Firefighters

For decades, those with high cholesterol have been given a list of don'ts when it comes to their diet: Don't eat cholesterol-rich eggs; don't eat butter; don't eat red meat or regular ice cream. Well, now researchers have identified a list of do's for the diet that may work to lower cholesterol levels better than avoiding those don'ts. In a study published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that eating cholesterol-lowering foods like nuts, soy protein, and certain fiber-rich items result in bigger drops in "bad" LDL cholesterol than avoiding...

Three people were sent to a local hospital and released after a hazardous materials scare today in the back of a truck at an industrial park in Dracut, fire officials said. Hazardous material crews from the Dracut Fire Department reported to the scene just before 10 a.m. at a Con-Way Freight location on McGrath Road, said Fire Chief David Brouillette. He said three employees opened the trailer and smelled what they thought was natural gas. They immediately closed the trailer, called emergency personnel, and were transported to the hospital where...

The City of Boston filed a formal complaint against a prominent labor lawyer Thursday, saying that what they termed his vulgar and vitriolic behavior at the negotiating table on behalf of the firefighters' union has gone too far, even in the contentious realm of labor negotiations. At a meeting Tuesday at the union's Florian Hall, lawyer E. David Wanger allegedly berated city officials with obscenities and repeatedly interrupted by saying "Blah! Blah! Blah!," according to a letter to the state Division of Labor Relations.

Officials say a firefighter has suffered minor injuries battling a three-alarm apartment fire in Manchester. They say the blaze broke out at the seven-unit, multi-family building on Myrtle Street Monday afternoon. Authorities say the firefighter was injured during a ceiling collapse but is expected to be OK. Officials say a total of six firefighters were temporarily trapped during the collapse. WMUR-TV reports (http://bit.ly/LeZGG9) it's unclear what sparked the blaze.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Firefighters struggled yesterday against an out-of-control wildfire that destroyed at least 100 homes in a wealthy, celebrity-studded enclave, flaring up so fast that it caught some terrified residents behind the automatic gates of their mansions. Blistering winds gusting to 70 mph, dry brush and oil-rich eucalyptus trees helped turn an ordinary brush fire into an exploding inferno that quickly consumed rows of luxury homes and part of a Christian college campus where students spent the night in a gymnasium shelter, some praying and others sobbing.

Fire crews took advantage of lower temperatures and higher humidity to make key advances on a large wildfire in northern Colorado, one of several burning across the West. Officials said the blaze that scorched 12 square miles was 85 percent contained late Saturday night, compared with the previous report of 45 percent containment. The fire, which started Monday about 20 miles northwest of Fort Collins, had prompted officials to evacuate about 80 homes, but all residents were allowed to return by Friday night.

MERIDEN, Conn. -- Firefighters pulled four children from a burning three-story house where investigators said at least one smoke detector was not working. A 2-year-old boy died, and two children were critically burned. Firefighters who arrived about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday at the three-story house on Franklin Street found children ages 2 to 5 inside, one on the first floor, two on the second floor, and a fourth on the third floor. A woman was standing in the doorway with two other children, Meriden Fire Marshal Steve Trella said.

Stephen Minehan, 3, says he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up, just like his dad, the Boston Fire Department's newest lieutenant, who also decided at an early age to follow in the footsteps of his firefighting father, a man who lost his life 18 years ago on a rescue in Charlestown. "I remember being 4 or 5 years old and coming in here to this particular firehouse, because this is where my father was stationed, and they had a big tiller truck . . . and I remember sitting up in the bucket and thinking this is pretty awesome," said Joseph Minehan, 33, standing...

Four Stow firefighters will be honored Wednesday for rescuing a boy and his father from the Delaney Wildlife Management Area last winter. Lieutenants Barry Evers and Chris Camelio, and firefighters Jeremy Fiorvanti and Michael Scimeca will be among 150 firefighters from across the state who will be honored at the 22d annual Firefighter of the Year Heroic Awards ceremony, to be held at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester. - Matt Gunderson

PEABODY -- More than 300 Peabody firefighters and police officers marched in a solemn procession today to the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Homecq on Lynn Street, where a wake for Peabody Firefighter James M. Rice is being held. The firefighters and officers, some of them retired, marched in uniform down Brown Street and approached the funeral home shortly before 3 p.m., as about 1,000 mourners waited in line outside to pay their respects. After the procession made its way through the funeral home and past the casket of Rice, who was a 42-year-old married...

DENVER - Fire crews took advantage of lower temperatures and higher humidity to make key advances on a large wildfire in northern Colorado, one of several burning across the West. Officials said the blaze that scorched 12 square miles was 85 percent contained over the weekend, compared with the previous report of 45 percent containment. The fire, which started Monday about 20 miles northwest of Fort Collins, had prompted officials to evacuate about 80 homes, but all residents were allowed to return by Friday night.

Fire crews took advantage of lower temperatures and higher humidity to make key advances on a large wildfire in northern Colorado, one of several burning across the West. Officials said the blaze that scorched 12 square miles was 85 percent contained late Saturday night, compared with the previous report of 45 percent containment. The fire, which started Monday about 20 miles northwest of Fort Collins, had prompted officials to evacuate about 80 homes, but all residents were allowed to return by Friday night.

More firefighters are on their way to a fire that has burned across more than 11 square miles in northern Colorado and is approaching a reservoir for the city of Greeley. U.S. Forest Service officials said the blaze about 20 miles northwest of Fort Collins had scorched 1.5 square miles of land but rapidly expanded Thursday fueled by erratic winds. The blaze was one of several burning in the West. A fire in northern Arizona that led to the evacuation of a historic mining town grew to more than 12 square miles even as the outlook improved from earlier in the...

The City of Boston filed a formal complaint against a prominent labor lawyer Thursday, saying that what they termed his vulgar and vitriolic behavior at the negotiating table on behalf of the firefighters' union has gone too far, even in the contentious realm of labor negotiations. At a meeting Tuesday at the union's Florian Hall, lawyer E. David Wanger allegedly berated city officials with obscenities and repeatedly interrupted by saying "Blah! Blah! Blah!," according to a letter to the state Division of Labor Relations.

As many people do on crisp, sunny mornings, Donna Picone laced up her Sauconys, grabbed a bottle of water, and set out for a walk with a close friend. But this was no ordinary get-the-blood-moving, enjoy-the-outdoors stroll: The women were in for a nearly 9½-mile trek from their Danvers neighborhood to the North Reading Fire Station. They weren't training for a sporting event; they weren't raising money for a cause; and they didn't have too much time on their hands. Their many footsteps served a different purpose: To raise awareness of the dangerous job firefighters do, and to show their...

A Maine man accused of shooting a Florida firefighter in the head in a drug-related dispute has been indicted on murder charges. The indictment was handed up this week by a grand jury in Waldo County. Daniel Porter was already being held without bail on a murder charge. Porter was arrested Feb. 28 at a rented house in Jackson where police say he killed the 31-year-old Jerry Perdomo of Orange City, Fla. Porter told police that he owed Perdomo $3,000 and police said threats were exchanged.

PEABODY - A veteran city firefighter and married father of three young children died yesterday while battling a three-alarm fire, the tragic death coming just two weeks after a Worcester firefighter was killed in a building collapse. Shortly after the early afternoon blaze broke out on the second floor of the Hancock Street apartments, James Rice became trapped amid the intensifying flames and collapsed, authorities and witnesses said. Crews pulled the 46-year-old from the building and desperately tried to revive him. He was rushed to North Shore Medical Center in Salem, where he was...

Four firefighters were taken to a hospital last night after a series of small explosions in the basement of a North End residential building. Lieutenant David Pfeil, a Fire Department spokesman, said a one-alarm fire at 287 Hanover St. was reported just before 10 p.m. Pfeil said the firefighters were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. Hospital spokeswoman Sue McGreevey said all four were listed in good condition.

Stephen Minehan, 3, says he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up, just like his dad, the Boston Fire Department's newest lieutenant, who also decided at an early age to follow in the footsteps of his firefighting father, a man who lost his life 18 years ago on a rescue in Charlestown. "I remember being 4 or 5 years old and coming in here to this particular firehouse, because this is where my father was stationed, and they had a big tiller truck . . . and I remember sitting up in the bucket and thinking this is pretty awesome," said Joseph Minehan, 33, standing in front of a...