The City of Fairbanks announced on June 4 the death of Battalion Fire Kenneth Mayfield. "The untimely passing of Ken Mayfield is deeply felt by the fire service family here at Fairbanks Fire Department, across the Interior, and around the state," said Acting Chief Tod Chambers. "Ken was a dedicated man who had many talents, and he was our brother through and through." According to the press release, Mayfield was found dead in his home after a welfare check when he didn't show up to work, and that his death seems to be accidental. "Ken was a great man, a dedicated employee, and a loved co-worker," said Mayor Jim Matherly. "I would like to offer my deepest sympathy, as well as my support, to Ken's family and to all who worked with him and called him a friend.  

Three members of the Nikiski Fire Department have tested positive for COVID-19, and eight others were in quarantine pending test results, a spokesperson for the Kenai Peninsula Borough said Wednesday. Brenda Ahlberg told The Associated Press said the 11 individuals were part of one shift. The borough's emergency management office, in a release, said testing has been conducted for all department personnel. Ahlberg said that includes full-time staff and volunteers. Nikiski Fire Chief Bryan Crisp said the department will continue to follow federal health protocols and recommendations from the borough's physician director, which include wearing protective gear and cleaning equipment. Personnel from other departments have agreed to help the Nikiski department, the release states.  

VIDEO: A massive fire is still burning aboard a cargo ship at Blount Island while several injured firefighters were reported to be in stable condition. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said 9 firefighters were injured trying to contain the blaze. According to Fire Chief Keith Powers, eight firefighters were injured in an explosion, and an additional firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. "It's a tough situation and very dangerous -- that's one of the most dangerous situations firefighters encounter is when they're in a ship fire," Powers said. This morning more firefighters were seen arriving to help, including some with maritime expertise. Crews are spraying the ship with water, not to try to extinguish the flames, but to keep the ship's exterior cool.  

A federal agency is warning consumers about a phenomenon they need to know about in the height of grilling season. Under the right conditions, the ATF says "flame jetting" could turn a backyard fire pit or BBQ grill into a flamethrower. It happens in an instant. The effort to ignite or stoke a fire pit or BBQ, creating a fireball, essentially turning portable fuel cans into a device that spews flames. It's happened at homes across the country with a tragic combination of factors triggering a terrifying and potentially deadly phenomenon. It's called flame jetting. Spotlight on America was given behind the scenes access to see how it happens, inside one of the burn rooms at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Fire Research Lab in Maryland. ATF began studying flame jetting just 10 years ago, after the death of a six-year-old girl in Michigan.  

VIDEO: A new video shows the moment two alleged arsonists turned Sunday's peaceful protest through the streets of Long Beach into a devastating inferno. The video shows the men toss two beer bottles allegedly filled with gas into the Men's Suit Outlet on Pine Avenue before fleeing on foot. Moments later, an officer arrives at the scene as the fire spread and angered community members tried to help. "They wanted all of that madness," filmmaker Chris Vinan said. "They planned that store, I feel, because they did say, ‘That's the shop. That's the shop,' twice." Vinan was behind the lens on Sunday documenting an entire block of the city of Long Beach being looted and burned. In the end, 70 businesses were looted and 75 people were arrested. The Men's Suit Outlet, in business for 17 years on the same corner, was the most heavily damaged building in the city.  

It's not very often that someone does a job for 50 years, let alone three people doing that same job for 50 years. But Thursday night, three special Columbiana County community members were honored. You see them in your town — men and women who drive around in the giant red truck to help put out fires. It's a selfless job that Lawrence Hephner, Sr., Roland Hall, Sr. and Gary Steele have been doing for half a century in the small village of Leetonia. "It's something to do for the community," Hephner said. Both Hall and Steele started in 1970 with Hephner right before them in 1969. In the last 50 years, they've seen a lot of changes. "When we first started out, all we had was a black rubber coat for a fire coat, but it changes every year," Hall said. "Well, you have to make sure you have all your equipment on when you go in places. When I first got on, you didn't worry about that. You went in, put the fire out and come back out. Now, you got to put all those air packs on," Steele said.  

The regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and coordinating officer for COVID-19 response and recovery in New England said his agency is maintaining logistical and other capabilities in the region, even though the surge is over, just in case there is a second wave. Retired Coast Guard Capt. Russell Webster's resume includes supervising part of FEMA's response to the Boston Marathon bombings and Tropical Storm Irene, leading Coast Guard operations in the Northeast in the wake of Sept. 11, and overseeing the response to the crash of John F. Kennedy Junior's flight in 1999, and the Egypt Air Flight 990 air crash. He described the COVID-19 outbreak, which led to emergency declarations in all 50 states and some U.S. territories, as "unprecedented."