Firefighter helps rescue dog while battling Eaton Fire: ‘I need to find that dog’
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
(ALTADENA, Calif) — While entire neighborhoods were ablaze in Altadena, California, on Wednesday, a scared dog named Max barked at the out-of-control flames engulfing his home.
A firefighter saw him curled up in his front yard, alone and scared. As the fireman sprayed the flames, the dog got closer and closer.
The fireman put his hand out. And the dog came.
“Visibility was pretty poor initially, so we found a place that we could stake out, especially with the winds and the conditions that we were in,” firefighter Slater Lee told ABC News’ Matt Rivers.
“I heard a dog barking, and I was like, ‘I need to find that dog,'” he said.
“The whole garage was involved in pretty heavy flames, and I looked to my side, and the dog was seated with its tail between its legs, just curled in the corner of the front yard, still barking, just in a really sad position,” Lee added.
Lee put his hand down every so often to coax the 60-pound dog into feeling comfortable with him.
“I had the nozzle in one hand cooling the garage, so [the fire] wouldn’t extend over to the house, and then trying to pet the dog and make some light of the situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire has continued to grow. It has now scorched more than 14,000 acres with 37% containment, according to Cal Fire. At least 16 people have died in the Eaton Fire, according to the LA County medical examiner.
“I don’t like to take individual credit for anything, you know, and by no means was it any sort of an individual effort,” Lee said of comforting Max. “There’s my whole crew behind me.”
Lee has only been a firefighter for about six months, still on probationary status with the San Marcos Fire Department. His chief told ABC News that some new recruits come and go but “Slater is one of the good ones. He’s going to be sticking around.”
Lee kept the dog calm until another couple of concerned citizens were able to take him. They got him to safety, out of the fire zone, while Lee stayed behind, continuing his work.
Max made it back to his family, alive and well, if a bit traumatized.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden, former presidents and other dignitaries are gathering Thursday for a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., to honor the life of former President Jimmy Carter.
Biden is expected to deliver a eulogy for Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100.
An emotional, weeklong goodbye
The emotional, weeklong public goodbye to former President Jimmy Carter began on Saturday when a motorcade carried his remains from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta.
Family, friends and employees of the Carter Presidential Center congregated at the center in Atlanta for a Saturday afternoon ceremony. Carter’s son Chip Carter addressed the mourners and thanked his late parents for their service and sacrifice.
The public was then invited to pay their respects at the Carter Presidential Center from Saturday through Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Carter’s body was transported Washington, D.C., and a service was held at the Capitol. Carter lied in state at the Capitol on Wednesday.
On Thursday afternoon, following the Washington National Cathedral funeral, Carter will return to his hometown of Plains for a private service and private interment.
Motorcade makes emotional stop at Navy Memorial
Former President Jimmy Carter’s motorcade made an emotional stop at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor Carter’s service as a lieutenant in the Navy.
Carter’s childhood dream was to be in the Navy and he went on to graduate from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. Carter resigned from the Navy in 1953 after his father’s death so he could return to the family farm.
Carter’s casket was transferred from the hearse to a horse-drawn military caisson for a funeral procession that reproduces the walk Carter took with his family on the day of his inauguration. On that January day in 1977, Carter walked the mile-and-a-half inaugural parade route to the White House, rather than ride in a limousine, bringing a common touch to his presidency.
Navy officers stood silently along the snow-lined street, witnessing the casket’s transfer to the caisson.
The Carter family will walk behind the casket as it heads from the U.S. Navy Memorial to the U.S. Capitol.
Motorcade leaves Joint Base Andrews
Former President Jimmy Carter’s motorcade has left Joint Base Andrews in Maryland en route to Washington, D.C., to begin several days of services in the nation’s capital.
Carter lands in DC
A plane carrying the Carter family and the casket of former President Jimmy Carter has landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for several days of ceremonies in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Navy Memorial will be the first stop for the motorcade to honor Carter’s service as a lieutenant in the Navy.
Carter en route from Georgia to DC
The Carter family is accompanying former President Jimmy Carter’s remains on a flight from Georgia’s Dobbins Air Reserve Base to Washington, D.C. for the late president’s final journey to the nation’s capital.
“Hail to the Chief” was played and troops fired a 21-gun salute after the coffin was taken out of the hearse. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was among the officials at the base to witness the coffin’s transfer from the hearse to the plane.
Carter is survived by four children — John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff) and Amy Lynn — and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The flight will land in the D.C. area around 2 p.m.
The late president’s first stop in snowy D.C. will be the U.S. Navy Memorial to honor his time in the service.
That will be followed by a 4:30 p.m. ET service at the U.S. Capitol, which will be
Carter leaves Carter Presidential Center for final time
Former President Jimmy Carter is leaving the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta for the final time Tuesday morning as Carter Center employees and their families look on.
The former president had been lying in repose at the center since Saturday, allowing the public to come pay their respects.
At a Saturday service at the Carter Presidential Center, Carter’s son Chip Carter thanked his parents for their service and sacrifice.
“The two of them together changed the world,” he said, overcome with emotion.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded the Carter Center after his presidency to improve health around the world and enhance freedom and democracy.
Carter to head to DC for services at Capitol, Washington National Cathedral
Former President Jimmy Carter’s remains will be escorted from the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday for the 39th president’s final trip to the nation’s capital.
His remains will leave the Carter Center at 11:30 a.m. ET.
The first stop in D.C. will be the U.S. Navy Memorial in honor of the former president’s service.
At 4:30 p.m. ET, members of Congress, the Supreme Court, the Cabinet, the Joint Chiefs and other officials will congregate at the U.S. Capitol for a lying in state ceremony. Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are expected to deliver eulogies and lay wreaths.
Carter’s remains will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning, allowing the public to pay respects.
On Thursday morning, former presidents and other dignitaries will attend a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral. President Joe Biden will deliver a eulogy.
On Thursday afternoon, Carter’s body will return to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, for a private service and private interment. Carter will be buried next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, who died on Nov. 19, 2023, at the age of 96.
(LOS ANGELES) — A flurry of separate lawsuits were filed Monday against Southern California Edison, a utility company in California, by homeowners and renters who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire. The four lawsuits each allege the company failed to de-energize all of its electrical equipment despite red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service.
“The property damage and economic losses caused by the Eaton Fire is the result of the ongoing custom and practice of Defendant of consciously disregarding the safety of the public and not following statutes, regulations, standards, and rules regarding the safe operation, use and maintenance of their overhead electric facilities,” said a complaint filed by Evangeline Iglesias, who said she worked a decadeslong career with FedEx in order to buy a single-family home that was destroyed in the fire.
On Monday, the CEO of the parent company of SCE told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” that investigations are underway to determine if any of their equipment contributed to either the Eaton or Hurst fires’ ignitions.
“You can’t rule out anything ever until you can get your eyes on the equipment,” Pedro Pizarro, the president and CEO of Edison International, told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. “Typically, when there’s a spark created by equipment, we will see the electrical anomaly — we haven’t seen that.”
“That said, we have not been able to get close to the equipment,” he continued. “As soon as we can get close to it, we’ll inspect and be transparent with the public.”
Officials have repeatedly said they are still investigating the cause of the Eaton and Hurst fires, as well as the other several wildfires that cropped up in January.
The four lawsuits allege that the company failed to de-energize all of its electrical equipment on Jan. 7 despite “repeated and clear warnings” by the National Weather Service of wind gusts as high as 100 mph, and an extreme risk of fire, according to one of the lawsuits.
“Despite knowing of an extreme fire risk, Defendants deliberately prioritized profits over safety. This recklessness and conscious disregard for human safety was a substantial factor in bringing about the Eaton Fire,” said a complaint filed by a group of renters, including Michael Kreiner, who was forced to evacuate.
“In my decades of experience handling wildfire litigation, the Eaton Fire is among the most devastating and heart-wrenching cases I’ve seen,” said Patrick McNicholas, the attorney who represents Kreiner and other renters. “This goes beyond a failure of responsibility — it is gross negligence in an area highly vulnerable to wildfires, especially with well-documented weather alerts and high wind risks.”
One of the lawsuits filed on behalf of multiple families who lost their homes, alleges the Eaton Fire was caused when SCE’s energized transmission and electrical equipment created an “electrical arcing event which sent a shower of spars and molten metal down to the ground into a receptive fuel bed.”
The complaints also allege SCE failed to properly inspect and maintain their electric facilities.
“These Defendants failed to properly inspect and maintain their electric facilities in order to cut costs, with the full knowledge that any incident was likely to result in a wildfire that would burn and destroy real and personal property, displace homeowners from their homes and disrupt businesses in the fire area,” said a complaint filed by Jeremy Gursey, who lost his home in Altadena.
According to Gursey’s complaint, SCE’s electrical transmission system “was in a dangerous condition, posing a significant risk of electrical failure, fire and property damage to surrounding property and communities.” “Had SCE acted responsibly, the Eaton Fire could have been prevented,” the complaint says.
In a statement, a spokesperson for SCE told ABC News, “Our hearts remain with our communities during the devastating fires in Southern California, and we remain committed to supporting them through this difficult time. SCE crews, contractors and mutual assistance partners are dedicated to safely restoring power to our customers. SCE understands that a lawsuit related to the Eaton fire has been filed but has not yet been served with a complaint. SCE will review the complaint when it is received. The cause of the fire continues to be under investigation.”
When asked, the spokesperson acknowledged more than one lawsuit had been filed against SCE.
Some of the complaints include public statements from residents and photos that allegedly show fire emerging from the base of power transmission towers owned and operated by SCE.
The Gursey complaint includes satellite photos from Google Earth that allegedly confirm the origin area of the fire where SCE’s overheard circuit lines traverse Eaton Canyon.
In a press release by SCE included in the complaint, the utility company confirmed that the Eaton Fire began in SCE’s service area.
The four lawsuits seek compensatory damages for the plaintiffs and punitive damages.
“The conduct alleged against Defendants in this complaint was despicable and subjected Plaintiffs to cruel and unjust hardship in conscious disregard of their safety and rights, constituting oppression, for which Defendant must be punished by punitive and exemplary damages in an amount according to proof,” the Gursey complaint says. More than 7,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the Eaton Fire, which has consumed more than 14,000 acres, according to Cal Fire, and killed at least 16 people, according to the LA County medical examiner.
(WASHINGTON) — Jack Smith, who investigated Donald Trump over allegations of interfering with the 2020 election and unlawfully retaining classified documents after leaving the White House, has formally resigned as special counsel after submitting his final report on the probes to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Smith resigned Friday, according to a court filing that noted his departure in a footnote.
His resignation was widely expected following Trump’s reelection in November, as both his cases against the president-elect were dismissed due to a longstanding Department of Justice policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president.
Trump repeatedly vowed he would fire Smith upon taking office and has said Smith should be “thrown out of the country.”
Smith, who Garland tapped in November 2022 to lead both probes, charged Trump in June 2023 with 37 counts related to his handling of classified materials, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information ranging from U.S. nuclear secrets to the nation’s defense capabilities, and took steps to thwart the government’s efforts to get the documents back.
Two months later, Smith indicted Trump on charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election in an effort to subvert democracy and remain in power.
Trump, who has denied all wrongdoing, pleaded not guilty to all charges in both cases and slammed the prosecutions as a political with hunt, before both cases were dismissed in November due to presidential immunity.
The release of Smith’s final report on the two cases has been the subject of a court battle over the last week.
