VIDEO: A strong explosion rocked a Wasilla neighborhood late Sunday afternoon, according to reports. Fire crews, emergency medical services and law enforcement are responding to reports of a structure explosion on Top of the World Circle, located off Fairview Loop just south of South Knik-Goose Bay Road. According to Director of Emergency Services for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Ken Barkley, the explosion happened inside a shop-like structure located next to a residence — and that building is no longer standing. "The building is destroyed," Barkley said. Authorities are still trying to reach the owners of the property on which the building was located to find out what the shop was used for. Social media users reported hearing a loud noise and feeling buildings shake shortly after 2:45 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. A camera in the home of Wasilla resident Sierra Hamilton captured the moment her house shook.  

Firefighters extinguished a Four-Alarm fire at a strip mall in Long Beach Sunday morning. According to Long Beach Fire Department, crews were dispatched at around 3:40 a.m. after receiving reports of a structure fire at a strip mall. The fire, located on Anaheim Street and Olive Avenue, damaged the building, which was said to be vacant as it was undergoing renovations. "Defensive operations were used to extinguish the fire due to significant fire progression and wind conditions encountered during this incident," said LBFD officials. They also noted that due to the severity of the fire and the "drawn down of the fire resources in Long Beach," Los Angeles County Fire Department crews were called for assistance and to backfill their stations. There have been no injuries reported.  

VIDEOS/PHOTOS: A homecoming for a historic East Greenwich city service ladder truck was held on Saturday. The Ahrens-Fox fire truck made it's way back to the city, and its been nearly 65 years since it was last in service. The truck was used from 1931 to 1958. When it went out of service, it was sold to the South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department in Connecticut for use in ceremonies and parades. It was preserved and restored there for quite some time. Former firemen said it's a one-of-a-kind ride. The truck was retired at the East Greenwich Veterans Firemen's Association Museum.  

Santa Claus was briefly blamed for a Dec. 21, 1907, fire that destroyed the eastern half of the 600 block of East Adams Street. The final damage estimate, over $137,000, made the fire the most expensive in Springfield history up to that time. The blaze started in the Johnston-Hatcher store on the southwest corner of Seventh and Adams streets. Johnston-Hatcher sold home furnishings of all kinds, including horse-drawn buggies and carriages. It operated from 1905 until 1949. The fire demolished five buildings on the south side of Adams –another furniture outlet, a men's clothing store, a shoe store and a restaurant as well as the Johnston-Hatcher store itself. The blaze stopped when it reached the Bressmer department store farther west on Adams, but two hotels, a bookstore and other businesses were damaged on Seventh Street, and heat and smoke broke windows in buildings on the north side of Adams.  

Acting State Fire Commissioner Charles McGarvey issued the following statement today on the recent increase in firefighter line-of-duty deaths: "Yesterday afternoon, our office learned of the recent house fire in West Penn Township near Tamaqua, Schuylkill County during which three individuals unfortunately lost their lives. Two of the individuals were firefighters that were actively fighting the fire when they became trapped. While eventually rescued, they later succumbed to their injuries. We would like to extend our condolences to their colleagues and families for the loss of their loved ones. Our office has reached out to the appropriate local authorities to offer assistance. These most recent deaths, along with two others across the state in the last week, draw attention to a deeply troubling trend of rising line of duty deaths.  

VIDEO: When Meridian Fire Department Chief Kris Blume got into the career almost 25 years ago, he did not think about the health risks. "I never had even an awareness that cancer was something that we needed to be aware of," he said. But cancer risk is definitely something he is aware of now. A recent 2022 study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer found occupational exposure as a firefighter causes cancer. Previously, the IARC believed firefighting was "possibly" carcinogenic. Blume said he is trying to minimize exposure to harmful chemicals, especially as the city builds new fire stations around Meridian and orders more trucks. He said the dangers of the profession are not limited to breathing in diesel exhaust from the fire vehicles, working in burning buildings and being exposed to soot.