Window Cleaning Hero, Car Explosions & the First Sign of Spring

Hero Sussex window cleaner saves girl in Lewes fire drama: A hero window-cleaner saved the life of a teenage girl who was trapped in a burning building and screaming for help. The 18-year-old was stuck in an upstairs bedroom of her home in South Street, Lewes, at 1pm today after a chip pan fire broke out and spread noxious smoke through the house. Watch commander Martin Lusk, from Lewes Fire Station, said: "The first she knew of what was happening was when she heard noises in the house. "She said she thought someone had come in and when she opened the bedroom door to look what was happening she found the house full of smoke." A fire had spread from the chip pan and was raging through the kitchen. The girl, unable to make her way down the stairs, slammed the door, rushed to the window and began calling for help. Mr Luck said: "She was lucky. There was a window cleaner working nearby and he brought his ladders and helped her to climb to safety. "We don't know who he was, he left when we arrived and didn't leave his name." An ambulance was called to help the girl and she was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Brighton, to be treated for the effects of smoke inhalation. She was not seriously injured. No-one else was in the house at the time. Three fire crews from Lewes, Brighton and Barcombe spent two hours extinguishing the flames and damping down the building. Mr Lusk said: "We're grateful to whoever the window cleaner was for stepping in to help. It was a good thing he did."

Car Explodes in EastMemphis: Memphis, TN - The Memphis Fire Department and Bomb Squad were called to the scene of a car explosion at 5545 Murray Road near Oakhaven and the Memorial Funeral Home in East Memphis. The incident happened just before noon Thursday, when a gold Nissan Maxima exploded in a parking lot. The owner of the vehicle, a self-employed janitorial worker for nearby offices, was transported to The Med for 1st and 2nd degree burns on her arms, neck and face. Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin stated in a news conference that the incident appears to be an accident. Investigators determined that the woman was unable to start her vehicle and sat inside to smoke a cigarette. The flame from her lighter apparently inginited fumes from numerous cleaning products in her trunk and in the floorboard of her vehicle. Witnesses said the explosion caused a "loud boom" that blew out the vehicle's windshield, back window and sunroof. Memphis Police, ATF and FBI officers deployed a bomb robot and bomb-sniffing dogs to ensure that there were no explosive devices in the area. Area offices were evacuated as a precaution until the scene was declared safe.

A simple story for a window cleaner: At a previous job we used to get the windows professionally cleaned every fortnight. It was done by a large cleaning company and we never really had any issues. They did the job and we paid the bills. One day a young man walks up to the receptionist and asked if we wanted a quote for cleaning the windows. He wasn't overly well dressed or overly well presented. He was reasonably clean and tidy though. Looked like a young man who might be a hard worker and could do with a little luck.He gave a good price and so we accepted (after going through all of the corporate halabaloo!). He turned up every fortnight, cleaned the windows and we paid the bills. As time went on, he started to improve. Had a better car, improved his uniform and I assume was getting lots of other work. He started with a squeegee and a bucket and ended up with a great little business. He had a simple thought, but the most important thing was, he acted on it. Went out there knocked on doors and asked if people were interested in his service. I believe it was Woody Allen who said "Eighty percent of success is showing up".
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A window cleaner was slapped with a parking ticket for parking on double yellow lines while he cleaned the windows of a town centre store at the weekend. Philip Adams runs Brighter Glass, a domestic and commercial window cleaning company, and had parked on double yellows in Cornfield Road on Saturday to wash the windows of Brufords Jewellers. Mr Adams, who lives in Enys Road, said he couldn't park in a loading bay because it would have been dangerous to the public for him to stretch his hoses along the pavement, so he parked on the double yellow lines which were closer. "I was temporarily stopped on double yellow lines while cleaning the windows at Brufords as I have done every Saturday for nearly two years," said Mr Adams."The nearest parking space in a loading bay was about 50 metres away and I have to trail hoses across the pavement which over that distance would cause many potential trip hazards to pedestrians. "I was in the middle of cleaning the windows when a warden came along and asked me how long I would be. "He told me to park in the loading bay and when I told him I couldn't and would only be five minutes, I received an instant parking ticket. "It's not just me that has been hassled by the parking attendants. It's all the window cleaners that I know. "We are all feeling harassed and concerned we can't go about our jobs because of the enforcement." Also here.

Hearing funny, thumping noises, I looked up from my laptop to see a handsome young man dangling outside my 4th floor window. I opened the window, learned this kid’s name is Nathanial, and he works for SunWest Property Maintenance. A little while later, on the other side of the room, another guy appeared, doing those windows. That's the new Four Seasons Hotel & Residences behind him. The guys carry a round, suction cup apparatus with which they attach themselves to the window so they don’t swing all over the place as they’re washing and squeegieing the glass. Surely, this is a much more fun sign of spring to come than setting my clock forward.

And James Stigamire, of Concord, a single dad, sits pondering the jobs he has applied for since he was laid off in August from a good-paying job as an estimator for a general contractor. He holds a clipboard labeled "professional and management," but says he can't let his pride get in the way. "I'm 54 years old. I've worked in a couple of different industries, worked my way up. I thought I could do that kind of thing for the rest of my life," he said. "It's just frustrating. I looked at this job for a window washer. They had a litany of requirements. They can be so selective now. ... There's one I'm looking at, park ranger, cleaning toilets, things like that. It's a significant cut in pay, but it has health benefits. It's a position I could enjoy."

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