fire

Crew abandon burning Chinese fishing vessel

A New Zealand Defence Force Orion located the vessel about 400 nautical miles west of Tuvalu earlier Friday.

The Orion dropped communications equipment, fresh water and lights to the crew of the Jin Xiang 6.

Now the Fiji Maritime Surveillance Rescue has reported there are 16 crew with the vessel and that life boats are in the water, as the vessel takes on seawater.

Fiji is connecting with nearby resources to help the crew.

 

Photo: New Zealand Defence Force

 

     

Large fire rips through Dubai's Torch Tower

Footage posted on social media showed flames spreading up the Torch Tower, and burning debris falling down.

Civil defence officials have "successfully evacuated" the building and are now working to bring the blaze under control, Dubai's authorities say.

It is not clear what caused the fire in one of the world's tallest buildings.

"No injuries have been reported so far in the Torch Tower fire incident," the government of Dubai's media office tweeted.

The Torch Tower was damaged by an earlier blaze in 2015.

     

France migrants: Huge fire guts Grande-Synthe Dunkirk camp

At least 10 people were injured when the fire tore through closely-packed huts at the Grande-Synthe camp, near the port of Dunkirk.

Last month officials said the camp would be dismantled because of unrest.

The French north coast has been a magnet for migrants trying to reach Britain.

"There is nothing left but a heap of ashes," said Michel Lalande, prefect of France's Nord region.

"It will be impossible to put the huts back where they were before," he added.

I-85 fire: Section of Atlanta highway collapses

All five lanes of the highway in each direction were blocked and will be closed for the foreseeable future, officials said.

Guatemala mourns after children's home fire kills 21 girls

Wednesday's blaze at the government-run Virgen de Asuncion shelter in San Jose Pinula, near Guatemala City, has focused attention on how it was run.

Police say some residents set fire to mattresses after a riot and an escape attempt.

There have been allegations of abuse at the overcrowded centre.

At least 40 other people suffered burns in the fire, and some remain in critical condition.

President Jimmy Morales declared the country to be in official mourning. His office said the cause of the fire was being investigated.

At least 18 injured in fire on Hong Kong metro train

The victims have been transferred to local hospitals, although their conditions are not known, Hong Kong officials said.

A 60-year-old man has been arrested and accused of arson, Hong Kong police said at press conference Friday.

The man, whose last name is Cheung, was critically injured and told police he set the fire, authorities said.

Police said they believe the fire was an isolated incident carried out for personal reasons. There is no evidence it was terror-related, they said.

Vanuatu man loses huge cash savings in fire

Sources from Fanafo Village say the man escaped the fire with his two grandchildren and just over 4,000 dollars but he could not carry the bag containing the rest of his money.

Police say people in isolated villages keep their money at home because they do not trust a bank to look after their money for them.

It is suspected the fire was started deliberately.

 

Australian set himself on fire in Melbourne bank, police say

Six of them are in critical condition, while others suffered from burns and smoke inhalation - including children.

Police said the suspect walked into a Commonwealth Bank branch in the suburb of Springvale and set himself alight with a flammable liquid.

Police quickly detained the man who was sent to hospital for treatment while under police guard.

Acting inspector Jackie Poida from Victoria Police told reporters that it was "too early to tell" what the man's motives were.

FedEx cargo plane burns at Fort Lauderdale airport

Video shot by an onlooker at the airport showed a fireball exploding out of the damaged aircraft and recorded the startled cries of people watching.

The pilot and copilot escaped harm using a rope ladder on the right side of the aircraft, according to Mike Jachles of Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue. No members of the ground crews were hurt, he added.

The fire occurred after the plane's landing gear collapsed as it touched ground, the FAA said. The Boeing MD-10 was operating as Flight 910 from Memphis, Tennessee, where FedEx is based.

Battersea industrial estate hit by major fire

Trains have been delayed because of the fire in London's Battersea, just metres away from Clapham Junction station.

Fire crews were called at about 21:00 BST to Parkfield Industrial Estate, where flames were leaping above the rooftops alongside the railway line.

Southern Trains warned of delays on trains across the whole of its network, with services running at reduced speed.

 

Ninety emergency calls