.
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Survivor Of Horrific Limo Fire Says Driver Did Nothing To Help

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A couple who survived the deadly NYC building <keyword id="11895343" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fire" source="Orion">fire</keyword> sued the city and landlord for $3 billion.</li><li>Rosa Reyes and Felix Martinez filed the class-action lawsuits in the <keyword id="12923677" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bronx" source="Orion">Bronx</keyword> Supreme Court on Tuesday.</li></ul>A couple who survived <a href="https://www.insider.com/residents-trapped-in-bronx-nyc-fire-share-stories-2022-1">the deadly apartment building fire</a> in the Bronx on Sunday filed a pair of class-action lawsuits on Tuesday, suing both their landlords and the city of New York for $3 billion in damages.It's the <a href="https://ronvil.app.box.com/s/he1fjat2jxdib2ryyqog0dq8fi6joqzp/file/904986436299">first legal action</a> taken against the building's owners since the fire that killed 17 people — eight of whom were children — over the weekend.Rosa Reyes and Felix Martinez, the lead plaintiffs, filed the class-action lawsuits in the Bronx Supreme Court on Tuesday, saying the couple sustained "severe and permanent personal injuries and/or property damage," according to <a href="https://ronvil.app.box.com/s/he1fjat2jxdib2ryyqog0dq8fi6joqzp/file/904983099992">court documents</a> obtained by Insider.The lawsuits were filed on behalf of all tenants who were affected by the blaze, seeking $1 billion each per tenant in compensatory damages and an additional $2 billion in punitive damages on behalf of themselves and "all others similarly situated."The couple accused the building's owners of failing to ensure that safety precautions were in place prior to the fire.This includes "[failing] to ensure that the front 'steel doors' were self-closing; [failing] to ensure that the smoke detectors at the subject premises and within each apartment at the subject premises were functioning; [failing] to ensure that the fire escapes were in good working order," according to court documents.The lawsuit went on to say that the couple sustained "pain, shock, mental anguish" due to the incident, adding that "these injuries and their effects will be permanent."The lawsuits accused public housing officials from <keyword id="11921345" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-york-city" source="Orion">New York City</keyword> and the Bronx of being aware of the poor conditions at the apartment building prior to the fire but failed to address the issues."Defendant Bronx had actual notice of defective conditions at the subject premises which caused the fire," the lawsuits said.Representatives for the city of New York did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.In a statement to Newsweek, the building's ownership group said: "We are devastated by this terrible tragedy and are cooperating fully with the Fire Department and other agencies as they continue to investigate."More than 200 firefighters with the New York Fire Department responded to the scene of a 5-alarm fire at 333 East 181 Street in the Bronx, according to a <a href="https://twitter.com/FDNY/status/1480229151093276672">tweet</a> by the department. <keyword id="12074412" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fdny" source="Orion">FDNY</keyword> Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the <a href="https://www.insider.com/bronx-fire-portable-heater-started-deadly-blaze-chief-says-2022-1">fire was caused</a> by a faulty space heater.Smoke spread throughout the building as the fire broke out and <a href="https://www.insider.com/safety-door-failed-bronx-building-where-fire-killed-17-people-2022-1">safety doors failed to close</a>, the Associated Press reported Monday. All 17 deaths and dozens of injuries were caused by smoke inhalation, Nigro said during a press conference."This is going to be one of the worst fires we have witnessed here in modern times in the city of New York," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Sunday.

A couple who survived the deadly Bronx apartment building fire is suing the landlord and city for $3 billion in damages

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A viral <keyword id="6762469" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="TikTok">TikTok</keyword> shows a firefighter debunking conspiracy theories about the <keyword id="42704" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="fires">fires</keyword> currently ravaging the West Coast.</li><li>The video has amassed hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok, and millions on Twitter.</li><li>There are currently over 85 fires affecting areas on the West Coast, and at least 35 people have been killed.</li></ul>A video that seemingly shows a firefighter debunking conspiracy theories related to the West Coast fires is going viral on TikTok and Twitter.<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@wildlandmike?_d=secCgsIARCbDRgBIAIoARI%2BCjzXDgVMqSa6K%2FWq2jhT2wB1wIFkUFx9T8SqiseTe4%2FittfCmcAJlByZ7hD%2Fy0NvuBV3vVwdrMfnqHm5X7QaAA%3D%3D&amp;language=en&amp;preview_pb=0&amp;sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAYi4flqtsqutbJtQwlc0OzJESdYib06i4rvIo4Ro4daMbIpLAwZtB3FGQjci8DIIk&amp;share_item_id=6872871815996394758&amp;share_link_id=A54BA78C-4896-4550-927F-95E7590EDD3C&amp;timestamp=1600355035&amp;tt_from=copy&amp;u_code=aia5ieefmim7l&amp;user_id=236721550278823936&amp;utm_campaign=client_share&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy&amp;source=h5_m&amp;lang=endium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy&amp;source=h5_m&amp;lang=en">@wildlandmike</a>, who has approximately 12,000 followers on TikTok, posted a video on Tikok in which he point-by-point refutes another video that floats a number of theories about the fires <a href="https://www.insider.com/west-coast-wildfires-map-of-biggest-fires-color-coded-2020-9">currently raging on the West Coast</a>. The original video that @wildlandmike is responding to was posted by TikTok user @cierra_mistt, who has approximatley 2.6 million followers on the app. @cierra_mistt confirmed to Insider that the video was hers and provided a screenshot showing that it had been removed by TikTok for a Community Guideline violation. She said that she posted it saying that she wanted someone to debunk the theories for her."There are a lot of fires going on right now in our country," @cierra_mistt says early in the video."Uh-huh," @wildlandmike says."But was it planned?" the woman says."No," @wildlandmike responds. There are currently <a href="https://www.insider.com/west-coast-wildfires-map-of-biggest-fires-color-coded-2020-9">more than 85 fires affecting areas on the West Coast</a>, ranging from Northern Washington to Southern California, that have killed at least 35 people. The California August Complex <keyword id="28762" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="fire">Fire</keyword> is now the biggest fire in California state history, burning over 755,600 acres. Smoke from the fires is <a href="https://www.insider.com/oregon-california-smoke-turns-skies-apocalyptic-orange-photos-2020-9">turning skies orange on the West Coast</a>, and reaching across the continent and <a href="https://www.insider.com/smoke-from-west-coast-wildfires-is-traveling-far-netherlands-2020-9">even as far as the Netherlands</a>. Throughout the video, @wildlandmike addresses other claims, such as fires stopping at the US/Canada border — "That's a US database map you're looking at, not gonna be reporting Canada fires," @wildlandmike says.In one part of the video, @cierra_mistt claims that there are "bio-hazard signs all over the place" in a location "about 40 minutes from Grand Canyon National Park.""That's literally not there," @wildlandmike says. "I've worked there, it even looks edited. Come on, guys."In the caption of the video, @wildlandmike says that the original duet was taken down. This version, presumably a re-upload, has amassed approximately 211,000 likes and over 900,000 views since it was posted a day ago, and spread to other social media platforms as well.On Twitter, a <a href="https://twitter.com/cres_guez/status/1306358947364839424?s=20">repost of @wildlandmike's video from @crez_guez</a> has amassed over 4 million views. People have been plenty forthcoming with praise for the video itself; others also commented on @wildlandmike's appearance. "This video of a hot firefighter debunking right wing conspiracy theories? Better than porn," <a href="https://twitter.com/sbstryker/status/1306447693804236800?s=20">@sbstryker wrote in a tweet</a> including the video. "every day we should have a different hot firefighter calling out a conspiracy theory, I'll leave the logistics to you all I'm just the idea man," <a href="https://twitter.com/nicsigni/status/1306427081027452928?s=20">@nicsigni wrote in a tweet</a>.Others took part in attempting to debunk the original video as well, with <a href="https://twitter.com/SFGlobeTrekker/status/1306363022064189440?s=20">one user pointing out the similarities in the radiation safety sign</a> displayed in the original video and a location near Chernobyl.In the time since the original video went viral, @wildlandmike has already debunked <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@wildlandmike/video/6873350918444829957">another conspiracy theory video about the wildfires. </a> He did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/west-coast-wildfires-map-of-biggest-fires-color-coded-2020-9">A color-coded map shows the biggest wildfires raging up and down the West Coast</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/oregon-california-smoke-turns-skies-apocalyptic-orange-photos-2020-9">Dispatches from the apocalypse: Photos show eerie scenes and orange skies as smoke tints the atmosphere across the West Coast</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/space-video-shows-fires-smoke-blanketing-california-oregon-2020-9">Only satellites can capture the horrifying scale of the fires raging across the West Coast — here's video from space</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/california-mayor-slams-trump-for-response-to-wildfires-2020-9">California mayor slams Trump administration for putting 'its head in teh sand' amid response to wildfires</a></li></ul>

People can't get enough of this 'hot firefighter' debunking conspiracy theories on TikTok

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arctic-on-fire-satellite-images-from-space-2019-8">Most wildfires</a> die out by winter. But "zombie fires" can smolder underground then reignite in spring. </li><li>Research suggests more zombie fires survive after hotter summers, so they may become more common.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/zombie-wildfires-in-siberia-smoldered-beneath-ice-reignited-2020-9">Zombie fires</a> happen in northern boreal forests, where the flames feed on peat deep in the soil.</li></ul><keyword id="132695" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="forest-fires">Forest fires</keyword> don't typically survive cold, wet winters. But "zombie fires" buck the mold.In boreal forests just below the <keyword id="59606" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="arctic">Arctic</keyword> Circle, these rare blazes travel and persist underground, deep beneath the winter snow cover. They bide their time until the snow melts and spring begins, then reignite on the surface and begin to wreak havoc again, starting right where they left off.Zombie <keyword id="28762" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="fire">fire</keyword>s can be devastating: In 2008, one such fire was responsible for 38% of the burned land in <keyword id="20636" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Alaska">Alaska</keyword> alone, scorching an area the size of San Francisco, according to <a href="https://nlcontent.springernature.com/d-redirect/TIDP845477XB62B89EC7F814ED297EDC4704B247044YI4/?url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nature.com%2farticles%2fs41586-021-03437-y&amp;linksource=https%3a%2f%2fnemo-mail-monkey-live.springernature.app%2f15589138%2fpressReleases%2f%5bdossier-id%5d%3feditorialDomain%3dhttps%253A%252F%252Fpress.springernature.com%26publicationDomain%3dhttps%253A%252F%252Fdx.doi.org.org">a study</a> published Wednesday in the journal Nature. That research predicts these <a href="https://www.insider.com/zombie-wildfires-in-siberia-smoldered-beneath-ice-reignited-2020-9">fires</a> will become more common as the Earth continues to warm. "It is possible that we may see more zombie fires in the future," Rebecca Scholten, a climate researcher at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam who co-authored the study, told Insider. "We do see an upward trend in summer temperatures in boreal regions, and this goes in line with increases in annual burned area."Scholten's team found that zombie fires were, unsurprisingly, more frequent after hotter summers in which large fires burned across wide areas. The higher summer temperatures climb, the drier the subterranean vegetation and soil become - and that's what zombie fires consume as they hibernate. The bigger the fire, the deeper its flames can penetrate underground in the summer. That makes them more likely to survive the winter.<h2>Burn. Sleep. Repeat.</h2><div type="image" title="This satellite image provided by Roscosmos Space Agency, taken on Sunday, July 21, 2019, shows forest fires in Krasnoyarsk region, Eastern Siberia, Russia. President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's military to join efforts to fight forest fires that have engulfed nearly 30,000 square kilometers of territory in Siberia and the Russian Far East. (Roscosmos Space Agency via AP)" height="2386" width="3181" msid="82859002" hostid="261"></div>Scholten's team looked at reports from local fire managers and firefighters, as well as satellite imagery of Alaska and <keyword id="6356687" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="canada">Canada</keyword>'s Northwestern Territories captured between 2002 and 2018. They found 74 zombie fires in those 16 years."We can identify zombie fires from satellites because they appear close to an old fire scar," Scholten said.In Canada, they found that fires pulled through the winter following the six hottest summers in the study's time frame. The analysis suggested that zombie flames can spread up to 650 feet (200 meters) underground. But no zombie fires survived the winter after the seven coolest summers.The scientific term for zombie fires is "overwintering," since the blazes hibernate underground for up to eight months like bears, then awaken four weeks after the snow starts melting. But Scholten said the colloquial moniker works."I like the term - it's a really visual and engaging description," she said. Overwintering fires require a specific habitat. They happen in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of North America and Siberia because the deepest soil layers there, called peat, are rich with organic matter. The smoldering flames can devour that matter, thereby staying alive even when the surrounding temperatures drop to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.Overall, zombie fires are still rare: The new research suggests they accounted for just 0.8% of the total burned area in Alaska and the Northwestern Territories during the 16 years studied. But because climate change makes both hot summers and large, intense wildfires more likely, zombie blazes may become more common, too.Atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentrations hit <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide#:~:text=Friedlingstein%20et%20al.-,2019).,%C2%B1%200.1%20ppm%20per%20year.">a record high</a> last year, and the last seven years have been the seven warmest ever recorded, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/2020-tied-for-warmest-year-on-record-nasa-analysis-shows">according to NASA</a>. The Arctic, in particular, is warming faster than the rest of the Earth.<h2>A vicious cycle</h2><div type="image" title="zombie fire" height="1746" width="2880" msid="82859006" hostid="261"></div>Perhaps the worst part of the zombie fire phenomenon is its self-perpetuating nature. When a fire burns through trees and vegetation, that emits carbon dioxide, exacerbating the climate problem.A zombie fire is double trouble: It burns through flora in the summer before its hibernation and during the spring after. In between, the peat it burns underground emits methane, a greenhouse gas with <a href="https://www.edf.org/climate/methane-crucial-opportunity-climate-fight">80 times</a> the warming potential of carbon dioxide. "What's special about fires in arctic and boreal regions is that the largest part of carbon emissions comes from the soils," Scholten said.Her group found that large overwintering fires in Alaska and the Northwest Territories emitted 3.5 million metric tons of carbon between 2002 and 2018.More emissions means more warming, which increases the likelihood of more zombie fires, which in turn create more emissions, and so on.<h2>It's possible to hunt down zombie fires</h2>Most fires are caused by people or lightning strikes. In Alaska and Canada, lightning season begins in June, which kicks off fire season.But zombie fires don't follow that schedule. They start "as soon as the snow melts and dry fuel is available," Scholten said. <div type="image" title="Mouth fire" height="1106" width="1475" msid="82859009" hostid="261"></div>So the new study suggests that by keeping tracking of summer temperatures and recording where the largest fires were each summer, firefighters might be able to predict and suppress zombie fires before they fully reignite.Doing so would be cheaper than fighting a full-blown fire, the study authors wrote, and would also limit the blaze's greenhouse-gas emissions.

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