Smokejumpers are mobilizing to protect a Native allotment from the Hog Butte Fire (#185) burning about 200 miles north of Anchorage. The lightning-caused fire ignited on Sunday and is burning in a limited management option area that as long as it doesn't threaten any sites of value, is managed for the benefit of the natural ecological process. Once out there, smokejumpers will set up measures to defend the allotment. This fire is estimated at 3,500 acres and burning within 5 miles of the allotment along the North Fork Kuskokwim River about 39 miles southwest of Lake Minchumina. Smoke may be visible from Lake Minchumina or Telida 10 miles to the south. It's also burning about 10 miles north of the Rungun Creek Fire (#186) – another lightning-caused fire that ignited on Sunday.  

A fishing and hunting business on eastern Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska is cleaning up after a fire destroyed most of its buildings right at the start of the busy season. The fire burned early on May 31 at the Ruff It Resort, a group of cabins and general store in Whale Pass, a community of around 84 full time residents and many seasonal visitors. Douglas Browand, who works and lives there, described a narrow escape. "I woke up at 2 in the morning — my little dog woke me up and my whole cabin was on fire," Browand said. "I picked up my dog and I ran out of my cabin and put my dog down. And I tried to turn back around to come in to at least grab my wallet, and the whole place was just on fire. It just — one cabin went off after another until all of them were lit up."  

An apartment fire that destroyed a six-unit complex on Beach Avenue in Atlantic Beach early Tuesday morning spread to a home that was just 5 feet away, causing severe damage to that home also, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said. JFRD spokesman Capt. Eric Prosswimmer said thankfully no injuries were reported in the multi-unit apartment fire. Firefighters were called to the area around 1:45 a.m. and arrived within three minutes. Neighbors told News4JAX they were knocking on each other's doors to alert each other to the fire. They were still processing what happened as the sun came up Tuesday. "Some are fairly traumatized by it," neighbor Scott Cairns said. "One of the owners of the houses that burned down said he'd lived there for 40 years and lost everything other than the pants he was wearing when he walked out the door."  

As we prepare for Memorial Weekend 2022 in October we're looking ahead to next year and the start of a new National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) tradition. Beginning in 2023 Memorial Weekend moves to May. A combination of weather uncertainties and the frequent threat of an October federal government shutdown is behind the move of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend from its traditional October date. NFFF Board chairman Troy Markel said, "As with everything NFFF does, the priority is making sure we do right by the families of the firefighters we're honoring." This move does not impact this year's ceremony. The 2022 Memorial Weekend is still scheduled for October 8 and 9. The change means 2023 Memorial Weekend will be May 6 and 7. While the time of year for the Candlelight and Memorial Services changes, our other four decades long traditions will continue.  

PHOTOS: The three-alarm fire at Nox-Crete a week ago took thousands of gallons of water, at least 50 firefighters and a full night of tireless work to get under control. But fire crews had additional help from a high-tech gadget: a remote-control nozzle attached to the top of a 105-foot aerial ladder. Five fire trucks in the Omaha Fire Department fleet are equipped with this technology, which allows firefighters to operate the ladder and hose from the ground. This serves the dual purpose of keeping firefighters safe and allowing them to get the best vantage point. "It helps so that we can actually walk around the truck and look at where the optimal place would be for the nozzle to hit," Battalion Chief Scott Fitzpatrick said. From the hand-held controller, firefighters can extend and retract the ladder, control the direction of the nozzle, turn the water flow on and off and even adjust the water's spray pattern without stepping foot on the rig. In a fire like the one at Nox-Crete, a tool like this can be particularly helpful.  

VIDEO: An alarming number of people died in residential fires across the state this year. That's according to the Wisconsin Fire Inspectors Association. Thirty-three people have died in residential fires, in Wisconsin, so far this year, including a massive fire in Sturgeon Bay and a small house fire in Gillett. It's a number that's sounding an alarm for those who work in the fire service. "Last year, the entire 12 months, we had 40 total. We're almost at last year's mark and we're not even halfway through the year. That's a really big deal," says Adam Dorn, assistant fire chief with Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue. And, in all of those fires, according to Dorn, there were no working smoke detectors. The Wisconsin Fire Inspectors Association is now working on educating people on the importance of smoke detectors on every level of your home and in every sleeping area as well.  

In an expansion of their fleet, the Honolulu Fire Department now has nine new trucks. HFD held a Hawaiian blessing at ‘Iolani Palace for the trucks, each given Hawaiian names. The names are significant because they honor King Kamehameha III, who established HFD in 1851. "The apparatus being blessed are given inoa Hawaii, honoring HFD's rich history, service of our ali'i, Kauikeaouli and Kalakaua — service of those past and present, and to highlight the unique places across Oahu. Each name relates to the area that each apparatus primarily serves. Through oral and written history, research and pule, each apparatus was given a name identifying it as part of our community, station, and HFD ohana."