The Anchorage Fire Department is investigating a fire late Wednesday night, at the former Cattle Company Steakhouse building in Midtown. Flames could be seen coming from the former restaurant at about 11:50 p.m. Wednesday in the 300 block of West Tudor Road. Fire involved a covered part of the structure and exterior walls of the building, Assistant Fire Chief Alex Boyd said. Twelve units responded on-scene and had the fire under control in about 10 minutes. Shane Perkins, the general manager of Anchorage's Applebee's restaurant, was among several of his staff and customers who saw the fire. "Definitely did not expect it," Perkins said. "I was a little shocked. When my employee told me I thought he was joking. Like, I thought he was just trying to get me out front for some reason and ran out there kind of like, ‘oh, wow,' and there were a lot of people out there videoing and recording."  

PHOTOS: A fire engulfed an apartment building in Ashland early Monday morning. At 3:52am, Monday, emergency personnel were called to 1100 West Centre Street in Ashland for an apartment building fire. Fire Chief Phil Groody arrived on scene and called in a working fire after finding the whole rear of the apartment building along 11th Street engulfed in flames. The fire would hit a 2nd alarm calling in units from across northern Schuylkill County and eastern Northumberland. It would take firefighters more than an hour to bring the fire under control, with the fire being held to the original fire building. By 5:30am, some units were being released from the scene. At least 2 people were reported to live in the building and escaped unharmed.  

In a significant move aimed at transforming how emergency services are funded, the Board of Fire Commissioners has passed a resolution to include a fire benefit charge proposal on the August 6, 2024, primary election ballot. The Wenatchee Valley Fire Department is championing this initiative, asserting that it offers a fairer method of funding compared to the existing system. Under the current model, funding for emergency services is solely derived from a fire levy that is based on the assessed value of properties. This setup leads to a disparity where two identically-sized houses might incur vastly different fire levies simply due to their location within the fire district. "This means two houses of the same size can pay very different amounts depending on their location within the fire district, while the cost to put out a fire at both is the same," explained a spokesperson for the fire department.  

In response to Gov. Josh Green proclaiming April as Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawai'i, the University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program (Hawai'i Sea Grant) partnered with organizations across the state to promote tsunami preparedness by creating a new 2024 Hawai‘i Tsunami Preparedness video. This year marks 78 years since the deadly 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake that generated tsunami waves over 50 feet high in Hilo, caused tragic loss of life and $340 million economic damage to the state. To prepare for future tsunamis which can strike with very little warning and occur anywhere, at any time, Green's proclamation highlighted the importance of awareness, education and action in preparing the state for potentially deadly tsunamis.