fire insurance News

Student from China Sentenced in Arson of Alabama Church in 2021

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A 30-year-old woman in the U.S. on a student visa has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for setting fire to First Baptist Church in Montgomery in 2021, federal prosecutors said Monday. Xiaoqin …

Florida Jewish Center Burned by Arsonist But Police Say It’s Not a Hate Crime

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida Jewish center suffered severe damage in a weekend arson fire that police believe was set by a mentally ill homeless man who previously confronted the rabbi and others. Rabbi Chaim Slavaticki said …

NFL Star Receiver’s House Catches Fire in Miami

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and his family were reported safe after a fire broke out in his Miami-area home Wednesday afternoon. The Associated Press, the New York Post and other news outlets reported that the fire scorched part …

Southerners Rekindling ‘Fire Culture’ to Boost Longleaf Pine Range

WEST END, N.C. (AP) — Jesse Wimberley burns the woods with neighbors. Using new tools to revive an old communal tradition, they set fire to wiregrasses and forest debris with a drip torch, corralling embers with leaf blowers. Wimberley, 65, …

Child Dies, Another Injured When Christmas Tree Catches Fire in NC Home

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — One child was killed and another was injured when a Christmas tree caught fire in a North Carolina manufactured home Tuesday evening, according to fire officials. Firefighters called to a home on Fanning Pointe Lane in …

In Florida, One Coast Is Soaked. The Other Is Parched.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — In Florida, this year has been a tale of two states as far as rainfall totals, with the southeast coast deluged by sometimes-record rainfall and much of the Gulf of Mexico coast facing a drought. …

Murder, Arson Charges on Hold in Killing of Former Mississippi Legislator

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi prosecutors have dismissed indictments against a man in the shooting death of a former state lawmaker and the earlier burning of a building, saying they need more time to investigate. The murder and arson charges …

Georgia Fires Kill 3, Destroy Historic Home in Stone Mountain Park

A house fire in northeast Georgia that killed three people last week was found to be accidental in nature, linked to a clothes dryer that was running overnight. And a blaze that burned a 180-year-old, historic home in Stone Mountain …

Mississippi Loosens Burn Ban After More Rain and Fewer Wildfires

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Recent rain has helped improve drought conditions enough for Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves to partially lift a statewide burn ban. Reeves, the Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said the burn ban will …

NC Commissioner Fires Top Fire Marshal Officials as Feud with Lawmakers Continues

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey appears to have escalated a feud with lawmakers, firing three officials at the state fire marshal’s office after legislation stripped Causey of the marshal’s job. Causey, insurance commissioner since 2017, recently sent a top …