Firehouse.com

HOMESTEAD, Pa. -- It's been said that cats have nine lives, but one woman is crediting her 7-month-old kitty for saving one.

Chrissy Mitzak had just gotten out of bed inside her Homestead apartment building when she noticed her cat, Sassy, was acting strangely.

"She made a real quick jerk and was crawling at the walls and crawling and crawling. I was like 'What is it? A bug?

MODESTO, Calif. -- An early-morning fire gutted an office building that houses the Stanislaus Arts Council, causing $1 million in damage.

The two-alarm blaze erupted just before 4 a.m. Thursday and it was an hour before firefighters could extinguish the flames.

Nobody was hurt in the blaze.

Two other businesses also occupied the building on Kansas Avenue, including a catering business and one that treats addicts.

Modesto fire inspectors have not yet identified a cause of the fire.

URBANA TWP., Ohio -- A transformer at the top of a utility pole exploded and burned after a driver struck it on Oct. 28, resulting in the scene shown in the photo on the right, taken by Springfield News Sun photographer Bill Lackey.

The crash occurred on U.S. 68 shortly after noon when the motorist drove his vehicle up a set of guy wires, striking the top of the pole before overturning.

A witness told the newspaper the driver went up there "like a roller coaster."

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Oct. 27--FORT WORTH -- From his bunk in the Salvation Army homeless shelter, Greg LaRue can hear the wailing sirens of fire trucks as they roar down East Lancaster Drive.

For most homeless people, it is background noise. Another fire. Another person sick. Another person injured.

But to LaRue, the sound is a stabbing reminder of the life he had, the career he cherished and the challenges he must overcome.

A brigade of more than 1,500 firefighters made big gains Monday in a battle against wind-whipped flames in the Santa Cruz Mountains, allowing dozens of evacuated residents to return home. But amid an atmosphere of relief, questions swirled about how the blaze began.

Among the possible scenarios, state fire officials acknowledged, is that the Loma Fire was started by firefighters themselves.

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Oct. 26--KNOB NOSTER -- A 1-month-old baby is dead after an apartment fire at 402 W. McPherson St.

The baby, Justin Bailey, is the son of Robin and Jacob Bailey.

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the fire, which firefighters responded to at 8:38 a.m. Friday.

Police Chief Brian Kniskern said the infant had been left in a car seat carrier on top of the electric stove.

Dressed in prison orange, Gilberto Smith was unloading shovels and other equipment when he twisted his ankle deep in Eureka Canyon. Officials from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection knew that if the Loma fire turned his way, he'd never make it out alive. So the officials called in a helicopter.

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Oct. 25--EL PASO -- A fire this afternoon destroyed an abandoned warehouse and threatened nearby homes in Central El Paso.

Just before 1:30 p.m. about 40 firefighters were called to a blaze at a warehouse near the corner of Luna and Rosa streets.

Nearby residents said the warehouse was an old feed mill.

Nobody was hurt from the fire that was brought under control in about 30 minutes.

Fire investigators are looking into how the blaze began.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.

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Homes have been evacuated after a wildfire broke out early Sunday in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Cal Fire officials said.

The so-called Loma Fire, which started at Maymens Flat and Highland roads at about 3 a.m., is currently threatening 250 structures and had scorched 600 acres as of 4 p.m. Sunday.

Images: Loma Fire Ignites In Santa Cruz Mountains