While the swim might seem likely to get cut, Korff cited a 2011 fire at a sewage-treatment plant that led to millions of gallons of waste flowing into the Hudson.

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The couple's son, 17-year-old Adam, was in hospital receiving treatment for leukaemia when fire ravaged the property.

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Firefighters moved four patients to other hospitals because some of the equipment needed for their treatment was damaged in the fire.

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Fire rescue crews arrived shortly thereafter and took the sisters for treatment.

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More importantly, it gave Ashton a morale-boosting lift at the end of a week when he has come under fire for England's lack-lustre performances and the treatment of Wilkinson, who many felt was made the scapegoat for the loss to Scotland.

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Refusing medical treatment, he proceeded to destroy two machine gun nests with hand grenades and his own machine gun fire.

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