Firefighters stumbled upon a house fire while leaving a medical call in Oak Park early Sunday morning, and got the family out the home before it was destroyed in the flames. A firefighter crew was leaving a medical call when they noticed a column of smoke down the street, and arrived at the corner of 21st and 34th Streets to find a fire in a detached garage spreading to two homes, according to Sacramento City Fire Battalion Chief Craig Wiedenhoeft. Firefighters evacuated both homes. The house on the corner was gutted by the flames, but a neighbors house only sustained damage to the attic, Wiedenhoeft said. The Red Cross arrived to help the families find a place to stay. Neighbor Rowlan

Efforts to rebuild the fire-damaged McKinley Park playground hit a milestone when its destruction and demolition began bright and early Thursday morning. Most of the playground, which fell victim to arson last year, was auctioned off Wednesday evening. American Technologies Inc. was on site Thursday morning to disassemble the structure so that auctioned items could be removed. The demoliton of the standing supports will be Thursday, Aprill 11 – weather permiting. The new playground was put together by Play By Design in collaboration with local youth and residents. Check out some shots of the American Technologies, Inc. team carefully dismantling the playground.        Steve Swind

We’re on the cusp of an important week – not only is Valentine’s Day just around the corner, The Sacramento Press is gearing up for our Journalism Open 2013 Awards Celebration. You’ll be there, right? Don’t forget to order your presale tickets and RSVP so we know to save you a spot. But before you get to shopping for boxes of chocolate or a new ascot to impress your favorite Community Manager, make sure you haven’t missed anything awesome this week on The Sacramento Press. Check out our most-viewed content of the week. Community Contribution: 5. Obituary: Sheila was a regular presence in the central city and beyond by Bill Burgua -- 4. Old Sac Mardi Gras 2013 this weekend by Mike Ibe

Sacramento firefighters arrived to find a lot of flames coming from the windows of a Victorian apartment at 5th Street and D streets on Wednesday evening, Jan. 9, according to Jonathan Williams, battalion chief for the Sacramento Fire Department. The call was dispatched a little after 6 p.m. “We had multiple calls of a three-story Victorian with fire coming from between the first- and second-floor area,” Williams said. “The first in engine found fire coming from the rear of the second-floor area, and initiated fire attack. We sent some crews to the roof to vent (cut holes in the roof), just in case it went up the walls into the attic space.” The blaze was contained to one room. There wer

Sacramento fire crews were dispatched to a report of flames coming from a Victorian home in Midtown early Tuesday morning. The fire displaced a family of three, but none of the residents were hurt. Just after 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Sacramento Fire Department responded to the 1300 Block of Q Street for a report of a residential structure fire. When fire crews arrived they found a two story Victorian home with three apartments on fire with flames coming out the roof, according to Battalion Chief Scott Williams. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Williams said, and Red Cross would be called out to take care of the displaced family of three. Check back on this story for m

A block of downtown Sacramento was closed to traffic Monday afternoon as fire officials investigated a small fire that brought out the Hazmat team. There was no official word late Monday afternoon about the need for the hazardous materials team. The fire was the result of people inside lighting a fire to stay warm, said Sacramento Fire Department Assistant Chief Niko King, but "it didn't get out of control." The incident, on 8th Street, between L and K streets, occurred shortly before 2 p.m. in what appeared to be a vacant building. A man was reportedly arrested after being found with a backpack full of wire and pipes. We will update this story as more details become available. Editor’

It is no surprise that anti-tax and chamber-of-commerce types oppose Measure U, the measure to raise sales taxes in the City of Sacramento. Their knee-jerk reaction to raising revenues is predictable. But progressives have plenty of reasons to oppose Measure U as well. Measure U is a regressive sales tax. That means that poor and middle-income families will pay the same rate as Sacramento’s wealthiest citizens, essentially subsidizing the rich for services that we all receive. According to Citizens for Tax Justice, since seniors, students and low-income families spend most of their money on essentials, a sales tax hits them the hardest. Measure U will cost these families hundreds of doll

A fire engulfed an old Victorian house on 28th and Q late Friday night, drawing a crowd of onlookers who watched as firefighters entered the burning building and put out the flames. About 55 firefighters responded to the scene at 1617 28th St. after the call was dispatched at 11:16 p.m., and it took them about 45 minutes to contain the fire, according to Niko King, Assistant Chief at Sacramento Fire Department. The residents of the house were not home when the fire started and no one was injured in the blaze. King said that a crew of seven firefighters entered the home minutes after they arrived to make sure no one was inside. "They admittedly pushed really hard," King said. "They were

Local fire troupe, Obsidian Butterfly, will hold the Fire Spectacular this Saturday, August 11, at Land Park Amphitheater. For the fifth annual extravaganza, fire troupe founder Sequoia brings the Bay Area’s Fire Pixie and Vikram, fire hooper Sonya Castoe from Jackson, Flux from Davis, Sacramento’s own Unmata Street Team and other fire friends for a mesmerizing evening of drama, music and fire. A spin jam with music by Drumsum starts at 5 p.m. Fire show starts at 6 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m. Vendors will have booths of arts and crafts from 3 p.m. on. Land Park Amphitheater 4000 So. Land Park Drive Sacramento, CA 95822 Tickets are cash only day of event and at door: Adult $20, Teens

An unassuming building that housed 40,000 square feet of fantastic party props and custom-cut styrofoam sculptures was destroyed in a 5-alarm fire Monday, but the owners say “the show must go on,” and they are already working to rebuild the business. When visitors first arrived at the warehouse building on Dos Rios Road, there wasn’t much to see: a large, grey building with steps leading up to a tinted glass door, and a moderate-sized sign that said “Party Concierge” over the doorway. Once they stepped inside, it was a different world – Fantasyland. Hollywood. Vegas. The front room was only the beginning of the wonders visitors would find housed in the cavernous spaces beyond. There was

-- Press Release from the City of Sacramento Office of Media & Communications -- Councilmember Steve Cohn has already received an outpouring of support in response to a suspected arson fire at the McKinley Village playground. The fire destroyed about one-third of the play area early Saturday morning. The donations range from a total of $10,000 coming from State Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Councilmember Cohn’s Pops in the Park fund, to a 7-year-old girl who delivered lemon-aide stand money to the Councilmember in her piggy bank. “I have been touched by the outpouring of community support. My initial reaction to the fire was one of anger, giving way to sadness, giving way to a st

An arsonist apparently struck McKinley park Saturday, destroying roughly a third of the playground with an early morning blaze. This video shows the damaged area: Sac City Fire Battalion Chief Jonathan William told Sacmav.com that someone had set the fire, and that the playground's wooden structure was "fully involved" by the time fire crews arrived. The fire then spread quickly through the plastic and dry wood, he said. Williams said that the arsonist had ruined the playground for children who would have used it that morning, and destroyed public property. "All people are doing is destroying city property and the city is going to end up rebuilding it and spending more money where th

The City Council passed its final budget Tuesday night by a vote of 8-1 on the heels of an unexpected announcement by City Manager John Shirey that tentative agreements had been reached with three city unions. The agreements with Stationary Engineers International Union Local 39, Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 and Sacramento City Exempt Employee’s Association could reduce the city’s budget gap by nearly $8 million and prevent more than 100 layoffs. The details of the agreements have not been released, but the main issue in contention between the city and the unions is the amount of money employees contribute toward their retirement funds, and it's likely the agreement has increas

Sacramento, CA | When a fire truck crew arrived on scene of a house ablaze Thursday afternoon, they had to wait for an engine with water to arrive from a distance. Thursday afternoon, Sacramento firefighters were called out to a blaze in the Oak Park area. When Truck 6 arrived in three minutes (trucks carry no water) the structure was fully involved with fire. The first engine, Engine 10 (carrying water), arrived in 6-8 minutes; Engine 6 (who likely would have arrived with Truck 6) was browned out due to budget cuts. Fortunately this was an unoccupied home which had burned a couple of years ago but had not been torn down. Chief Chris Ortiz explained that fire grows exponentially and lite

At the Feb. 7 City Council meeting, council members scrapped Mayor Kevin Johnson’s strong mayor initiative – dubbed the Checks and Balances Act of 2012 – in favor of an elected charter review commission. The move, initiated by Councilman Kevin McCarty and supported by six other council votes, paves the way for a costly November election and a tangled web of political intrigue and shenanigans. The cost for electing a charter review commission is still undetermined – it will depend largely on how many candidates line up seeking a spot, according to the city clerk’s office. Just placing the question of “Do you want an elected charter review commission?” on the ballot will cost an estimated

As temperatures dip with the approach of winter, Sacramentans are turning to their fireplaces for added warmth. The Sacramento Press checked out a number of vendors who sell and deliver firewood as well as the regulations and safety of burning in your home. Firewood is usually sold in cords or fractions of cords, and a single cord of wood is stacked 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet and can typically be held in two pickup truck beds. Firewood vendors and fire officials stressed the need to burn only seasoned wood in fireplaces so it burns at the correct temperature and doesn’t cause damage to chimneys or stoves. “Only burn approved products – no cardboard or paper products,” said Cal Fire Batt

Check Before You Burn Starts November 1 in Sacramento County and its Cities The fifth season of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District’s Check Before You Burn program starts November 1 and runs through February 29, 2012. Residential wood burning will be restricted or prohibited on days when fine particle pollution is forecast to be high. The law is in effect in Sacramento County and its cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova and Sacramento. Residents are required to Check Before You Burn. The District will restrict or prohibit the use of indoor and outdoor fireplaces and wood stoves, and fire pits and chimineas that burn wood, pell

     Photo essay by Dan ward Today on the Sacramento State campus two buildings were caught on fire. The first building was Mendocino hall. The building recorded the fire to start around 2:58pm. The fire took place on the 4th floor. Reports show that it started in a chair and the faculty and students were to be evacuated quickly. A professor and floor Marshall Matthew Mills helped a good majority of the students and faculty evacuate the premises while the fire engines arrived at the scene. There were no injuries however was student was caught in the fire but was quickly rescued. Shortly followed by the first fire another fire was broke out in Mariposa hall. The fire started from the int

Law enforcement and correctional officers, military personnel and a firefighter went toe to toe in the boxing ring Saturday night, raising money for charity in the Battle of the Badges Fight Series: Road to the Championship. Held in the intimate courtyard setting of Liquid Nightclub in Citrus Heights, the well-attended event benefitted charities including the Armed Forces Foundation, Firefighters Burn Institute and Sacramento Sheriff's Toy Project. Battle of the Badges Fight Series events are a lead-up to the title fight at Battle of the Badges VIII. Last year's Battle of the Badges VII was held in August at Memorial Auditorium. All bouts had a three-round limit, and on the card Saturd

Firefighters responded to a fire near the intersection of N Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard at about 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.