Firefighters are making progress battling the Isom Creek wildfire burning east of the Dalton Highway. Fire information officer Sam Harrel says gusty thunderstorm winds advanced flames rapidly late Monday night, growing the fire to over 7,000 acres, but that higher humidity Tuesday allowed the 250 firefighters working the incident to extend and secure lines. Harrel says the blaze is ten percent contained, but notes there are values at risk all the way around its perimeter. Harrel says the fire is bordered on the east by a 2004 burn scar, which is lessening the blaze's intensity in that area. Smoke and fire operations continue to affect traffic on the Dalton Highway.  

The Sitka Fire Department responded to a brush fire on Cascade Creek Rd. Monday morning (6-8-20) after receiving calls reporting black smoke. Sitka Fire Chief Dave Miller said that the homeowners had already extinguished most of the fire with garden hoses by the time the fire department arrived. Four firefighters responded and spent 15 to 20 minutes on the scene. The burn area was approximately 400 square feet. There were no injuries or damages, other than to the ground. Miller said the cause of the fire is unknown.  

VIDEO: A three-alarm house fire broke out in a home on the corner of Monroe Avenue and Rosedale Street on Tuesday around 10:20 a.m. Firefighters urged motorists to avoid the area while they work to contain the fire, assess the damage, and begin cleaning up. Officials say roads in the area will be closed until approximately 3:30 p.m. Billowing smoke could be seen from the First Federal Building downtown. More than 80 firefighters were on scene to battle the fire that started in the roof and grew to damage about nine units in the building. Firefighters on scene said because of the intensity of the fire and the conditions outside, they had to pause for a moment and regroup before tackling the fire. According to RFD, 21 people lived in the building and all people and pets are accounted for. The Red Cross is assisting those who are effected as RFD officials say they don't know if the building is salvageable at this time.  

Researcher Gregory Chiklis has spent the duration of the pandemic running antibody tests in his Franklin lab, MRN Diagnostics. He has tested hundreds of first responders who were exposed to coronavirus in towns west of Boston. "We've gone back now and tested their spouses or their partners, in a couple of cases we tested their children who are over 18, and in no cases have we seen that person spread the virus to their family members," said Chiklis. His findings echo something the World Health Organization is now dialing back on after a controversial comment Monday. "It appears to be rare that an asymptomatic individual transmits onward," said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO's emerging diseases and zoonosis unit. A day later, she clarified. "That's a big open question, and that remains an open question," she said.  

Billings police arrested a man on suspicion of driving under the influence after he drove through a blocked zone, dragging a firefighter trying to stop him along the way. Eli Rindal, 23, drove through cones that marked off an area where power crews were repairing a transformer at Bench Boulevard and Joyce Street in the Heights, according to police Sgt. Brett Becker. When one of the firefighters in the blocked-off area reached through the driver's-side window to stop him, he hit the accelerator. The firefighter held onto the vehicle for about 100 yards, and Rindal eventually stopped. Becker said the firefighter was treated at the scene and didn't need to go to the hospital. "Once he stopped the firefighters kept him there until officers arrived. They did their preliminary DUI investigation at the scene ... and then took him to our DUI center," Becker said.  

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), in partnership with the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) and the American Psychological Association (APA), has released a new directory of behavioral health professionals that are equipped and ready to help firefighters, EMS providers, dispatchers, and rescue workers. Emergency responders are at risk of many behavioral health concerns, including anxiety, depression, burnout, post-traumatic and acute stress, addiction, relationship challenges, and others. Through the Share the Load™ program, the NVFC works to provide resources and tools to help responders struggling with behavioral health issues and to enable departments to support the mental well-being of their members. The new Directory of Behavioral Health Professionals is designed to provide local options for responders seeking assistance so they can get the help they need.  

Preliminary results from an ongoing study suggest that those with a certain blood type may have some protection against the novel coronavirus. In April, not long after the pandemic began, the genetic testing firm 23andMe began using its testing services to help scientists better understand how genetics may play a role in why some people who contract the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, develop severe infections, while others present only mild or moderate symptoms or have no symptoms at all. On Monday, the company released early results from the study, which involved more than 750,000 participants. "Preliminary data from 23andMe's ongoing genetic study of COVID-19 appears to lend more evidence for the importance of a person's blood type — determined by the ABO gene — in differences in the susceptibility to the virus," the company said in a blog post regarding the findings.