Alaska is burning this year in ways rarely or ever seen, from the largest wildfire in a typically mainly fireproof southwest region to a pair of blazes that ripped through forests and produced smoke that blew hundreds of miles to the the Bering Sea community of Nome, where the normally crystal clear air was pushed into the extremely unhealthy category. Already more than 530 wildfires have burned an area the size of Connecticut and the usual worst of the fire season lays ahead. While little property has burned, some residents have been forced to evacuate and one person was killed — a helicopter pilot died last month when he crashed while attempting to carry a load of equipment for firefighters. Recent rains have helped but longer-term forecasts are showing a pattern similar to 2004, when July rains gave way to high-pressure systems, hot days, low humidity and lightning strikes that fueled Alaska's worst fire year.  

After three days of fighting a raging wildfire that swept down the hillside threatening to burn the town, the residents of Skagway finally breathed a collective sigh of relief when the fire was finally put into check. While many community members could finally step back from their firefighting efforts, 200 people were left on the line to keep an eye on the fire and watch in case it advanced again on the city. The fire that swept down from Lower Dewey Lake, aided by high winds, destroyed P.E. Kern's Castle, a popular tourist resort above the town.  

The Alaska Incident Support Cache, located at BLM Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS) facilities on Fort Wainwright, Alaska is one of 15 National Interagency Support Caches in the U.S. This is a national cache, that keeps $18 million on hand, but there are many smaller fire warehouses, with a limited amount of supplies throughout the state, operated by Alaska Division of Forestry and BLM AFS to support fire incidents. "When the Smokejumper sirens sound, planes start flying, and jumpers are jumping, we know we are in it," said Warehouse Cache Manager John Powe. In 2022, the Cache issued $16.2 million in supplies and counting to support firefighting efforts. Over 319 miles of hose, 1,680 nozzles, 91,000 Meals Ready to Eat, and 218,000 batteries have been issued. Equipment issued heads out by plane, boat or truck to fires across Alaska.  

VIDEO: A North Texas wind farm is one turbine down thanks to what officials believe was a devastating lightning strike to one of the massive structures on Friday afternoon. Videos from witnesses and firefighters showed the wind turbine generator ablaze and disintegrate in the sky over Crowell, Texas. Doppler radar indicated there was plenty of lightning strikes around the Foard City wind facility before firefighters received the call about the high-altitude fire. Crews with the Crowell Volunteer Fire Department responded, but Fire Chief Perry Shaw said there was little his firefighters could do to put the fire out. "We're not equipped to handle that kind of fire. Nobody in the area really is to speak of," Shaw said. The fire chief estimated there were 800 gallons of oil in the gearbox and around 1,300 gallons of mineral oil in the ground-level transformer, which caused the smoke to appear dark black in the sky.  

PHOTO: A Syracuse Fire Department pickup truck stolen early Friday morning was found using the vehicle's GPS heading onto the New York State Thruway, fire officials said. The truck was stolen at about 1 a.m. from in front of a residence in the 100 block of North Edwards Avenue in the city's Eastwood neighborhood, Onondaga County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jon Seeber said. A fire crew was inside the home treating a patient when an American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance crew noticed the truck was being driven off, Syracuse fire officials said in a news release Friday afternoon. The crews alerted Onondaga County 911 Center dispatchers of the stolen truck. The truck, stolen by Nathan Kane, 23, of Syracuse, was tracked by GPS heading onto the Thruway, fire officials said.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: The benefits and shortcomings of social media are often debated, but two local families are crediting Facebook with solving a mystery that was decades in the making. The story began to unfold when a couple began cleaning out a storage area in the basement of their new home in Lorain, and discovered an old firefighter's helmet. Alicia Zadorozny told FOX 8, "it was like ‘whoa, what is this, where did it come from, how long has it been here?'" The helmet had the name "Wilker" on it, and Alicia and Andrew Zadorozny decided to see if the firefighter was still alive or if they could find his family and return the helmet. "I have a lot of stuff that was passed on to me, so I know how valuable some of the memories are, so you know some of those things I hold on to very dearly," said Andrew. They posted a story about the helmet on a Lorain Facebook page. "And I said ‘this might be a long shot but maybe somebody knows somebody who may know somebody," said Alicia.  

In the 1950s, a group of local farmers felt nostalgic. Before World War II, they tended the land with wheat thrashers and steam engines, but as technology improved, their tools fell out of use and things started to change. Channeling their nostalgia into action, farmers pulled their old equipment out and invited the public in. In Oregon, just shy of Silverton, the Western Steam Fiends were born and continued the tradition of showcasing old farming equipment, culminating in the purchase of land to do just that in 1970. "When they bought it, it was just farmland. They'd grow some grain and put their machines out there," said Evan Burroughs. "Now, it's a complex of 14 museums." The 62-acre complex is now named Powerland Heritage Park and will host the 52nd annual Oregon Great Steam-Up starting July 30, headed by Burroughs and his army of more than 1,000 volunteers.  

VIDEO: The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department (MFRD) showed off some brand new vehicles today. Four firetrucks and three ambulances joined the MFRD's fleet along with two special additions... a hydration truck and training trailer. The hydration unit is a response to high temperatures. "It is a rehabilitation unit for firefighters. Essentially what that provides is an area for them to cool off and rehabilitate after being in their bunker gear at the fire scene, especially in Mobile, Alabama where the heat is a hundred-plus degrees during the summer time," said Jeremy Lami, Fire Chief of the MFRD. The training truck will be taken to schools, nursing homes, and other facilities, providing instruction that mimics real-life situations.