The first holdover fire from the 2019 Swan Lake Fire was reported on Tuesday along the Sterling Highway east of Soldotna. Multiple passing motorists reported smoke visible from the north side of the highway near milepost 66.5 at around 10:40 a.m. Firefighters from the Alaska Division of Forestry's Kenai/Kodiak station responded and hiked into the area to find what they described as "a little smoker" in the Swan Lake Fire scar. The area of smoke was surrounded by downed, burned trees. The hot spot was 10-feet-by-10-feet and was smoldering in duff. It took firefighters only about 10 minutes to extinguish and mop up the hot spot. The fire was named Swan Lake Overwinter #1. It was the first holdover fire from last summer's 167,164-acre Swan Lake Fire, which burned for nearly five months and required the attention of thousands of firefighters over the course of the summer.  

PHOTOS: Firefighters' tactical decision to use a front-end loader to open up a hallway while battling a fire at Clinton Assembly of God may have saved part of the facility, officials said Tuesday. The Clinton Fire Department was called to the church at 801 S. Mulberry at 8:19 a.m., and crews cleared the scene at 3:47 p.m. An official cause and damage estimate were not available late Tuesday. The first companies to arrive tried to attack the interior fire but faced high heat and zero visibility, forcing them to withdraw, according to a joint statement from Fire Chief Jeff Hoke, Assistant Chief Stephen Page and Clinton Public Safety Commissioner Dan Ballenger. "The fire self-vented through the roof shortly after. Three ladder trucks were used for elevated master streams to fight the fire along with several hand lines around the structure in a defensive operation," the officials said.  

This page tells the tragic story of the Hotel Vendome Fire & Collapse, which occurred during the mid to late-afternoon hours of Saturday, June 17, 1972. As the fire in the upper floors of the former 7-story hotel (including penthouse) was being extinguished, a collapse of the southeast corner of the building occurred. Many firefighters operating in the upper floors were trapped in the pile of rubble that ensued. After extensive rescue operations had concluded, at 0245 hours the next day, nine firefighters had lost their lives. This fire/collapse remains the largest Line-Of-Duty Death (LODD) incident in the history of the Boston Fire Department. The Hotel Vendome was built in stages, first in 1872 at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Dartmouth Street. In 1881, an addition was built along Commonwealth Avenue, which featured a new main entryway, and was constructed using steel beams supported by masonry bearing walls, with a cut-stone facade to the sixth floor and slate-covered mansard roof and tower above.  

Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-7th District) introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at honoring lives lost on September 11, 2001. Spanberger, along with Rep. Peter King (R-New York), filed H.R. 7183 — the National Nine-Eleven Victims and Emergency Responders Flag of Remembrance, Gratitude, and Education for Tomorrow Act, or the National NEVER FORGET Act. If signed into law, the bill would designate the Freedom Flag "as a national symbol of the nation's commitment to honoring and remembering all those who lost their lives as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks," according to a release. The flag would then be flown at federal buildings including post offices, VA Hospitals, Capitol Hill, and the White House. The legislation would require the Freedom Flag to be flown each year on Patriot Day (September 11) and each subsequent day through the end of September.  

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) announced today that Fire-Rescue International (FRI) 2020, scheduled to take place August 19-21 in Phoenix, AZ, has been cancelled due to the impact and ongoing concerns about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). A virtual FRI format will be announced on July 7, 2020, and will take place over the week of August 19th. "While much of the country is beginning to transition into the different phases of stay-at-home orders and opening up businesses, the IAFC Board was concerned by the rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations in Arizona. We could not compromise the safety and health of our attendees, exhibitors, customers and staff above all else," Chief Gary Ludwig, IAFC President and Chairman of the Board, said in a statement to the IAFC Membership. "We are all disappointed that we have had to cancel FRI 2020 in Phoenix. Phoenix is a beautiful, vibrant city; all of us were certainly looking forward to visiting," said Ludwig.  

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed five coronavirus cases among staff members at the Lakeland, Fla., base for its famed "Hurricane Hunter" research aircraft. The cases raise the possibility that one of the country's vital early-warning systems could be hobbled during what is already an unusually active hurricane season. Florida is among the states seeing an uptick in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, possibly related to their early efforts to reopen businesses. On Tuesday, the state tallied its highest to date single-day count of new cases, at 2,783, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. The five positive tests came back Friday, according to a statement from NOAA spokesman Jonathan Shannon. The sick personnel were last in the facility between June 3 and 8. The base at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport houses the planes NOAA uses to fly into and around the planet's strongest storms.