Alaska State Troopers say human remains were found after a home caught fire in the village of Pilot Point. Troopers say around 1:30 a.m., dispatch got a report from a VPSO reporting a structure fire with a possible fatality. Once on scene with a Deputy Fire Marshal, AST found the remains in the home. Troopers say the home is a total loss. AST says no foul play is suspected at this time and the investigation is continuing. Troopers say they may know the identity of the person but did not release the information at the time of this article. Pilot Point is less than 100 miles from King Salmon.  

The Alaska Division of Forestry announced Tuesday it is suspending all burn permits effective midnight April 30 in anticipation of impacts of COVID-19 on the state's wildland firefighting resources this summer. The use of burn barrels, burning debris piles and any other burning activity authorized under previously issued permits will be prohibited on all state, private and municipal land. Any person or business that violates the burn-permit suspension may be issued a citation to pay a fine or appear in court. The statewide burn suspension does not include cooking, warming or signaling fires that are less than 3 feet in diameter and with flames no more than 2 feet high. It also doesn't affect commercially manufactured outdoor cooking and heating devices with built-in open flame safety devices.  

VIDEO: For first responders, one of the greatest fears during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis is bringing the virus home to their families. A Metro Detroit company is building decontamination units to place in the middle of fire stations to ease those concerns. Patrick and Zoe Kintz, from Great Lakes Remediation first offered to build decontamination tents for a friend -- Southfield firefighter Jamie Rakestraw and his wife, Andrea. The Rakestraws were afraid of COVID-19 getting into their home from the front lines. After that, the tents started popping up at more fire stations. They have a simple design -- a wooden frame, plastic sheeting, completely sealed doors and chemicals to kill the virus from the gear and clothes before firefighters head home. "The last thing we want to do is bring it home to someone we love," Rakestraw said.  

Anderson County Commissioner Tim Isbel from Rocky Top has reportedly designed and is working on constructing and distributing new full face covering helmets for first responders in the county. Isbel explained these helmets are a way to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. He said they've been approved by Anderson County Emergency Medical Services (EMS), as well the Anderson County Sheriff's Office. He also said Anderson County Commissioner Catherine Denenberg of Oak Ridge has been reaching out to various local fire departments and police departments about the helmets. "This is really a critical thing," he said regarding his new helmets. The helmets feature a transparent face guard that completely covers a person's face. Isbel said they are to protect first responders' eyes from "droplets" of water that circulate when someone coughs or sneezes.  

As more than 1,300 New York City first responders return to work after recovering from the novel coronavirus or calling out sick with symptoms of the virus, they're responding to a rapid increase in 911 calls for cardiac arrest, the FDNY said on Tuesday. The city's firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMT) are responding to "a record numbers of calls, and they continue to meet this unprecedented challenge head on," said Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro. "I am incredibly proud of the men and women of this department who are demonstrating every single day throughout this pandemic why they are known as the best and the bravest." Nearly 500 members of the FDNY have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak was detected in New York State on March 1.  

Cash-strapped and empty hotels across the country are finding ways to keep the lights on by converting themselves into coronavirus wards or temporary housing for the National Guard or exhausted doctors and nurses. It provides some much needed revenue for an industry that's been brought to its knees by the COVID-19 outbreak that's spread to more than 1.4 million people in nearly every country across the globe. World, national, state and local leaders have imposed various travel restrictions, shuttered tourist attractions, issued broad shelter-in-place orders and even authorized hefty fines for people who don't adhere to social distancing rules. The financial toll for hotels is worse than during the 2008 financial crisis, according to industry executives and analysts.  

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage populations around the world, with more than 1.3 million cases confirmed, millions more people are self-quarantining at home in a global effort to check the virus' spread. And still, a rare breed of people selflessly go about their daily lives, offering aid to those infected and helping maintain a sense of order while the rest of us shelter in place. Google is honoring those heroes this week with a series of appreciation Doodles. The tech giant frequently livens up its bare-bones search page with artwork that draws attention to notable people, events, holidays and anniversaries. Google often turns its spotlight on heroes of the medical community, including Dr. Virginia Apgar, who developed a quick method for evaluating the health of newborns, as well as Dr. Rene Favalor, a heart surgeon who pioneered coronary artery bypass surgery.