One juvenile has died and another was seriously injured after a house fire in Oscarville, according to a dispatch from Alaska State Troopers. On Monday shortly after 11 p.m., troopers were told about a house fire in the village of Oscarville where two juveniles were seriously injured. The two juveniles were taken by boat to Bethel, as Oscarville does not have airplane access, troopers said. One of the juveniles died from their injuries and the second was flown to an Anchorage hospital for treatment. Troopers said an investigation showed the fire was likely electrically-caused and no crime is suspected. The ages of the juveniles have not been released.  

Firefighters battled a massive blaze that ripped through a three-story commercial building in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday evening. Flames ripped through the roof of the boarded-up building located near the intersection of Los Angeles and 3rd streets. The blaze erupted just after 7:30 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Smoke billowed from the building after most of the flames were extinguished an hour later. It is unclear what sparked the blaze. No injuries were immediately reported. About 135 firefighters battled the fire. The building was red-tagged. LAFD says an official knockdown won't be declared most likely until Thursday morning.  

VIDEO: Laura Kavanagh will be named New York City's next fire commissioner today. She will also become the first woman to lead the FDNY in its 157-year history. Mayor Eric Adams will make the announcement at Engine 33, Ladder 9 in Noho, a historic building where the city's first fire commissioner was headquartered. Kavanagh has been serving as acting FDNY commissioner since February. She's been at the helm of the nation's largest fire department since Daniel Nigro stepped down as commissioner without naming a successor. Nigro appointed Kavanagh as his second-in-command in 2017. Local 2507, the union representing the FDNY's EMTS, paramedics and fire inspectors, issued a statement about Kavanagh's appointment saying, "We congratulate her. She's a great candidate. She's a champion who fought for EMS and will continue fighting for us."  

A new state law that goes into effect Jan. 1 requires all homes to have smoke detectors with a 10-year sealed battery life or a hardwired system. The Rockford Fire Department and the Illinois Firefighters Association held a news conference on Wednesday to draw attention to the law and urge property owners to make the necessary changes now. The sealed-battery smoke alarms are considered more reliable than previous technology, where 9-volt batteries could run out of power or be removed by owners while cooking who then forget to replace them. "We do know that smoke alarms save lives, only when they work," said Matt Knott, Rockford Fire Department division chief. "A working smoke alarm reduces the risk of dying in a home fire by up to 50%."  

From house fires to car accidents, firefighters are trained to respond to emergency situations. If we already trust these men and women in those moments, why not trust them with smaller jobs around the home? That's the idea behind a new app called "Hidrent," spelled a little differently. It's a service that connects off duty firefighters with anyone in the area who needs a task completed. Hidrent was first launched in 2018 but recently became available in the Bangor area. The app's founder says he was inspired by a firefighter in his family who told him that many in the profession are also quite handy. "Especially for older adults who are aging in place, it's perfect because we provide them a direct connection to that off-duty firefighter that can help them with a small home task" said Dave Himbuch, Founder and CEO of Hidrent.  

For years, Allentown EMS has had carbon monoxide detectors available for crew, but only one detector per ambulance. After a significant number of carbon monoxide incidents last year, the city moved to get a wearable monitor for each full-time EMS employee. "We've had the meters, but we wanted to take it a step further, use them more," said Mehmet Barzev, chief of EMS operations for the city of Allentown. Then, earlier this month a carbon monoxide leak sickened nearly 30 children and five adults at an Allentown day care center. Carbon monoxide monitors carried by responding firefighters were crucial to the early detection that the odorless, colorless gas was the culprit.