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Two people have escaped injury when the plane they were in crash landed at Sydney’s Bankstown Airport this morning.
Police say the single-engine plane made the heavy landing at around 9:30am (AEST).
Fire crews have contained a small gas leak caused by the crash.
A spokesman for Bankstown Airport says the southern runway is closed for the salvage operation.
Police say a house fire that killed a man and his three-year-old grandson yesterday was not caused by roof insulation installed under the Federal Government’s troubled stimulus program.
Fire crews spent nearly two hours fighting the blaze at Peak Hill, in central western New South Wales, before discovering the bodies of the boy and the man in his 50s inside the burnt-out home.
Witnesses have told police the man was outside when the fire started around noon and he rushed inside to try to rescue his grandson.
A teenager then tried to smash a window to get inside to help the pair. He was taken to Peak Hill Hospital with cuts and abrasions.
The Federal Government has confirmed the house was fitted with insulation under its scrapped scheme last October.
But Detective Inspector David Cooper says after scouring the scene all night, investigators suspect the fire began on the lounge room floor.
“It appears that it certainly has nothing to do with ceiling insulation,” he said.
Local residents say the grandfather was well known and respected in the town.
Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith says the local community is shocked and speculation about the cause of the blaze will not help the victims’ family.
“Everyone is numb by the news. It’s just one of those things where it really won’t make much difference what the cause of the fire was,” he said.
“It’s the fact that these two lives have been lost to a community. There will be ongoing pain for all the family and friends of those people who have passed away.”
Forensic investigators are planning to spend several days at the scene.
Police are preparing a report for the coroner.
The Federal Government is refusing to speculate on the cause of a fire that killed a man and his grandson at a house that had roof installation installed under a scrapped economic stimulus program.
A man in his 50s and a three-year-old boy died in the blaze at a home at Peak Hill, in central western New South Wales, around midday yesterday.
Paramedics say another boy, aged about 10, tried to smash a window to get inside to help the pair. He was taken to Peak Hill Hospital with cuts and abrasions.
Fire crews spent almost two hours putting out the flames, which caused extensive damage to the house.
Local resident Doug Francis says the tragedy has shocked the small town. He says the grandfather who died in the blaze was well-known.
“It’s a big Aboriginal community,” he said.
“[The victim] is a very well-respected – and always has been – man in the community and it’s just going to be a very sad town in the next few days.”
Forensic investigators have spent the night scouring the scene to try to find out how the fire started.
The Federal Government has confirmed the house was fitted with insulation in October last year as part of the troubled home insulation program.
But in a statement, the Minister responsible for the program, Greg Combet, says it is inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the fire until the investigation is finished.
Mr Combet has extended his condolences to the victims’ family.
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner once a cause is established.
Geraldton detectives are investigating suspected arson attacks on two cars in suburban Bluff Point.
Fire crews were called to a Charles Street residence about 1:00am yesterday and found both vehicles engulfed in fire.
Police say it appears the cars were broken into before being set alight.
Damage has been estimated at about $35,000.
A number of items have been taken away for forensic analysis.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers.
Fire has destroyed a house in Tasmania’s south-east overnight.
Fire crews were called to the Carlton River home just 9:00pm.
The blaze caused about $300,000 damage.
The Fire Service says no one was home at the time and investigations into the cause are continuing.
Two pilots have died after their plane crashed at the RAAF base in Darwin just after 10am (CST) today.
Police say the 30-seater Airnorth Embraer 120 had just taken off when it banked sharply to the left and crashed onto the RAAF runway.
It immediately burst into flames.
Airnorth spokesman David Gooch says the pilots’ families are being informed of the tragedy.
Mr Gooch says both were experienced pilots and he does not know why the plane crashed or whether a mayday was issued.
He says the accident has devastated the airline.
“It’s a tragedy to advise that during a routine training flight this morning one our Embraer Brazilias had an accident at the end of the runway,” he said.
“It has crashed onto RAAF ground in this accident and unfortunately two pilots have lost their lives.”
The cause of the crash is still unknown.
Assistant Commissioner, Mark Payne, says police will begin investigating the crash as soon as they can get near the site.
Fire crews have been working to put out the flames but witnesses say the wreckage keeps re-igniting.
The crash scene is some distance from the Darwin International Airport terminal and all flights are running normally.
A fuel reduction burn on public land has escaped from control lines and is burning out of control in Victoria’s Mallee.
Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) fire crews lit the burn north of Rainbow in the Wyperfeld National Park yesterday morning.
It was to have burnt 1,200 hectares, but escaped late yesterday and has so far burnt about 2,000 hectares.
The DSE says the fire is burning south towards the Birdcage Flora and Fauna Reserve and parallel with a 100 metre fire break between public and private farmland.
Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus have been working to put out a fire at the Armadale rubbish tip, south of Perth.
The fire started yesterday and was brought under control with the help of waterbombing helicopters.
Nine crews remained at the scene overnight.
There were fears toxic smoke was being emitted from the smouldering rubbish.
The fire is expected to burn for days and the rubbish tip has been closed until further notice.
Police are investigating a house explosion west of Brisbane last night that could have been caused by a drug laboratory.
Queensland Fire and Rescue says a gas bottle exploded, blowing out the garage wall and causing extensive damage to the house at Springfield just after 9:00pm AEST on Friday.
Fire crews believe it may have been a drug lab.
A man in his 30s was taken to Ipswich hospital with minor chest pains.
An earthquake shook residents on the mid-north coast of New South Wales from their sleep this morning.
Geoscience Australia says it happened just off Nelson Bay, north of Newcastle, around 3:30am (AEDT) and was measured with a magnitude of 3.3.
Several residents at Nelson Bay felt shaking and called police.
Fire crews also responded to reports of an explosion on the Tomaree Peninsula.
Anna Bay resident Lindsay Brown says he feared the worst because of the similarity to the devastating 1989 Newcastle earthquake.
“The Newcastle one sprang to mind straight away because we were here at that time as well,” he said.
“It felt very similar so the Newcastle one at Boat Harbour, just felt like a minor tremor, and I remember being quite shocked at the damage that caused so nearby.
“So I was just wondering if it had been a stronger quake somewhere nearby this time.”
Tea Gardens resident Graham was also concerned.
“It was so quiet and then all of a sudden there was a slight rumble followed by ten seconds later by the house shaking,” he said.
The Director of the Australian Seismological Centre, Kevin McCue, says the quake’s shockwaves radiated along the eastern seaboard.
“It was recorded throughout south eastern Australia right down as far as Melbourne,” he said.
Geoscience Australia initially said the earthquake had a 3.4 magnitude and struck 80 kilometres off Forster.
Fire has destroyed a timber house in Binjour, near Gayndah in south-east Queensland, last night.
Fire crews were called to the Burnett Highway just after 9:00pm (AEST) but were unable to save the house.
No-one was injured in the blaze.
Police are not treating the fire as suspicious.
Brookdale Lodge Fire | Brookdale Fire | Brookdale Lodge | Jared Jenkins Santa Cruz | jared jenkins Brookdale Inn Fire Appears Mostly Under Control | Historic Brookdale Lodge Damaged By Fire | Part Of Brookdale Inn Catches Fire
BROOKDALE - The famed haunted hotel and restaurant Brookdale Inn & Spa, a historic lodge nearest in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The fire was first reported at 5:30 p.m.Tuesday, the motel is on fire and at 6:30 p.m. the fire was upgrade to a third alarm, the main building with apartments burned is a two-story section and the hotel where guests stay was not damaged.
Scotts Valley Fire Chief Mike McMurry say one helicopter and two air tankers, helped the blaze. One air tanker made a drop of fire retardant because fire crews were worried about spot fires spreading into the wildland, no reports of injuries to anybody staying or living at the inn, however some firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Patrick Cudahy – Patrick Cudahy Fire – Milwaukee News – Jsonline - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Meatpacking Plant – Patrick Cudahy Inc
UDAHY, Wis. (AP) – Fire crews battled a large blaze at a meatpacking plant in a crowded suburb south of Milwaukee on Monday, and authorities warned residents within a mile of the plant to leave the area because of the threat of toxic fumes.
The fire started Sunday night in an area between the sprinkler system and the roof, Fire Chief Dan Mayer said. About 100 firefighters were still battling the blaze Monday morning at the Patrick Cudahy Inc. plant in Cudahy, seven miles south of downtown Milwaukee. No injuries were reported.
Nearby residents were told to evacuate the area because of possible ammonia fumes, Mayor Ryan McCue said. Carla Peterson, a plant official, said only a few of the company’s roughly 2,000 workers were at the 128-year-old plant when the fire started, and that no one was hurt.
Mayer said the fire was difficult to fight because it is in a confined space. He said there was heavy fire, water and smoke damage to the plant.
Information from: WISN-TV, www.wisn.com