The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "blaze" ...
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Investigating the Fire
After three people were killed in a fire set by the Colorado State Forest Service, KMGH-TV uncovered governmental mistakes and communication failures that killed people and destroyed homes. Our coverage spurred legislative change that will ultimately help the victims of the Lower North Fork Fire (LNFF) rebuild their lives and protect future fire victims. The LNFF was started in March 2012 by a state forest service prescribed burn that went out of control, killing three people and destroying more than 20 homes. KMGH-TV's six-week investigation uncovered multiple government failures that turned a supposedly controlled burn into an uncontrolled wildfire. Despite heading into a busy ratings period, KMGH-TV dedicated two reporters -- Amanda Kost and Marshall Zelinger -- full-time to investigate the fire. The station produced more than two dozen investigative reports over 40 days. On top of the daily reports, KMGH-TV produced a 30-minute special of original content in six days. Our investigations sparked a legislative inquiry into the fire and prompted Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper to sign a law lifting liability limits that protected the state agency responsible for the blaze. Lawmakers, fire victims and community residents all agreed that without KMGH-TV's extensive investigation of government failures and mistakes, the families of people who died and people who lost homes would never be adequately compensated for their losses. Our investigation forced the state to reevaluate how it sets future prescribed burns to make sure the fires are safer for the community.
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Fire Mark: Did prosecutors wrongfully convict a 17-year-old of triple homicide in the 1995 blaze that killed three firefighters?
The Innocence Institute of Point Park University looked into the conviction of Greg Brown who was charged with arson in a fire that lead to the death of three firefighters. Through their reporting efforts, the Innocence Institute the fire was not started by Brown - it was cause by a natural gas leak, not arson. And that some of the main witnesses had been paid as much as $10,000 to testify.
Tags: wrongful conviction; arson; crime; Innocence Project; FOIA; ATF; Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
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The Station Fire
Los Angeles County's largest fire in history, the Station fire, was made worse by the U.S. Forest Service's attempt to minimize costs and scale back measures to fight it.
Tags: fire; conflagration; Los Angeles County; U.S. Forest Service; blaze; fight; death; miscalculation; internal review;
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"Deadly Delays: The Decline of Fire Response"
The Globe's investigation found that fire departments around the country are slower to respond to house fires than in previous years. The problem: lack of fire resources and an increase in responsibilities. Many communities have decreased fire personnel over the years and some communities have trouble convincing residents to pay higher taxes to build new fire stations and increase the size of the departments. In one case, firefighters were responding to a health call when a house fire started. The firefighters did not arrive until it was too late and a woman and her children died in the blaze. Months later, the town's residents did not approve a ballot measure that would have increased the department's size by 8.
Tags: Fire; response time; emergency; first responders
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LNG: Analyzing risk
This ongoing investigation examines the potential risks of damage from a liquified natural gas supertanker or onshore facility. The Register's research, analyzed with help from those in the academic community, showed that if such a supertanker caught fire, the blaze would be much, much larger than what federal documents and officials have suggested. Federal officials also conceded that a certain type of flammable insulation is commonly used on the supertankers, despite earlier assertions to the contrary.
Tags: LNG; liquified natural gas; supertanker; shipping; environmental risk; public safety
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As blazes get fewer, firefighters take on new emergency roles
The National Fire Prevention Association was set to make a recommendation that could prompt fire departments to hire 30,000 more firemen nationwide, and 11 percent increase. Robert Johnson followed Mike Conroy, a firefighter in Kansas City, Mo., to see what a day in the life of today's firefighters is like. He found that the position has changed markedly over the past decades.
Tags: firefighters; firemen; fire; health; regulations
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Serial Killer Coverage
A string of murders in the Baton Rouge area led to a police search to find a killer, which eventually led to the identification of the presence of a serial killer. The Advocate blazed the trail for investigators, looking at key evidence in extensive interviews with both family and police. The investigation eventually turned up a major flaw in the police department's argument when the police claimed DNA evidence would be checked against state databases... and the Advocate learned there was no database.
Tags: Murder; Serial killers; DNA; police; FBI
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No Longer a Burning Issue
As fire prevention dramatically reduces the number of blazes, the nature of firefighting is changing. Despite a one-third increase in the city's population, the number of structure fires has declined from 8,557 in 1979 to 3,406 in 1997.
Tags: structure fires; safety; fire prevention; firefighters; prevention; Fire Department; Los Angeles; California
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Thirty Mile Fire
Seattle Times investigates the death of four firefighters who "were trapped by wildfire in a pinched valley in north-central Washington State" on July 10, 2001. The series reveals that "despite obvious evidence of danger, front-line bosses misjudged the explosive conditions present that day ... [and] pushed firefighters to battle a blaze even though the fire threatened no homes or businesses." Numerous safety rules were ignored, and officials knew that firefighter fatalities follow a pattern, the Times reports. The main finding is that "a fire-fighting culture in which extinguishing fires - not safety - remains the top priority."
Tags: FOIA requests; Forest Service; wildlife; Endangered Species Act; protected natural areas; Okanogan National Forest Plan; decision-making under pressure; organizational behavior; meteorology
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After the Fire
"The lives of Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos changed forever in the early morning hours of January 19, 2000. Someone had set a fire in a student lounge in the freshman dormitory at Seton Hall University. By dawn, the resulting blaze had killed three people and injured 58 others. Alvaro and Shawn, freshman roommates, were severely burned." Reporter Robin Gaby Fisher spent eight months with Simons and Llanos, revealing in detail their physical and emotional recovery in this seven-part series. In addition, the articles include detailed depictions from family, friends and medical staff about the boys and the aftermath of this tragedy.
Tags: fires; medicine; health; hospitals; doctors; prevention; burns; Saint Barnabas Medical Center; dormitories; college; recovery; rehabilitation