A renewed push for proper disposal of lithium batteries is being implemented by the Municipality of Anchorage after a fire sparked at the Anchorage Regional Landfill in late 2020 and was blamed on a lithium battery. Solid Waste Services Acting Director Kelli Toth said the new guidance — removing batteries, taping the terminals, and bringing the batteries to a Household Hazardous Waste facility — is to help make sure a similar situation doesn't happen again. "While the technology is amazing, and it powers a lot of different items, all of the portable electronics, household items ... they need to understand the precautions that they need to take," Toth said. Toth said the 2020 fire was huge and was most likely caused by a lithium battery.  

PHOTOS: Forty-five years ago, Central Pennsylvania suffered a historic tragedy when one of the nuclear reactors at Three Mile Island experienced a partial meltdown. The accident, which occurred at the Generating Station along the Susquehanna River on March 28, 1979, went down in history as the most serious nuclear power plant accident in United States history. According to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, researchers were able to determine that the meltdown had "negligible effects on the physical health of individuals or the environment" — but that's not to say there weren't any lasting impacts. The accident prompted tighter regulations on nuclear power plant operations, as well as sparking fear in the hearts of those living in Central Pennsylvania and beyond.  

Vincent Dransfield turns 110 years old Thursday, but the lifelong Passaic County resident doesn't seem to be slowing down. He still lives at home, socializes with a wide range of friends and family, keeps up with the New York Yankees — opening day is his birthday — and even continues to drive his Hyundai sedan on local errands. "I guess I'm doing all right, for my age," Dransfield said by phone from the Little Falls house where he has lived since 1945. He playfully gave some of the credit for his longevity to a half-century of drinking Ovaltine, the flavored milk drink. Though, he said he sticks with the simple malt version, "not the chocolate Ovaltine." "I guess that contributed to it, and being a nice guy," he said. He remains on the roster of Singac Volunteer Fire Co. No. 3 in Little Falls, where signed up more than eight decades ago and once served as fire chief.  

PHOTOS: Montgomery County ESD 1 firefighters often are asked why their fire trucks are blue. "Our trucks are easy to be spotted," said Fire Chief Jason Oliphant, standing next to the Sierra Blue fire truck, which earned the trucks and the department "The Smurfs" nickname, according to the agency's website. The agency is one of the few in Texas with blue fire trucks, which tends to attract attention, Oliphant said. In 2022, the West Orange Volunteer Fire Department east of Beaumont had a blue truck with some streaks of silver. In 1981, the Willis and Panorama volunteer fire departments joined together to form the North Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Department, according to the agency's website. At the time, the agency had several fire trucks that were red, white and green — giving the agency the nickname "The Rainbow Fire Department," the website states.  

The government is warning people to immediately stop using a fire-extinguishing device shaped like a ball. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says Elide fire-extinguishing balls can fail to extinguish a fire, leaving people at risk of injury and death. However, the CPSC says Elide Fire USA has not agreed to recall the balls or help customers with a fix for the products. According to Elide Fire's website, the ball activates by itself within seconds of flames touching it. The ball breaks open and dispenses a dry chemical to extinguish a fire. The CPSC says the products can fail to effectively disperse the chemicals and fail to put out fires. It says the balls do not have a pressure gauge or pressure indicator, a locking device to reduce unintentional discharge, or a nozzle to direct the discharge.