One Child Killed, Two Children Injured In Pensacola House Fire
March 18, 2023
One child was killed and two other children were injured in a Pensacola house fire on Friday.
The Pensacola Fire Department and Pensacola Police Department received reports from dispatch of three children trapped inside the home in the 700 block of Zarragossa Street.
Officers arrived on scene to find one child near the doorway, and they moved the child away from the home and began to provide medical care. Officers then broke a window in an attempt to locate the other two children in the home.
Firefighters arrived on scene soon after and entered the home through the front door in severe smoke and heat conditions, locating and removing the other two children after a thorough search.
First responders from PFD, PPD, and Escambia County provided medical assistance to the victims on scene. One child was pronounced deceased on scene, and two children were transported to a local hospital by Escambia County EMS. Two PFD firefighters were evaluated for mild burns.
“This is a tragic day in our city,” said Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves. “It is a tragedy for everyone involved, and our hearts go out to the victim’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
“Thank you to our Pensacola Fire, Pensacola Police and all first responders for their quick response and unwavering dedication, even when it means risking their lives for others as they did once again today. Our hearts are especially heavy as we grieve the loss of a precious child in our community,” Reeves said.
Pensacola Fire Department received a call at approximately 12:43 p.m. reporting the residential structure fire. Crews arrived on scene at approximately 12:47 p.m. to find heavy smoke showing from the residence. There was severe fire damage throughout the home.
The Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosive Investigations is investigating the cause of the fire.
Want To Be A Firefighter? The Physical Abilities Test Is April 15
March 18, 2023
Escambia County Fire Rescue will hold a physical abilities test Saturday, April 15.
The test will take place at Pensacola Fire Department Station 4, at 1 North “Q” Street at 8 a.m. and is open to anyone interested in joining Escambia County Fire Rescue.
Certified firefighters with a certificate of completion must sign up for the certified test. Those without any fire certifications must sign up for the cadet test. The certified test is also open to volunteer firefighters needing a physical abilities test.
Click here to register for the certified test.
Click here to register for the cadet test.
In order to become an Escambia County Firefighter, participants must pass the test. Interviews for those who pass the test will take place the following day.
The certified test consists of:
- 1 3/4″ charged hose pull in 27 seconds
- Keiser sled in 60 seconds
- Tower evolution in six minutes
The cadet test consists of:
- 25 push-ups in two minutes
- 40 sit-ups in two minutes
- Run 1.5 miles in 15 minutes
- 1 3/4″ charged hose pull in 27 seconds
- Keiser sled in 60 seconds
- Tower evolution in six minutes
Certified Escambia County Firefighters receive a starting pay of $41,698 and numerous benefits including a $2,000 sign-on bonus, competitive pay and health benefits, a 48/96 schedule, 14 paid holidays, special teams’ incentive pay, and more.
Middle School Volleyball County Titles Go To Beulah Middle, Beulah Academy Of Science
March 18, 2023
In the Escambia County Middle School Volleyball Championships, the Beulah Middle School varsity (above) defeated the Ernest Ward Middle School varsity team (first below). And, the Beulah Academy of Science junior varsity (bottom) defeated the Bailey Middle School JV. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Elementary Students Honored As Shining Stars
March 18, 2023
WSRE recently hosted the Shining Star Awards, honoring outstanding fifth grade students who have demonstrated exemplary citizenship and leadership, as well as demonstrating the core values of the Escambia County School District.
This is the 26th year that WSRE has hosted this awards ceremony, previously with the Greater Escambia Community Foundation and now in partnership with the Escambia County Principals Association which raised the funds to purchase the bicycles and also coordinated the event.
The 2023 Shining Stars are:
- Jim Allen Elementary — Bella Jenkins
- Bellview Elementary — Chloe Syverson
- Beulah Elementary — Mikayla Gill
- Blue Angels Elementary — Javier Perez
- Bratt Elementary — Jonah Carter
- Brentwood Elementary — Ashley Harrigan
- Hellen Caro Elementary — Annina Lathrop
- N B Cook Elementary — Ava Westley
- Cordova Park Elementary — Elijah Chaston
- Ensley Elementary — Mia Figueroa
- Ferry Pass Elementary — Kacey Hadley-Coble
- Global Elementary — Princena Saint Fleur
- Holm Elementary — Brandon Lester
- Kingsfield Elementary — Harper Hamilton
- Lincoln Park Elementary — Delcie Pasaska
- Lipscomb Elementary — Emery Truitt
- Longleaf Elementary — Braylen Fenelon
- McArthur Elementary — Amiir Thomas
- Molino Park Elementary — Lola Chavers
- Montclair Elementary — Kamari Pettiway
- Myrtle Grove Elementary — Jesse Stripling
- Navy Point Elementary — Jada Bush
- Oakcrest Elementary — Sophia Gibson
- Pensacola Beach Elementary — Anna McPherson
- Pine Meadow Elementary — Levi Mccranie
- Pleasant Grove Elementary — Dylan Roy
- Scenic Heights Elementary — Chloe Currie
- OJ Semmes Elementary — Amaya Scott
- Sherwood Elementary — Madeline Shank
- Suter Elementary — Joslynn Robins
- Warrington Elementary — Lianna Reed
- Weis Elementary — Terriona Fountain
- West Pensacola Elementary — Dumarian Hawkins
Suspect Arrested After Standoff, Shooting At SWAT Team
March 17, 2023
A suspect is in custody after a standoff with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and SWAT team Friday afternoon on Finley Drive.
Kyle William Faist, 26, was charged charged with firing a weapon in public or on a residential property and domestic violence related aggravated assault. Additional charges are pending for firing at the SWAT team. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.
The ECSO responded to a reported domestic violence related armed disturbance about 12:40 p.m. on Finley Drive, which is off Jernigan Road between Nine Mile Road and Johnson Avenue.
According to ECSO Commander Andrew Hobbs, at least one shot was fired prior to their arrival. There were no reported injuries.
Faist barricaded himself inside a home and refused to come out. Authorities said he was the only one inside the home, and there were no hostages.
Negotiators worked for two and a half hours in an effort to get Fasist to surrender, but he refused. Four tear gas canisters were deployed into the home.
The ECSO said Faist then fired at the SWAT team members, and they returned fire.
“The suspect surrendered immediately and was taken into custody. No one was injured during the exchange,” ECSO said in a statement.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Photos: 28-Wheel Truck Gets Stuck On Railroad Tracks In Cantonment
March 17, 2023
A 28-wheel truck became stuck on the railroad tracks at a Cantonment crossing late Friday morning.
It happened at the Eden Lane crossing at Highway 95A. The low-bottom trailer hauling concrete crushing equipment bottomed-out on the tracks.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Two Killed, Including 18-Year Old, In Highway 29 Wrong-Way Driver Crash
March 17, 2023
Two people were killed in a fiery wrong way driver crash on Highway 29 early Friday morning.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a white Chevrolet sedan was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Highway 29 just south of Quintette Road at 12:41 a.m.
A burgundy Nissan SUV driven by an 18-year old female from Molino was northbound at the time, and the vehicles collided head-on.
The Chevrolet sedan caught fire with the driver still inside. Troopers said the sedan driver has not yet been identified.
Both drivers were pronounced deceased at the scene.
The 18-year old SUV driver was a Northview High School senior.
The FHP investigation is continuing.
Cantonment Man Charged With Cutting And Stealing AT&T Phone Cables From Poles
March 17, 2023
A Cantonment man is accused of cutting down AT&T telephone cables, leaving customers without service and causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Levy Brian Dixon, 42, was charged with theft of copper from a communications services provider, damage of utility fixtures, and grand theft. All of the charges are felonies. He remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $15,000.
On March 10, a deputy working at Lipscomb Elementary School on Ashton Brosnaham Drive responded to a suspicious vehicle parked in the woods northwest of the school. The deputy noted that it contained numerous wire cutting tools and a ladder.
Dixon walked out of the woods and told the deputy that the Jeep belonged to him. According to an arrest report, Dixon said he had been exploring in the woods. He told an investigator that the cutting tools and ladder were his, but he knew nothing about wire in the vehicle. Pictures were sent to an AT&T representative that the wire was consistent with AT&T wire that had been stolen.
The investigator walked into the wooded area that Dixon had exited and located three disassembled automotive radiators, about 25 feet of insulated copper wire, a cooler full of metal link chain, tire tools and an agricultural plow.
According to the report, Dixon had sold 73 pounds of copper and catalytic converters in February.
A search warrant was executed at Dixon’s home on Frank Ard Road. Deputies reported finding 150 feet of Superior 2×22 phone wire, 200 feet of insulated #2 1-inch paired phone cable, 30 feet of 600 volt FPL aluminum SE cable, 25 feet of 100 amp insulated aluminum wire and one XS100 highline cable pulley. AT&T identified the items as belonging to them.
On March 13, AT&T reported that customers in the area of Tate Road and Highway 29 were without service. AT&T said one of their telephone lines on the west side of Tate Road had been stolen from between wooden poles. Approximately 150 feet of “300 pair” aerial cable, capable of providing service to 300 phone lines, was missing. It was estimated that repairs would cost $3,000. Another aerial drop cable was cut with a replacement cost of $1,000, and another “300 pair” cable near 772 Tate Road was cut but not stolen.
A silver Jeep SUV was captured on nearby surveillance video during the theft.
Man Gets 15 Years For Gas Station Shootout With Motorcycle Club
March 17, 2023
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a gas station shootout on Nine Mile Road.
Jamal Delanie Battle-Donson was convicted of shooting or discharging a firearm from a vehicle.
The shooting occurred at the Circle K gas station at 3255 West Nine Mile Road just after 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 21, 2022. The store surveillance camera video recording showed a vehicle being aggressively driven by Battle-Donson as he pulled into the gas station. He then circled through the parking lot and stopped at the fuel pumps, where he instigated a confrontation with other patrons who appeared to be motorcycle club members. A brief struggle ensued. Battle-Donson returned his car, drove up to another group of customers from the motorcycle club, and conversed briefly before exiting the parking lot.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the gas station shootout, click here.
A few moments later, Battle-Donson returned and exchanged gunfire with the same motorcycle club members he had physically struggled with earlier before driving away.
During the trial, Battle-Donson claimed the motorcycle club members brandished guns and fired at him first, and he merely returned fire in self-defense. However, the video recording also showed that he returned to the store a third time approximately a minute and a half after the previous shooting and fired his handgun indiscriminately from his vehicle as he again passed through the parking lot.
More than 40 shell casings and projectile fragments were recovered from the scene. The physical evidence and testimony at trial showed that Battle-Donson had shot his firearm, re-loaded and firearm again at the scene.
“The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office works tirelessly to keep us safe by investigating and arresting persons that illegally and violently use firearms,” said State Attorney Ginger Madden. “We remain committed to supporting their efforts by prosecuting criminals who recklessly endanger our community. The imposed sentences illustrate the significant consequences of placing our citizens in harm.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
All Three Lanes Are Now Open On One Side Of Pensacola Bay Bridge
March 17, 2023
All three lanes on the Pensacola Bay Bridge are now open from Gulf Breeze to Pensacola.
On the Pensacola to Gulf Breeze (eastbound) side, the two-lane configuration will remain in place as crews work on the tie-in areas in Gulf Breeze.
Pictured: Traffic flows from Gulf Breeze to Pensacola on a fully opened span of the Pensacola Bay Bridge on Thursday. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.