On Thursday in the early morning, Alaska State Troopers and Thorne Bay EMS/Fire investigated a report of a fire. Around 3:32 am, October 20th, Alaska State Trooper Dispatch informed Thorne Bay EMS/Fire of a fire in the community. Two Village Public Safety Officers and elements of the Thorne Bay Volunteer Fire Department responded. The fire originated in a bus converted to contain storage. According to the trooper's press release, the contents of the bus included 720-1,200 fire logs, which are created by drying and compressing sawdust into a rectangular log. The fire threatened a camper trailer which was within 2 feet of the burning bus and where the owners lived. After approximately 4 hours, the fire was contained and extinguished with minimal damage to surrounding structures.  

VIDEO: McKinney firefighters are investigating the cause of a large fire in Downtown on Sunday night. According to officials, the fire began just after midnight on North McDonald Street. Firefighters initially began fighting the blaze at a church on Wilcox. Several nearby homes were evacuated before the fire spread to a nearby house. Soon after, a second fire broke out at a nearby restaurant. Officials said a three-alarm response was requested, and firefighters received assistance from Anna, Melissa, Plano, Fairview, Princeton, Frisco, Lowery Crossing, Weston, Allen, and Westminster. The blaze destroyed the church on Wilcox as well as a home and a restaurant on North McDonald, officials said. According to officials, no injuries have been reported as a result of the fire.  

VIDEO: After months of training, Lexington Firefighter class number 70 is ready to serve the city. This class has a unique story. For the first time in the department's 151 years of service, a female recruit will follow in her father's footsteps and become a Lexington Firefighter. In most cases, it's the son who follows in his father's firefighter boots. 20-year-old Hunter Martin is one of those sons. "I'm thankful to be here and I'm honored that they gave me a chance being so young, and it feels great to follow in his footsteps," said Hunter Martin. His father is Major Marcus Martin. "Hopefully, following in my footsteps to enjoy his whole career as I have makes you feel very proud," said Major Martin. The flag holder for this class is Katherine Boyd. She's making department history as the first daughter to follow her dad as a Lexington firefighter.  

Remington Embry, who graduated from Surry Community College's first offering of the Firefighter Career & College Promise program, was recently hired as a full-time firefighter with Central Surry Volunteer Fire Department in Dobson. The statewide Career & College Promise (CCP) program gives juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn college credentials, tuition-free, while they are still in high school. "Remington Embry is a hardworking, dedicated student and firefighter. He always strives to better himself and expand his knowledge of the fire service," said Ian Harrell, director of firefighter and rescue programs at Surry Community College. "Surry Community College is very proud to offer the firefighter CCP program to all of our local students. It is a remarkable opportunity for them to learn a career path in a job market, which is growing by leaps and bounds in this part of the state."  

VIDEO: Dozens of people gathered in Hastings Sunday afternoon to learn about a local Black church that was set on fire over a century ago. Nobody was ever charged in connection with the fire. The Hastings community came to First Presbyterian Church to remember history that happened blocks away. Building Remembrance for Reconciliation, nonprofit, organized the event called "Breaking the Silence: Remembering Brown's Chapel AME." Davu Seru's family roots run deep in Hastings. In the 1800s, his family, The Wallace's, settled in Minnesota. "I'm here to honor my ancestors. Without them, there would be no me," Seru said. In July of 1892, Seru's ancestors opened up Brown's Chapel African Methodist Episcopal congregation (AME) in Hastings. The church became a pillar and safe space in the black community. "Former enslaved people were coming up from the south and elsewhere to make a life too. A lot of racialized violence happened," Seru said.  

In late October 1947, residents of this small town on the Blue Hill Peninsula watched as ominous gray smoke rose high into the skies over Mount Desert Island. The summer had been bone dry—the state had only received about half its normal precipitation since the end of June—and a single careless spark might ignite a conflagration closer to home. "The terrible fire that destroyed a greater part of Bar Harbor was visible from many points in Brooklin," recounts a history of the Brooklin Fire Department, and "made the people here realize that some action should be taken." In short order, the townspeople organized nightly fire patrols on key sections of public and private roads. These patrols ultimately led to the formation of the volunteer fire department, which celebrated its 75th anniversary on October 15 with a community barbecue, lobster bake and, perhaps not surprisingly, a cake without candles.