The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its report into a July explosion that killed the sole crewmember on a barge was moored at the Delong Dock in Whittier, Alaska. The vessel was serving as a platform for pumping fish cargo ashore from fishing vessels and tenders that came alongside. It also provided diesel fuel and gasoline to the fishing vessels. The NTSB report says that the 98 foot long barge, the Alaganik was originally built in 1974 as a small integrated tugboat and barge, and the two units that made up the combination were purchased by the current owner — described only as "a private citizen" — in 2006. Following a grounding in 2013, the owner removed the engines from the tugboat and permanently welded the tugboat and barge together. The original barge portion of the Alaganik was composed of a center section, pontoons on either side of the center section, and a line locker forward of the center section used for storing gear.  

VIDEO: A raging fire engulfed a home in Great Kills early Friday morning, displacing a family and injuring nine firefighters. Video from the scene shows flames and thick black smoke pouring from the upper floors and roof as FDNY members sprayed the inferno with hoses. The three-alarm blaze was reported at about 3 a.m. for a two-story home at 8 Holly Ave., according to a spokesman for the FDNY/EMS. The injured firefighters were transported to area hospitals, including six members to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze, one firefighter to Staten Island University Hospital in Prince's Bay, and two members to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, the spokesman said. Four people inside the home were able to escape safely before firefighters arrived, according to ABC7. Red Cross has been in touch with the displaced family and has offered assistance, according to a spokesman for the organization.  

A new Oregon State University study suggests that firefighters are more likely to be exposed to potentially harmful chemicals while on duty compared to off duty. The on-duty firefighters in the Kansas City, Missouri, area experienced higher exposures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are a family of chemicals that are known to have the potential to cause cancer. They were also exposed to 18 PAHs that have not been previously reported as firefighting exposures in earlier research. The study, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is published in the journal Environment International. The results are important because previous studies have shown that firefighters have an increased risk of developing cancer and other damaging health effects, said study lead Kim Anderson, an environmental chemist and Extension specialist in OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences.  

VIDEO: With COVID-19 restrictions loosening in S.C. Shriners Hospital in Greenville along with firefighters from Greenville Fire Department surprised the children with a day full of joy. "One of our employees just asked if they could donate some fun hats to the kids to brighten their day and they took it and ran with it from there. They volunteered to actually come and visit the patients in a special socially distanced format," Trana Pittam, director of marketing and communications at Shriners Hospital said. The firefighters propped up their ladders to climb two stories to the windows of children in the hospital and entered their rooms with toy firefighter hats. Many of the patients were those receiving specialized orthopedic care, but since safety restrictions were tight at the hospital not many visitors were allowed. Firefighters allowed children to get an exclusive look at the fire trucks, leaving many with smiles on their faces.  

PHOTOS: When D.C. firefighters responded to the report of a fire in Northeast Thursday evening, a man suspected of setting the fire attacked Fire Engine 8. As they were trying to put out the fire, which was outside in the 300 block of 18th St. NE, the man became aggressive toward the crew, according to a DC Fire and EMS spokesperson. The crew called for police assistance and tried to move toward a safer place. The man then shattered the driver side window of the fire truck. One firefighter was injured. The suspect was taken into custody.  

Three new scientific studies published this month show that the COVID-19 virus can spread in more ways than we once knew. Research from various parts of the world considered three separate factors in each study: low humidity, public restrooms and airborne dust. The implications from all three of these studies? Mask up! A study just published in Transboundary and Emerging Diseases confirms an earlier study conducted in the Greater Sydney, Australia area during the early stages of the pandemic reported a link between low humidity and community spread of COVID-19. The new research led by Dr. Michael Ward in the Sydney School of Veterinary Science adds to the growing body of evidence that low humidity is a key factor in the spread of the Coronavirus. The scientists estimated that for a 1% decrease in relative humidity, COVID-19 cases increase by 7 to 8%. The same link was not found in other weather patterns such as rainfall, temperature or wind.