Cigarette butts thrown into potted plant could have caused Dubai Torch Tower fire on August 4

Dubai Police reveal cause of Torch Tower fire

Cigarette butts thrown into potted plant could have caused Dubai Torch Tower fire on August 4, police say

electrical faults and cigarette butts are the leading causes of fires in Dubai since 2015.

Image Credit: Atiq ur Rehman/Gulf News
Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi addressing the day-long seminar on fire prevention for first responders held in Dubai.
Published:  August 29, 2017
By Mary Achkhanian, Staff Reporter



Dubai: Police investigations reveal that the cause of the fire at the Torch Tower in Dubai Marina on August 4 this year could have been due to cigarette butts being thrown into a potted plant which began to smoulder until it caught fire.

Police carried out similar experiments to gauge whether throwing a cigarette butt in a pot could lead to a fire and found that it slowly did.




Flames shoot up the sides of the Torch tower.


The Torch Tower fire raced across the structural facade forcing 475 people to flee to safety from the 87-storey.

Firefighters doused the second blaze at the tower in as many years in record time without any injuries or causalities.

Speaking on the sidelines of a day-long seminar on fire prevention in Dubai for first responders, Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police said the risk to human lives, financial losses and property damages could have been minimized during the fire if security staff were more well versed in safety procedures.

“These men should be qualified and equipped with enough skills to deal with any tragedy. They need to begin the evacuation process immediately and know how to manage evacuating people with special needs and the injured,” said the Dubai Police chief.

“The security guards are responsible for the safety of residential buildings. The last Torch Tower fire saw financial losses, especially to cars that were badly damaged because they were wrongly parked,” said Maj Gen Al Merri.

Dubai Civil Defence officials attending the seminar revealed that electrical faults and cigarette butts are the leading causes of fires in Dubai since 2015.

Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director-General of Dubai Civil Defence, said 15 people died during the same period and a total of 179 people, including firefighters, were injured. “Most of the injuries during the last three years from fires were due to smoke inhalation,” he said, noting that of the 66 civilians injured in 2017, 50 were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

According to a latest report by firefighters released at the seminar, only four people died in fires during 2017.

“Three people died in a villa fire and one person died in a hotel fire,” said Maj Gen Al Matroushi.

The geographical areas with the highest number of accidents were Karama, Al Quoz industrial and Al Satwa, according to the report.

“Most of the fires happen during the summer months. This year, June saw the highest number of fires compared with the other months of the year. Eight of them were big fires while 215 fires were minor and nine were fires of moderate intensities,” said Maj Gen Al Matroushi.

The report illustrated that fires frequently occur around 3pm and the origins often vary depending on the building design and components within.

The sources of fire in high-rise buildings were often in sauna rooms, waste rooms and electrical rooms. In construction sites, the sources of fire were found in generators and caravans. In villas, fires were sparked in kitchens and bedrooms.

Colonel Rashid Khalifa Bu Flasa, Director of Fire and Rescue Department, told Gulf News that community awareness is critical to reducing the prevalence of fires.“After investigations, we find that mostly wrong practices, lack of knowledge, and certain habits within the community are the cause of fires. This is the reason why we always carry out awareness campaigns.”

A charcoal grill left burning unattended on a second-floor balcony sparked a fire that heavily damaged a south Minneapolis apartment building

Charcoal grill cause of fire in south Minneapolis apartment building
Nobody was seriously hurt in the three-alarm fire that was brought under control in about 75 minutes, said Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner.

By Tim Harlow Star Tribune
August 30, 2017 — 8:18pm


Authorities say a charcoal grill left burning unattended on a second-floor balcony sparked a fire that heavily damaged a south Minneapolis apartment building early Wednesday and forced residents to flee.

Resident Kevin Gotch awoke to screams around 3:45 a.m. and at first thought it was neighbors arguing. Then he noticed an orange glow outside his first floor unit and realized why people upstairs were screaming.

The fire. forced Gotch and several residents out of the building on the 2400 block of 1st Avenue S. Nobody was seriously hurt in the three-alarm fire that was brought under control in about 75 minutes, said Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner.

It is believed that fire alarms did sound, which helped everybody get out, Tyner said.

Paramedics treated some residents on the scene for smoke inhalation while others were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, Tyner said.

No firefighters were hurt.



David Joles, Star Tribune
An early morning, three alarm apartment fire at 1st Ave. S and 25th in Minneapolis South displaced 10 people Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, in Minneapolis, MN. Here, firefighters work the roof for hot spots.



Gotch, who just moved into the building three days ago, said he heard all the commotion and assumed somebody was having a spat. But he ran upstairs without his shoes and noticed all the flames and smoke. A second-floor resident handed him a fire extinguisher, which he used to try to “abate some of the flames,” he said. “I sprayed about three bursts, then in about 10 seconds I high-tailed it out of there.”

Gotch, 24, said he lost most of his possessions, mostly due to water damage. He did not have renter’s insurance and was unsure where he was going to stay in the long term. On Wednesday morning, he was at a friend’s house.

The Red Cross is assisting at least 10 residents who have been displaced.



================



MINNEAPOLIS, MN- Minneapolis fire officials say several people were hospitalized for minor injuries following a three-alarm fire at an apartment building in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Firefighters were dispatched to the 2445 block of 1st Ave. S. at 3:40 a.m. Wednesday, and found heavy fire jumping from the front of the building upon arrival. Crews immediately laid fire lines and began searching for trapped residents. A second alarm was called at 3:58 a.m., and eventually a third for additional manpower.

All residents were able to escape the blaze, but several were transported to a local hospital for minor injuries and smoke inhalation. The fire was brought under control about 5 a.m.

Investigators were quickly able to pinpoint the cause of the fire as an unattended BBQ on a second floor balcony. It has been ruled accidental.

According to Minneapolis Fire Department tweets, some residents were being assessed by paramedics for smoke inhalation. The Red Cross was called in to assist at least 10 adults who were displaced by the fire.

No firefighters were injured. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Michael Taylor, a Silt, Colorado police officer, has been indicted with insurance fraud, felony forgery and felony theft

SILT, COLORADO
Michael Taylor, a Silt, Colorado police officer, has been indicted by a Colorado grand jury in an insurance fraud case.

Michael Taylor also faces charges of felony forgery and felony theft, according to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.

The indictment follows an investigation by the AG’s office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

“Insurance fraud is a crime that affects everyone in Colorado by driving up premiums and creating red tape for our hardworking and honest citizens,” Attorney General Cynthia Coffman said in a news release. “The fact that this alleged criminal behavior was perpetrated by someone who was (a) sworn police officer, who was supposed to protect Coloradans, makes this even more grievous.”

Taylor allegedly made a series of three fraudulent insurance claims from 2010 to 2015 and received tens of thousands of dollars in insurance payments.

In 2015, Taylor allegedly made a false police report, claiming someone had stolen thousands of dollars of jewelry from his wife’s van. He allegedly then made a false insurance claim based upon a false police report and received $9,918 from an insurance company.



===============


Silt officer reported repeated burglaries


Silt police Cpl. Michael Taylor reported that his home was burglarized twice and his wife's car also was broken into, netting more than $60,000 in insurance payments, the state indictment charging him with fraud, theft and forgery alleges.

Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman has charged 49-year-old Taylor with three counts of insurance fraud, two of theft between $1,000 and $20,000, one of theft between $5,000 and $20,000 and three of forgery. Coffman's office provided the indictment to the Post Independent on Monday. The case is filed in Garfield County.

The charges stem from incidents that began in June 2010, when Taylor first reported that his New Castle home had been burglarized. He reported to New Castle police and his insurance company that a Sentry brand safe, a Rolex watch, a blender and his passport had been stolen.

He was paid more than $4,000 for the Rolex and $100 for the passport, say investigators. But investigators found that he later turned that passport in when he went to get a new one. And the Silt corporal later admitted to investigators that the Rolex was a knockoff for which he'd paid only $2,000, according to the indictment.

Then in May 2012, he again reported to New Castle police that his home was burglarized. Taylor's indictment says that this time he reported as stolen a Sentry safe, his passport and some valuable jewelry, including a diamond ring.

These items of jewelry were also listed on a "valuable personal property" rider in his insurance plan, say investigators. That day he also submitted a claim to his insurance company for the stolen items.


"Taylor was paid for his lost passport, other items, and $50,000.08 for the value of the jewelry items … that he claimed were stolen," according to the indictment. "Later investigation revealed that Taylor had taken [the diamond ring] in to a jeweler shortly before he made his claim, and the ring now had a cubic zirconium stone in it rather than a diamond ring shown in the appraisal, and thus would no longer be worth the $7,500 appraisal Taylor submitted."

After this burglary, Taylor later made a trip to Mexico — using that supposedly stolen passport, say investigators.

However, in the 2012 burglary, not all of his jewelry had been lost; his insurance also covered three other pieces of jewelry that had not been taken, the indictment alleged.

But in September 2015, Taylor went back to his insurance company and said the remaining jewelry covered in his plan was actually stolen in the 2012 burglary, but because the incident reported was from more than a year earlier, that claim was denied, according to investigators.

"The next day Taylor contacted the New Castle Police Department and reported that the same items … had been stolen out of his wife's car," the indictment reads.

Then he submitted another claim, this time saying those items of jewelry had been stolen from the vehicle, and the insurance company paid him nearly $10,000.

Taylor's indictment also lists a few incidents involving checks made out to himself and his now ex-wife, Julie Leaf. On three occasions between 2010 and 2015, Taylor received checks made out to himself and Leaf.

The indictment says that he received these checks, signed his own name, forged her name and deposited the check without her knowledge. Those checks totaled about $1,400.

Ryan Kalamaya, Taylor's defense attorney, said Monday that his client denies any wrongdoing, including any fraud or theft.

As for the checks, Kalamaya said that Taylor and Leaf were going through a divorce at the time, and the checks were insurance payments for the burglarized items, which were plainly Taylor's property.

The two had a joint insurance policy, and it is not in dispute that the payments were for Taylor's personal property, said Kalamaya. Like a lot of married people going through a divorce, he signed her name, but he had no intent to defraud her, said the defense attorney.

The criminal justice system would grind to a halt if forgery charges were filed against every person going through a divorce who signed for joint policies, he said.

The defendant also denies knowing that the ring was a cubic zirconium when he made the insurance claim, said Kalamaya.

The attorney declined to comment on any further specific allegations, but said that Taylor "looks forward to vindicating his name as more evidence is introduced in the judicial process."

Silt Police Chief Mike Kite said Saturday that Taylor was on leave with pay and, following standard procedures, an internal investigation had been launched.

Taylor is scheduled to be in Garfield County district court on Sept. 21 to address bond.
===================

Officer arrested for allegedly scamming tens of thousands through fraudulent insurance claims

by Chad Abraham, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

Monday, August 28, 2017

Burglary claims, and alleged fake Rolex, diamond ring, at heart of grand jury indictment
A Silt police officer indicted by a state grand jury was arrested Thursday on multiple felony counts for allegedly lying about his home and car being burglarized and collecting nearly $60,000 in fraudulent insurance claims.
Michael Taylor, 49, corporal of the Silt Police Department and its third-ranking member, faces charges of theft, insurance fraud and forgery after he allegedly filed false reports related to purported burglaries of his New Castle home and the valuation of jewelry that he said had been stolen.
He remains on the force, and is on paid administrative leave and workers compensation leave, the result of having his jaw recently broken during an encounter related to his response to an unrelated domestic-abuse incident.
The grand jury indictment says Taylor, on June 13, 2010, reported to authorities in New Castle that his home had been burglarized while he was out of town.
“He reported many items missing, including a Sentry safe, a Rolex Sea Dweller watch, a KitchenAid blender and his passport,” says the indictment, filed Thursday in Garfield County District Court.
Taylor’s insurance firm paid him just over $4,000 for the Rolex and $100 for his passport, the indictment says.
“Later investigation revealed that Taylor’s passport was never stolen, and he turned it in to the Department of State to obtain a new passport,” wrote Jason Slothouber, an assistant attorney general with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Slothouber is a former prosecutor in the 9th Judicial District where Taylor was advised of the potential charges. “In a later interview with investigators Taylor admitted the Rolex was a knockoff he had purchased for only $2,000 years before in Pennsylvania.”
In May 2012, he told New Castle police that his home “had been burglarized while he was at a movie and his wife was out of town,” the indictment says. “He reported many items stolen, including a Sentry safe, his passport,” and four pieces of valuable jewelry. The latter had been listed on a “valuable personal property” rider with his insurance carrier, United States Automobile Association. Taylor submitted an appraisal for the “diamond ring, showing it had a value of $7,500,” Slothouber wrote.
“Later investigation revealed that Taylor had taken [the ring] to a jeweler shortly before he made his claim, and the ring now had a cubic zirconium stone in it rather than a diamond ring shown in the appraisal … Taylor submitted,” the indictment says. “Investigation revealed Taylor’s passport was never stolen because he used it to travel to Mexico after he made this insurance claim.”

The accused crook, Michael Taylor

Taylor was paid $50,000.08 for the three items of jewelry — he allegedly told investigators three other items had not been stolen — and his supposedly lost passport, according to the indictment.

The Colorado attorney general’s office, in a statement released Friday about the case, said Taylor in 2015 also made a false police report in which he claimed thousands of dollars worth of jewelry was stolen from his wife’s vehicle.

New Castle Police Chief Tony Pagni said Taylor on two occasions reported to his department “people having entered his house.” He was unaware of the recent charges filed by state authorities but said his office consulted with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation about Taylor.

“There were a couple of incidents that we brought to the attention” of other agencies, Pagni said.

Taylor’s attorney, Ryan Kalamaya of Aspen, said his client denies the allegations and looks forward to clearing his name. Taylor had no knowledge of the ring “being cubic zirconium at the time he made the [insurance] claim,” Kalamaya said, adding that he had no specific knowledge about the allegation related to the Rolex.

Taylor is charged with three counts each of theft, insurance fraud and forgery. He is free after posting $5,000 bond and is due in court next month.

“Insurance fraud is a crime that affects everyone in Colorado by driving up premiums and creating red tape for our hardworking and honest citizens,” Attorney General Cynthia Coffman said in the press release. “The fact that this alleged criminal behavior was perpetrated by someone who was a sworn police officer, who was supposed to protect Coloradans, makes this even more grievous.”

Silt Police Chief Mike Kite on Sunday said Taylor is on administrative leave and is being paid “as of right now.”

Asked about the allegations, he said “obviously I wasn’t happy, was a little shocked. I was just trying to figure out exactly was going on.”

He declined to say when a decision would be made about Taylor’s future with his department. Kite noted that an internal-affairs investigation will be conducted.

“There is a lot of red tape and protocols to be followed when it comes to this type of thing and when it involves law enforcement officers,” he said.

Kite declined comment on Taylor receiving workers compensation, saying it had nothing to do with the criminal case. Other sources said he is collecting workers compensation.

Taylor joined the Silt Police Department in 2011 after spending most of his career as an officer in Pennsylvania, says the department website.

Chief Judge Michael Martinez of the 2nd Judicial District signed off on the indictment on Thursday. He presides over the state’s ongoing grand jury, 12 citizens who brought the charges against Taylor.

Victims of overnight candle fire in Bensalem, PA have now been identified as 89-years old Albert Serventi and his wife, 86-years old Eileen Serventi.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017
BENSALEM, Pa. (WPVI) -- Authorities have identified an elderly couple killed in a house fire in Bensalem.

89-year-old Albert Serventi and his wife, 86-year-old Eileen Serventi, were found on the first floor of their home in the 700 block of Kings Lane.

Fire officials believe the blaze, which broke out before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, started accidentally.

An Action News viewer recorded dramatic video early Wednesday morning as flames engulfed several parts of the two-story single family home.


Firefighters faced a challenge as they arrived on the scene.

"The front of the structure was completely involved in fire," said Battalion Chief Rob Sponheimer of Bensalem Twp. Fire and Rescue. "They attempted to gain entry. They were met by heavy flames, so they went to exterior attack."

Soon, part of the second floor started to collapse. It took about an hour to place the fire under control.

Once they made it inside, firefighters found the Serventis in the first floor living room, which is where investigators believe the fire began.



Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

There was a power outage earlier in the evening, and a neighbor told investigators that the homeowners had a candle burning inside.

Couple killed in Bucks Co. fire: Katherine Scott reports during Action News at 5:30 a.m. on August 30,. 2017.

Investigators believe the fire was accidental. It's unclear if the smoke detectors worked.

"Speaking with family members, they did have smoke detectors," said Sponheimer. "We are unsure if they were working, but they did have them in the home."


The fire has been ruled accidental.

=====



BENSALEM, Pa. (CBS) — An elderly couple was killed after a fire broke out overnight at a home in Bensalem.

Fire Crews were called to the home on Kings Lane around 12:30 a.m., and Bensalem Township Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Robert Sponheimer says first responders were met with an intense blaze.

“Fire crews and police attempted to enter the structure, again they were met with heavy flames and heavy fire so they had to originally make an exterior attack – fighting the fire from the outside,” said Sponheimer.


Despite the threat of the second floor collapsing, the fire was placed under control about an hour later. That’s when officials say they found 89-year-old Albert Serventi and his wife, 86-year-old Eileen Serventi on the first floor of the home.

They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials say the fire does not appear suspicious in nature and has been ruled accidental by fire personnel.

===========



For those of you that know Denise Serventi from the day time Bible Study, I would like for you to please pray for her. Her parents died tragically in a fire in their Philadelphia home. It has been reported that it was possibly started by a candle left burning. Her parents do not normally use candles and someone said that perhaps the electricity had gone off. I am not certain of any other details but will update you as soon as possible. Denise's mother was having a 90th Birthday party in the near future. I am certain that Denise's heart is so broken and she really needs ALL OF US praying for her. Thank you.


June Phillips Gunst 

HURRICANE HARVEY DEATH TOLL CONTINUES TO RISE, WITH THE MAJORITY OF DEATHS YET TO COME: 6 family members found dead in van amid Houston flood

The majority of the flooding deaths occur after the storm has left the area.  Typically people will die from heart attacks, electrocutions, drownings, falls, vehicle crashes, construction deaths, etc.  Just be calm and avoid doing stupid or "heroic" activities.  Let the cleanup work to the professionals or experienced people.

HOUSTON, Texas -- Officers have located a submerged van in which six members of a Houston family were traveling when it was swept off a Houston bridge and into a storm-ravaged bayou.


Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says the van is in about 10 feet (3 meters) of muddy water in Green's Bayou in northeast Houston. He says the bodies of two adults can be seen in the front seat but that if the four children's bodies are inside they are obscured because of the water conditions and the angle of the vehicle.




Authorities are trying to decide whether dive team members will retrieve the bodies or if it would be safer to pull the van from the treacherous water first.

Samuel Saldivar told deputies he was in his brother's van rescuing his parents and relatives from their flooded home Sunday when the van was tossed by a strong current into the bayou as it crossed a bridge. He escaped through a window but the others were trapped.



========


 

6 family members found dead in van amid Houston flood

Officers have located a submerged van in which six members of a Houston family were traveling when it was swept off a Houston bridge and into a storm-ravaged bayou.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says the van is in about 10 feet (3 meters) of muddy water in Green's Bayou in northeast Houston. He says the bodies of two adults can be seen in the front seat but that if the four children's bodies are inside they are obscured because of the water conditions and the angle of the vehicle.

Authorities are trying to decide whether dive team members will retrieve the bodies or if it would be safer to pull the van from the treacherous water first.

Samuel Saldivar told deputies he was in his brother's van rescuing his parents and relatives from their flooded home Sunday when the van was tossed by a strong current into the bayou as it crossed a bridge. He escaped through a window but the others were trapped.

The number of confirmed deaths rose to 20 in the Houston area prior to this reported tragedy.

2 people died after their Grumman American AA-1B plane hit a tree and crashed into a field on Airport Road near the Portland Municipal Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate a Tuesday night fatal plane crash in Sumner County that killed two people.

According to a spokesperson for the FAA, around 7:45 p.m., the Grumman American AA-1B was approaching when it crashed roughly 2,500 feet from the end of Runway 1 at the Portland Municipal Airport.

Portland Police Department Assistant Chief Dewel Scruggs said the plane hit a tree before crashing into a field on Airport Road near the airport.

Two people were on board at the time. One was pronounced dead at the scene.

The other person was flown to an area hospital, but Police Chief Anthony Heavner told media that person died overnight, the Associated Press reports.

Officials haven’t released the names of the victims.

It wasn't immediately clear from where the flight originated.

The Portland Municipal Airport is located at 601 Airport Road, off of Highway 52 West.

The FAA will investigate and work with the NTSB to determine a probable cause of the crash.


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PORTLAND, Tenn. (WKRN) – Two people died after a plane crash at the Portland Municipal Airport in Sumner County.

Portland police said the plane hit a tree on the side of a road and lost control around 7:45 p.m. as it was coming in to the airport just off Highway 52 West.

One person was killed in the crash while another was flown via LifeFlight to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Chief Anthony Heavner with the Portland Police Department said the second victim died from their injuries during the overnight hours. (Courtesy: Brooke Hunter)

Neither of the victims’ identities was immediately known.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a Grumman American AA-1B, saying it went down about 2,500 feet from the runway.

The FAA is investigating, and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause of the accident.



===================

Date:	29-AUG-2017
Time:	19:30 LT
Type:	Grumman American AA-1B
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Airplane damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	near Portland Municipal Airport, TN -   United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:
Destination airport:	Portland Municipal Airport

Narrative:
On approach to the airport, the plane hit a tree and crashed. One occupant died in the crash, another was injured and later died from the injuries sustained in the crash.

Sources:

http://newschannel20.com/news/nation-world/police-multiple-people-injured-in-small-plane-crash-near-portland-tennessee
http://wkrn.com/2017/08/29/at-least-1-killed-in-portland-plane-crash/
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PLANE_CRASH_TENNESSEE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-08-30-10-07-21