BLM Alaska Fire Service is closely monitoring a large lightning-caused tundra fire burning in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge about 25 miles north of St. Mary's. The East Fork Fire (#160) was estimated at 1,800 acres when flown by a helicopter Wednesday night. Galena Zone Fire Management officials are also utilizing satellite to keep tabs on the fire as it burns within a mile of a cabin and Native allotment on the Andreafsky River. A riparian area separates the cabin and fire's edge. Fire officials are prepared to mobilize smokejumpers prepositioned in Galena if the fire crosses a creek and progresses toward the cabin. Galena Zone personnel flew over the area in the past two days and identified all other sites of value. There are other Native allotments and a cabin farther north on the Andreafsky River that are not immediately threatened by the fire.  

VIDEO: Fire crews battled a large fire in a Port Richmond junkyard Thursday afternoon. Crews were called to Aramingo Avenue and Wheatsheaf Lane about 4:30 in the afternoon. They were met with heavy flames. Plumes of thick, black smoke could be seen billowing across the river and into New Jersey by drivers along northbound I95. A PennDOT camera also managed to capture the flames as the fire raged. Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control just after 5:30 p.m. There is no word on any injuries or a cause of the fire. In response to the fire, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health issued a warning to residents in the surrounding area of the fire. Health officials advised people should avoid the area or stay indoors. No specific hazardous substances were found, but health officials urged the precautions, just to be safe.  

As more and more electric vehicles hit the road, first responders are preparing to adapt to the unique emergencies the new technology could bring. Huntington firefighters had the opportunity on Thursday to get hands-on training in this and became the first career department in the country to do so with West Virginia University's unique program in high demand. This was led by the WVU Fire Service Extension, which took lithium AA batteries and lit them on fire to give firefighters a taste of the punch these kinds of batteries can pack. "At this moment, this technology is on the road," instructor Tim Miller said. "And we as first responders have to be prepared to deal with the threats posed by this technology." Lithium ion batteries that ignite can create a spark effect, shoot out shrapnel and give off toxic gases.  

Within the past week, four more members of the FDNY have died of 9/11-related illnesses. Supervising Fire Marshal John McCauley and firefighter Robert Reynolds passed away on Saturday. Firefighter Michael Verzi died Sunday, and Deputy Chief Vincent Mandala died two days after that. Each served at least twenty years with the fire department, according to service records. Mandala served for 42 years, having joined the FDNY in 1979 and retiring in 2021. McCauley also joined in 1979, and retired in 2007. Verzi joined in 1984 and stayed with the department for 25 years. Reynolds joined in 1985, and retired months after the 9/11 attacks. The terror attacks have now taken the lives of more than 600 members of the FDNY, including those who died the day of the attacks and those who have died of illnesses linked to their time on the pile at Ground Zero.  

Wake County is teaming up with Wake Tech Community College and six other fire departments to recruit more people to work for them. The program is called "Career in a Year." The goal is to increase racial and gender diversity within its fire departments. The county says right now 97 percent of staff with Wake County Fire Services are male. 94 percent are white. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says nationally around 95 percent of career firefighters are men and 85 percent are white. For the first time, candidates a part of this program can apply with no experience to be able to earn a salary while being trained. The county says they hope to break down barriers that may have prevented women and other minorities from considering careers in fire services. The money comes from $2.3 million the county received from the American Rescue Plan Act.  

VIDEO: On June 2, 1983, 23 passengers died in a fire onboard Air Canada Flight 797. The flight was coming from Dallas, Texas, and heading to Toronto, Canada, when the cabin crew discovered smoke in a rear lavatory. According to the aircraft accident report, the crew attempted to extinguish the hidden fire before contacting air traffic control and declaring an emergency. As smoke filled the plane, pilots made an emergency landing in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Greater Cincinnati International Airport. The fire disabled virtually all cockpit instruments, forcing the pilots to land the plane while flying blind. The airport's fire department immediately began firefighting operations after the plane landed. Passengers and flight attendants quickly exited the forward doors while the captain and first officer exited through their cockpit sliding windows.