Alaska on Thursday reported 129 new cases of COVID-19, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services COVID-19 dashboard. One new death was reported Thursday. The person who died was a woman from Anchorage in her 70s. The state also reported a death Wednesday, involving an Anchorage man in his 70s. In total, 60 Alaskans have died with COVID-19 since the pandemic began here in March. Alaska's death rate per capita remains the lowest in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thursday marked the 15th day that Alaska has seen new daily case counts exceeding 100, the longest such streak since the pandemic began. Separately from the state reports, local officials in Juneau reported six new cases Thursday, including two involving inmates at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.  

VIDEO: Authorities said a truck hit the Ellinwood Fire Department late Tuesday night. The driver was heading westbound on U.S. 56 at over 100 mph. After the truck hit the building, it started on fire. "We got the fire extinguished rather soon, and then, we had to extricate, took about 20 minutes to extricate the subject in the pickup," said Ellinwood Fire Chief Chris Komarek. The driver was transported to a Wichita hospital with a broken hip. The building and two trucks were destroyed. One was a reserve tanker and the other was a brush truck. "Actually, we have three brush trucks so we'll be down to two now. We'll probably be able to manage on that," said Chief Komarek. "We have good mutual aid with surrounding departments." The department estimates they will be without a building for at least six months.  

VIDEO: At least 70 people are displaced after a major apartment fire in DeKalb County. According to DeKalb Fire Capt. Deon Bentley, the fire ripped through the Alderwood Trail Apartments at 2947 N. DeKalb Dr. Images from above the fire showed flames shooting through the roof of the building and plumes of white smoke billowing in the air as crews worked to put out the fire. Early indications appear to show that the fire started in the breezeway, though it's still unclear exactly how it was sparked. While no one was injured in the fire, officials said that because it started in a breezeway, there were some people who were initially stuck inside their apartments. The fire department told 11Alive's Hope Ford that neighbors actually used their own ladders to help get people out before the fire department showed up.  

Is this person with chest pain having a heart attack? That's a question EMTs frequently confront when responding to 911 calls. A study conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Health shows that on-scene use of a new protocol and advanced diagnostic equipment can help paramedics better identify patients at high risk for adverse cardiac events. This approach could help paramedics determine the hospital best equipped to treat those people. Currently, pre-hospital assessment of patients with chest pain focuses on looking for signs of a heart attack with a portable electrocardiogram (EKG). For the 93% of people who aren't having a discernible heart attack, paramedics rely on their experience and patient preference to decide what hospital to go to rather than on an objective risk assessment of the level of cardiac care needed, Stopyra said.  

Caitlin Crandall's morning routine looked much different a couple of years ago. The 35-year-old went from working 9-5 at a desk to 24 hours for the Syracuse Fire Department at Station 5, preparing to save lives. "Life was just so blah and just so mundane," said Crandall. "Something just clicked for me. This is what I need to do to feel fulfilled in life. I need to be doing more." Crandall didn't know anything about firefighting, but she knew there was a sense of pride, camaraderie and commitment that she wanted to be a part of. She became 1 of the 13 women within the 338-person department. "I am proud to be a female firefighter," said Crandall. "However, being a female does not take precedence over the synergy that my guys and I have together. We all have the same job. There's a job that needs to be done." Chief Michael Monds says women make up about 4 percent of the department, meeting the national average.  

More than a dozen individuals who traveled to Charleston this week to take the state electrician's exam were instead arrested on federal charges alleging they are in the U.S. illegally. The Office of the State Fire Marshal became suspicious of several exam applications received earlier this month. The investigation and increased scrutiny that resulted flagged several additional applications. Fire Marshal investigators coordinated with Enforcement and Removal Operations at U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement. This joint effort led a targeted enforcement operation at the Oct. 6 exam site and the arrest of 14 unlawfully present individuals. "The men and women of ICE have the vital role of arresting and removing criminal aliens, and we will continue to perform our duty as intended by Congress with integrity, courage, and professionalism." said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Simona L. Flores-Lund.