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Fire And Pain
Story from Youngstown Vindicator by John W. Goodwin JR. on 08/26/2010. Photo by William D. Lewis from the Youngstown Vindicator Web Site

Ben and Lynda Payne thought a family vacation would be the perfect way to relieve the stress brought on by pending medical challenges, but returning from vacation was anything but a relief.

Ben Payne, 34, said he awoke the last day of the family camping trip and received the shock of his life.

“I woke up that morning, turned my phone on, and it blew up with messages from people telling me that my house had blown up,” Payne said.

Payne said he returned to the West Side to find his home at 203 S. Portland Ave. severely damaged in a fire along with everything the family owned. He said the family had even lost new school clothes purchased for their three daughters.

Youngstown firefighters are investigating the fire to determine a cause.

“I don’t know how to deal with this yet. I am basically still in denial,” Payne said. “You just think what if I had stayed home and not gone camping, my house might still be there.”

To make matters worse for the family, Ben Payne is scheduled for major heart surgery in mid-October at the Cleveland Clinic. He had been working at Vanex Tools in Niles until his heart ailment made it impossible to continue working.

Payne, because of the stress on his heart, now speaks with a slight whisper and reflects on the home he has lost.

He said he and his wife remodeled most of the home and had put a great deal of their money into making it a place to raise their children.

Payne said the fire has been a nightmare, but longtime friends like Domingo Rivera of the North Side are helping to ease the burden on the family. The family has been staying with Rivera since the Thursday morning fire.

“I have known Ben more than 20 years. They are staying with me for now and we are just trying to get help from the Red Cross and the community as well,” Rivera said.

“This was not a good time for this to happen because he is going to surgery and will need a place to rest, plus school is starting and the kids are going to need a bit of everything.”

Rivera took the matter to the Internet, placing the family’s plight on Facebook. He also has started an account at a local bank, and he is asking the community to come forward and make donations to help defray any expenses the family might have in the immediate future.

The family is asking for donations of money, food, clothes and anything else that would help them get back on their feet.

A fund has been set up at Huntington Bank under “Payne Family Benefit Account” for anyone wishing to help.

Youngstown Firefighters Get High-Rise Training

Story from WKBN TV27 Web Site on 08/20/2010. Photo and video from the WKBN TV27 Web Site.

Youngstown firefighters underwent high-rise fire training Friday morning.

In the last few years Youngstown Fire Department made some new hires who need the high-rise fire training.

The department thinks now was the right time for the training because there are new businesses and people moving into high-rise buildings.

The fire chief said the training simulates what a real high-rise fire could do.

"Well, they are bringing their lines into the building, bringing their own pipeline in, taking their hoses upstairs to where the fire might be," said Chief John O'Neill. "It's an operation going on. It's real hands-on training."

Nearly two dozen firefighters took part in the training.

Youngstown Apartment Fire
Story from WKBN TV27 Web Site on 08/15/2010.

Youngstown fire crews worked to stamp out a blaze at an apartment building Sunday morning.

Crews were to a 2155 Market St. just before 8 a.m. after reports of smoke coming out of the building. No one was home at the time, but firefighters say there appeared to be someone living in the an upstairs apartment. It took crews about 2 hours to put out the fire. No word yet on a cause.

Authorities: Man Drowned While Trying To Retrieve Rod
Story from Youngstown Vindicator on 08/10/2010.

Police say the man who drowned in McKelvey Lake while fishing was Augustus Ray Williams of Youngstown.

Williams, 47, of Bott Street, was fishing with a friend near Oak Street Extension on a concrete ledge under a bridge when the accident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday.

Williams’ friend, who was on the other end of the bridge, heard a big splash, police said.

People sitting nearby in their yards yelled to Williams’ friend that the man had fallen into the water.

His friend and those near the lake couldn’t find Williams, police said. His friend called 911.

The Youngstown Fire Department and the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team pulled Williams’ body out of the lake at 9:01 p.m. Sunday.

Williams fell into the lake while trying to retrieve his fishing pole, said Capt. William H. Hack Sr. of the dive team.

This is the fourth drowning in the region since Aug. 1, when Susan Hernan, 51, of Youngstown, drowned in Berlin Lake in Berlin Center where she was with her two grandchildren, age 6 and 8. The children were rescued from the water by county deputy sheriffs.

A day later, Brandin Norris, 15, of Farrell, Pa., drowned in the Shenango River in Sharon, Pa., while swimming with friends. Sharon fire officials say he likely was pulled under by a strong current.

Nathan Kinderdine, 7, of Boardman, drowned in a pool last Tuesday during a summer camp at the Leonard Kirtz School in Austintown.

Investigators Believe Youngstown Fire Was Arson
Story from WFMJ TV21 Web Site on 07/26/2010.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio- Officials believe a fire that broke out in the city overnight was the work of an arsonist.

Fire investigators said the fire appears to have started in a car in the driveway of a house on Atkinson Avenue at around 2 a.m. and spread to the house.

A family was inside the house at the time, but was able to escape without any serious injuries.

The extent of the damage has not been determined.

Officials are still investigating.

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09/02/2010 @ 13:28 - 3203 S Wendover - Lift Assist - E15

09/02/2010 @ 12:12 - 139 Madison - RFA - E7 - The Flats

09/02/2010 @ 07:55 - Carl and Jacobs - Open Burning - E12 - Corrected spelling

09/02/2010 @ 07:55 - Carl and Kacobs - Open Burning - E12

09/01/2010 @ 22:47 - 808 S Hazelwood - CO Detector Check - E15

09/01/2010 @ 21:52 - 611 Belmont - Sprinkler Malfunction - E7 - Turning Point Counseling

08/31/2010 @ 15:00 - Market and Indianola - Mulch fire - E2

08/31/2010 @ 00:00 - Rush and Marmion - UPD:All cos CAIS

08/30/2010 @ 23:52 - Rush and Marmion - Smoke in the Area - E2,9,15,S33,L24,B1,2

08/30/2010 @ 23:01 - 200 Blk Laura - Car Fire - E3

08/30/2010 @ 22:36 - Across from 308 Byron - Garage Fire - E6,7,9,S33,L22,B1,2

08/30/2010 @ 16:01 - 171 N Osborne - Stove Fire - All cos. clear and in service except E3 and E15.

08/30/2010 @ 16:00 - 171 N Osborne - UPD:E3 on scene. Smoke showing.

08/30/2010 @ 15:57 - 171 N Osborne - Stove Fire - E3, E15, E7, S33, L22, B1, B2

08/18/2010 @ 21:53 - 1040 Lois Ct - Possible Structure Fire - E2, E9, E3, S33, L24, B1, B2

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08/05/2010 @ 20:04 - Across from 1125 Miami - Gas Leak - E12

08/01/2010 @ 23:51 - 54 Ames Ct - Burning Wires - E7

07/31/2010 @ 21:06 - 1909 Salt Springs Rd - Open Burning - E3

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