The Clear Fire located four hours north of Anchorage has now burned over 70,000 acres, although showers in the area have helped thwart the fire's growth. According to fire officials working operations at the fire — which has grown to 70,593 acres and is 18% contained — there was half an inch of rain recorded overnight into Monday, leading to minimal growth for the fire. Still, officials with the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center said more water tanks and pumps have been stationed near the main area of concern for firefighting crews; the Kobe Ag subdivision that the fire broke through last week. "Firefighters are constructing this line south into Div K to help impede the path of eastern spread," the release said. "Fire line on the north and western edges of Kobe Ag is holding well in Div G, and crews are patrolling these lines."  

Recent cloud cover and a small amount of rain have aided the hot, dry conditions the state has been experiencing, but officials warn that Alaska isn't out of the woods yet in terms of fire danger. Mat-Su Forestry Prevention Lead Kristian Knutson said Monday that the lack of precipitation has caused the risk factor for personal burning to go way up. "Conditions are extremely dry," Knutson said. "They were sort of lining up to give us another possible fire year like 2019 or 2015, these large and destructive fire seasons that many of us can remember." Currently, over 800 fire personnel are spread between the Clear Fire and Minto Lakes Fire burning in the Interior, leaving resources thin in Southcentral Alaska, but the state agency admitted that despite the long run of high temperatures and low rainfall, the weather has been in their favor.  

A massive fire destroyed a multi-million dollar home in Hingham, Massachusetts, on Monday afternoon. The fire was reported shortly before 1 p.m. on Mann Street. Video from nearby showed heavy flames and smoke that could be seen for miles around. According to Zillow, the home was sold on June 10 for $3.2 million. As of Monday afternoon all that remained of the building was its chimney. A nanny and young boy were reportedly at home when the fire broke out, and a painter was also doing work on the second floor. Everyone made it out of the building safely. Neighbors said the family that lives in the home moved in just two weeks ago. One family that lives across the street said they have holes in their roof from wind-blown embers and their fence briefly caught fire.  

PHOTOS: A new mural depicting the history of the Clayton Fire Department is on display on the side of Station One in Clayton. The mural was painted by Lacey Crime Art and can be seen driving along West Home Street. The mural tells the story of from a volunteer firefighter group that started in 1883. At the time, the department had a volunteer staff of 40 members, a fire chief and an assistant chief. The brick building in the mural is known as "Old Town Hall." It was built in 1927 to hold Clayton government offices, the magistrate office and the police and fire departments. The building previously had a jail. The building currently stands on the corner of Second Street and Barbour Street and is next to the Clayton Police Department.  

PHOTOS: Sometimes no news is good news. For Toni Stithem, a Victoria County volunteer firefighter, the relatively quiet Fourth of July weekend was a good thing. Stithem was one of about a dozen firefighters assigned to fire watch at Patriot Park during the evening of July 4. They stood by just in case any fires broke out. Nothing much happened, Stithem said. Luckily, no fires at Patriot Park meant no story to break — but, there is a story worth telling about Stithem. The 62-year-old mother of four and grandmother of three, joined the Victoria County Volunteer Fire Department in 2017, ostensibly to set up and manage a county fire department Facebook account. Born and raised in a small town, Earlysville, in the middle of Virginia, Stithem moved to Victoria when she married David Stithem, of Victoria, more than 40 years ago.  

VIDEO: Firefighters from across the state say they're still recovering from the Combined Locks fire that engulfed a paper warehouse over the weekend. The Combined Locks fire chief said Monday this fire had one of the biggest -- if not the biggest -- fire responses in Wisconsin's history. He also said he couldn't be more grateful for the help from 67 agencies and 700 emergency responders who helped to put this fire out. From Pittsville in the center of Wisconsin to Door County on the eastern edge, agencies from all across the state hurried to Combined Locks Friday. "We knew right away from arriving on scene that this was something we could not handle by ourselves and that we needed help," Chief Ken Wiedenbauer said. Wiedenbauer told us more than 6 million gallons of water from both the river and municipal water supply were used to put out the fire, setting a record for the Combined Locks Fire Department.  

VIDEO: New York City launched its newest PSA on Monday with a focus on preparing for a possible nuclear attack. "While the likelihood of a nuclear weapon incident occurring in/near New York City is very low, it is important New Yorkers know the steps to stay safe," the NYC Emergency Management Department said in its press release. The short public service announcement identifies three steps New Yorkers can take "as the threat landscape continues to evolve." "So there's been a nuclear attack," the PSA starts. "Don't ask me how or why. Just know that the big one has hit. OK. So what do we do?" In the event of a nuclear incident, the PSA advises the following actions: Get inside: Move indoors and away from any windows. Stay inside: Close all doors and window, and move into the basement if you have one.