Tuesday was a productive day for firefighters on the Munson Creek Fire near Chena Hot Springs east of Fairbanks. That was evidenced by the fact that the "Go" evacuation level in place for Chena Hot Springs Resort and residences along Chena Hot Springs Road from Mile 48 to Mile 56.5 for the past week has been reduced to a "Set." A "Set" evacuation level means people can remain but should be prepared to leave their home immediately. Few people evacuated the resort or any of the residences along the road during the fire and both the resort and road remained open but the reduced evacuation level is a sign that the fire no longer poses a major threat. Hard work by firefighters, observed fire behavior the last few days and a moderating weather forecast persuaded fire managers to recommend reducing the evacuation level, Incident Commander Zane Brown with the Alaska Division of Forestry said, adding that he feels "completely comfortable" doing so.  

Just east of Fairbanks, Alaska are the communities of Two Rivers and Pleasant Valley. Over the last few months, life has been anything but pleasant for residents of the area as a serial arsonist has tormented them. The Alaska State Troopers have identified five fires as arsons and are investigating others. Just this weekend there were two fires in the community. On Monday, resident Toni Galster got a call from a neighbor on her cell phone, "He said, ‘I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your house is on fire.'" Toni and her husband Mike were in Fairbanks getting ready to go fishing on the Elliot Highway when the call came in. By the time they got to their house, they said there were around 20 law enforcement officers there. "It was like, ‘okay I guess we are the next arson victim here.' Luckily we have a motorhome to live in since our house is on the ground now," Toni said.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A major fire consumed multiple businesses along the 700 block of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant early Thursday morning. Multiple fire crews responded to Lafayette Village sometime around midnight. Flames were seen shooting through the roof of Jean's of Mount Pleasant Bridal Shop. The fire also involved Auto Money Title Loans which is located next door. A third business was also damaged. ABC News 4's Eli Brand was one of the first people on the scene and called 911. Dispatchers said his call was one of the first that they received regarding the fire. The fire was large enough to produce a glow in surrounding neighborhoods. Officials say area apartments were evacuated as a precaution. Power lines and trees in the area caught fire, officials said.  

The Peoria Fire-Medical Department has purchased a hazmat robot to avoid tragedies like the 2019 explosion at the APS McMicken energy storage facility that injured four Peoria firefighters. The first of its kind in the United States, the robot was purchased with grant funds from the Tohono O'odham Nation. "Literally, it doesn't exist anywhere else," said Peoria Fire Capt. Mark Barbee. "We had four firefighters who were injured at a battery facility. This came about from that. "It was a lot of work with the people involved in the incident and fire administration. We determined we needed to take less risks when we have something like that that is unknown." The NED Hazmat 193 robot boasts four cameras and can read labels. The robot allows the operating firefighter to remotely see inside potentially dangerous spaces before crews enter.  

Buildings are burning in Barstow at an unusually high rate. A chief city firefighter sees decades of economic deterioration and social despair — accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic — as the root cause. Battalion Chief Nick DiNapoli joined the Barstow Fire Protection District nearly 40 years ago and says his team has been stretched thin for much of that time. In 2021, the agency is facing added pressure from an uptick in structure fires: Incidents of residential or commercial buildings burning — a class separate from wildfires, which are also on the rise across the High Desert. Barstow's fire department has responded to 79 structure fires in the last six months, Acting Fire Chief Sid Hultquist said, "with 14 of them being significant fires that required an extended commitment time."  

General Motors is telling owners of some older Chevrolet Bolts to park them outdoors and not to charge them overnight because two of the electric cars caught fire after recall repairs were made. The company said Wednesday that the request covers 2017 through 2019 Bolts that were part of a group that was recalled earlier due to fires in the batteries. The latest request comes after two Bolts that had gotten recall repairs caught fire, one in Vermont and the other in New Jersey, GM spokesman Kevin Kelly said. Owners should take the steps "out of an abundance of caution," he said. The steps should be continued until GM engineers investigate and develop a repair, he said. The cars should be parked outdoors after charging is complete, GM said in a statement. "We are moving as quickly as we can to investigate this issue," the company said.  

The FDNY‘s boxing club is getting ready for its first Fight Night since the start of the pandemic. FDNY firefighter Niko Negron is taking on Brooklyn EMT Javier Rosario in an old-fashioned grudge match. "True grudge matches, guys that maybe didn't get along on the job, maybe had a little score to settle and have decided to settle it like gentlemen in the ring," said Bobby McGuire, president of the FDNY Boxing Club. The club has been around nearly four decades. This week, they're training at the Hit Factory gym in Bay Ridge for Friday's annual "Thrilla in Camilla" charity fundraiser at Rockaway Beach. "We have three fights versus the Massachusetts State Police, then we have several FDNY versus EMS grudge matches," McGuire told CBS2's Ali Bauman. One of the most anticipated fights of the night will feature decorated amateur champ Manhattan firefighter Nicole Malpeso.