A fire that burned just over four acres off the Sterling Highway yesterday was the second wildfire in Cooper Landing this week. Both fires are now under control, and Tuesday's was expected to be completely contained by Wednesday evening. But the fires are a reminder to residents of the risks that fire season pose to the community, especially on the heels of the large 2019 Swan Lake Fire. Jen Harpe is president of Cooper Landing Emergency Services, the volunteer-run fire department and emergency medical services for Cooper Landing. She said between the dry weather and ongoing beetle kill problem, fire risk — and anxiety about that risk — are high. "We definitely understand that we're kind of a tinderbox right now," she said. "I don't think that anyone in this town is necessarily fully healed from the Swan Lake Fire."  

VIDEO: The pool of funds intended to compensate victims of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium will increase to more than $1 billion, attorneys Wednesday told the judge overseeing the resulting class action lawsuit. Attorneys for the victims said all but one of the remaining defendants have settled the claims against them, and that company is expected to settle soon. That increases the total recovery pool to $997 million, said Harley Tropin, one of the lead plaintiffs attorneys. That number doesn't include the minimum $120 million guaranteed opening bid in an auction of the oceanfront lot, now set for May 24. Those who lost property will split $83 million of that, based on the size of their units. The rest of the funds, less some expenses, will go to the families of the 98 people who died in the June 24, 2021 collapse in Surfside.  

Reckless driving in Milwaukee is an epidemic. Emergency responders are getting hurt – and the wounds are more than physical. "People are screaming and crying and yelling at you to move faster, things like that," said Milwaukee Fire Captain A.J. Hornik. A group of Milwaukee firefighters recently trained for what has become a serious problem in the city. "Just based on the run volume, the amount of times we have to use what we train for to remove people from vehicles, it definitely feels to me, we're using a lot of resources for sure to deal with it," Hornik said. Dealing with what exactly? Reckless driving. The MFD captain is the first to respond to those scenes. "I'm kind of a step back and oversee," Hornik said. As Hornik's team stays mission focused, they are hit with reality. Reckless driving is out of control.  

Studio Gang has completed a fire station for Brooklyn's elite force that doubles as a simulation and training facility for extreme rescue situations. The new headquarters for the FDNY's Rescue 2 unit is located in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Each of New York's five boroughs has a dedicated Rescue team. These teams are highly specialized in extreme conditions that include rappelling down buildings, navigating collapsed structures, and even deploying for underwater rescue operations. The building serves as the elite unit's headquarters, where the firefighters sleep, train, and coordinate their operations. "The rescue company is trained to respond to various emergency scenarios, from fire and building collapses to water rescues and scuba operations," said US firm Studio Gang. "The new Rescue Company 2 facility is designed as a tool for training, enabling FDNY's elite force of specialized rescue workers to stage and simulate a wide range of emergency conditions in, on, and around the building," the studio added.  

PHOTO GALLERY: On Pleasant Street, flaming chunks of wood were flying through the air. David Jennings stood on the corner of Pleasant and Eastern Avenue, looking west at the Flint as it was being consumed by an inferno. "The smoke and the flames … it blotted out the sun," Jennings said. "Flames over 100 feet in the air." On May 11, 1982, Jennings was a lieutenant in the Fall River Fire Department, fighting the blaze that destroyed the Flint's Notre Dame de Lourdes Church and most of a block of tenements. It threatened to spread further along Pleasant Street and destroy everything in its path. Jennings and his crew, and mutual aid from as far away as Boston, worked desperately to control a fire that simply would not be controlled. He heard Fire Chief Louis Shea had called in experts in explosive ordnance. "They were going to start blowing up buildings on the south side of Pleasant Street to create a firebreak," Jennings said.