VIDEO: Denali National Park and Preserve is slated to reopen on Wednesday, even as fire crews continue to battle the Riley Fire. According to a press release Saturday, residents of campus housing were given the OK to move back onto park grounds Saturday evening. "The timing of the Wednesday opening is consistent with the recommendations of the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team working on the fire," the park's press release said. Statewide, wet, cool, and humid conditions have helped slow fire spread. The Bureau of Land Management reports that nearly 200 people are staffing the Riley Fire, which they say is now 25% contained. "With increased containment, that allows us to make recommendations to park management about a path forward," said Al Nash with the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team.  

Containment increases to 84% on the Montana Creek Fire, which is located 16 miles south of Talkeetna. The cool, wet weather pattern brought widespread precipitation over the area aiding firefighters with their suppression efforts. Crews remain engaged and will utilize the cooling trend to continue mopping up. Remaining crews will maintain operational readiness to provide Initial Attack and support for new incidents. The fire is located in a critical Protection Area in the wildland urban interface, prompting multi-agency resource response. One hundred six personnel are assigned to the incident including resources from BIA, BLM, State and USFS, and local personnel from the Mat-Su Borough. As of 8:00 AM on Friday July 05, the Mat-Su Valley joined the rest of Alaska by lifting its burn suspension.  

A fire early Friday morning along the 200 block of North 12th Avenue in Dillon destroyed a two-story storage building, and shed, burned two vehicles and killed a dog and pet snake, according to Dillon Fire Chief Keith Bailey. Bailey said firefighters rescued a man from the burning building. He added the man went to the hospital for minor smoke inhalation, but is expected to recover. Mackie Adams said he lives in the area of the fire and was astonished when he saw an orange glow from all the flames covering the skyline. Adams sent via social media, "Stepped outside at 1:45 a.m. to put my trash at the road for today's trash pickup and saw an orange glow through the trees over on the 12th avenue side of the block. Called 911 and walked down the street and came upon this unbelievable scene. Huge, raging fire. City of Dillon Fire Department fought this fire for hours overnight."  

PHOTOS: The train derailment spewing toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, wasn't just a game changer for the railroad industry – it's one for first responders as well. "This is something we have more discussions about now,'' Sharon fire Chief Bob Fiscus said about hazardous chemical spills. When a Norfolk Southern train derailed and caught in East Palestine on Feb. 3, 2023, firefighters said it took them 45 minutes to learn what chemicals were burning. That sparked a federal regulation change requiring railroads to immediately detail the hazardous chemicals it has aboard a derailed train to first responders. First responders now have access to an app that lists almost instantaneously what each train is carrying. Fiscus, who also serves as Sharon's city manager, has used the app just to keep apprised of local train cargo.  

VIDEO: A new law just signed by Governor Roy Cooper is aimed at protecting those who protect us. It all comes after families of firefighters diagnosed with cancer fought for years for more support and funding. It would impact families like Christy Burgess. Her husband Nathan was a Raleigh firefighter and burn instructor who served for decades. "He truly enjoyed what he did and being able to serve his community, there was a lot of pride in that," she says. Things changed during the pandemic. A sore throat after getting COVID turned out to be cancer. Multiple rounds of chemo and radiation didn't help, and Nathan passed away. Christy says even with insurance, out of pocket medical expenses added up. "Nathan's teeth got so destroyed that his dental care afterwards was over 20,000 dollars, just the cost of going through cancer, we probably hit close to 2 million dollars total," she says.