Forward movement has been halted for the early season Kwethluk Fire. Burning in tundra, grasses and brush since Saturday April 16th, the wind driven wildfire has been finding sun dried fuels in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Originally reported by good Samaritan commercial pilots, the wildfire is 25 miles east southeast of Kwethluk and 34 miles southeast from Bethel. DOF's mapping specialist Matt Snyder flew a mapping and reconnaissance of the fire today noting in his field report this afternoon: "the fire is showing no smoke or activity. An infrared (IR) scan showed no heat. The fire will remain in monitor status so that further aerial observations can be made." Originally scheduled for yesterday but delayed due to heavy cloud cover, today's flight under clear sky shows the lack of smoke production from what was a 10% active perimeter when last observed on Friday's flight.  

Mail that was on its way to residents on the Kenai Peninsula was destroyed early Tuesday when a contracted United States Postal Service vehicle caught fire on the Seward Highway. A contracted semitruck caught fire around Mile 38 of the Seward Highway after departing from the processing and distribution center in Anchorage, according to a press release from the postal service. The blaze destroyed the truck's trailer and its contents, the USPS said, but the driver was not injured. Mile 38 of the highway is just before the turnoff onto the Sterling Highway at Tern Lake that leads to Cooper Landing and other peninsula communities. According to the postal service, the mail that was destroyed on the truck was destined for Kasilof, Clam Gulch, Ninilchik, Anchor Point, Homer, Fritz Creek, Halibut Cove, Nanwalek, Nikolaevsk, Port Graham, Nikiski and Seldovia.  

VIDEO: A firefighter in Trenton, New Jersey was wounded by a stray bullet while working out at the firehouse on Tuesday night, officials said. It happened around 8:30 p.m. at Trenton Fire Company 1: Engine 1 on the 400 block of Calhoun Street. Two bullets pierced the back of the firehouse. Police say one bullet struck the firefighter who was in the weight room. A second bullet went through the wall and into the kitchen, but did not hit anyone. Authorities say the firefighter was taken to the hospital with a graze wound. "It's concerning because my firefighters actually have to go to calls with bulletproof vests on. Now to have to be concerned with them to be possibly shot at the firehouse -- this is one of those rare incidents that happen, but this is a major concern," said Ken Douglas, the director of the Trenton Fire Department.  

PHOTOS: Nobody was injured but tools, vehicles, and personal mementos were destroyed when fire leveled a structure on Long Lake Road in Alpena Township around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. Firefighters said they do not know what started the blaze that leveled the storage facility that was also home to the business RJ's Used Autos. Tammy Wirgau, owner of the home that shares the property, said the large building held vehicles, expensive tools, and at least one tractor, plus trophies and personal collections of mementos. She did not know how the fire started, and nobody was in the building at the time of the fire. The fire did not damage the house. Firefighters from multiple townships – including Alpena, Presque Isle, Maple Ridge, and East Grand Lake – and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center responded and brought water to fight the blaze, with Alpena Fire Department paramedics on medical standby in case of injuries.  

Reedy Creek's Professional Firefighters Association president Jon Shirey said he hasn't heard much from the district's administration about what the future holds for Reedy Creek employees. "What's going to happen with their jobs as a whole? What's going to happen to benefits like retiree health care?" Shirey asked. He said hundreds of first responders will be impacted. "We basically cover about 210 first responders out of the total workforce of 370 Reedy Creek employees, so we're 58, 59 percent of the total workforce so it's a pretty big deal for us," Shirey said. Whether the district will be dissolving is still up in the air. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill dismantling it, but constitutional rights experts question if the state has violated Disney's first amendment rights. It's possible Disney could sue the state. In the meantime, the firefighters' association is stepping up to make sure their team is taken care of.  

A first responder in need of medical assistance himself is exactly what Parma Fire Capt. Ricky Fetter experienced last fall due to a dangerous and serious cardiac issue. "Last September, I noticed I was a little short of breath while we were conducting a cadet class at Tri-C," said Cincinnati native and Medina resident Fetter, 50, "I just chalked it up to being out of shape. The COVID restrictions hampered our ability to work out." When the same thing happened a few weeks later, Fetter again dismissed the symptoms. Then a few days later when he was out of breath walking up the many stairs from the fire station to city hall something happened that ended up saving his life. "The weird thing was my wife, who is a nurse, Facetimed me out of the blue," Fetter said. "She said, I looked gray, something was wrong and I needed to go to the doctor right now."  

The Abbeville County Fire Department announced the passing of Mr. Hobart "Hobie" Erickson, the oldest active firefighter in the state of South Carolina. He was 95 years old. Erickson served as a first responder for over 65 years. His career started in 1965 in New Jersey. He later moved down south and joined the Donalds Fire Department more than 35 years ago where he once served as chief of the station. FOX Carolina had the chance to interview Erickson on his 95th birthday back in January of 2022. Outside of serving, Erickson told us he worked out for over an hour three times a week and worked at a golf course part-time. He joked and said he worked at the course to play free golf. "First of all, The Good Lord's watching over me. He has been good to me. I have a good wife. And I have a good fire department here. All these guys take care of me. They're always watching over me," Erickson said in January. "As long as I can keep going, I'm going to keep going."