Multiple U.S. Fires Injure Several, Damage Homes

A series of fires across the U.S. over the past few days caused multiple injuries, at least one hospitalization and significant property loss. In Roslyn Heights on Oct. 29, a Pinetree Lane house fire investigators say was caused by careless smoking badly damaged the home, displaced three adults, lacked a smoke detector, and injured two firefighters — one who fell through the roof and suffered first- and second-degree facial burns and was hospitalized at the Weill Cornell Burn Center; the American Red Cross assisted. In Crook County, Wyo., a structure fire on Kara Mountain Road on Oct. 29 was a total loss and left two people injured; that incident remains under investigation. In Virginia Beach, two firefighters were treated for minor injuries after a storage-unit fire, and in Columbus two firefighters were hospitalized in stable condition after a south-side house fire in which crews also rescued a dog. Smaller incidents included a kitchen fire at a Dayton apartment that crews extinguished on arrival and an early-morning garage fire in Franklin, Conn., that took about three hours to put out; many of the fires remain under investigation and authorities say they will provide updates as causes and damage estimates are determined.