Alaska Interagency Coordination Center's early season wildfire outlook is now available. To summarize the complete report, normal fire potential is expected in Alaska in March and through June, except for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, where above normal potential exists in April and May. According to AICC's Fire Weather Program Manager Heidi Strader, "It does look like a potential busy early season out on the Y-K Delta due to low snowpack. Keep in mind that we have few indicators to tell us how mid-summer will be at this point. For some of the more populated corridors around South Central and parts of the Interior, it's more about fuels, wind events, and human activity." Fire managers and firefighters use these monthly local and national outlooks to get a feel for how the wildfire season might play out.  

Fire officials in Littleton are investigating the cause of a fire that impacted two businesses. Fire Chief Chad Miller told News 9 the fire started shortly before 10:30 p.m. Monday on Cottage Street. He said when crews arrived, they saw flames coming from the roof and some small explosions. There are no reports of any injuries. The fire destroyed the company SBP Builders and heavily damaged another business, New England Truck Tire, Miller said. He does not believe anyone was inside when the fire broke out.  

Rail safety has been a big topic of discussion with the recent train derailments in Ohio and one as recently as last week in West Virginia. Our region is no stranger to derailments, like the 17 rail cars that fell into the James River in Lynchburg back in 2014. Next month will mark nine years since a CSX train derailed in Lynchburg, dumping thousands of gallons of fuel into the James River. Lynchburg's Battalion Chief Daniel Williams was one of the first crews to arrive on the scene that day. "When you turned the corner, everything was just black. And so the first thing we wanted to do was to make sure life safety wasn't a situation. If it is then we want to evacuate as quickly as we can," said Williams. No one was hurt and no hazardous chemicals were released from that derailment. Since then, Williams says the city has taken extra steps to prepare for future disasters.  

As we continue to celebrate Women's History Month, WTOL 11 is featuring a different female leader in the community each week. This week, WTOL 11 sat down with Toledo Fire & Rescue Chief Allison Armstrong to talk about what women have inspired her and what it's like being a woman in a predominantly male field. "My goal from being a young child was 'I wanted to be a Toledo firefighter,'" said Armstrong. "Not just a firefighter, I wanted to work for Toledo." Allison Armstrong joined TFRD in 2000. She became chief in 2022. She says she didn't endure obstacles one might think being a woman in a field that is made up of predominantly men. "I do feel, I will say this, that the women who came before me really paved the way for me to say that," explained Armstrong. "I didn't feel like I experienced any of those barriers that may have been there before."  

Californians pummeled by an onslaught of dangerous storms will get deluged again as another atmospheric river threatens more deadly flooding. More than 30 million people in California were under flood watches Monday that cover much of the state, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno and Sacramento. The brunt of the storm is expected to lash Northern and central California beginning late Monday and Southern California starting Tuesday. Already, a levee breach in Monterey County blamed on devastating weekend flooding has prompted evacuation alerts for thousands. And Monterey Bay residents could soon find themselves on a virtual island, cut off by more floodwater. About 20 swift-water rescue teams in more than 10 counties have been positioned ahead of the looming storm, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said Monday, following dozens of water rescues in recent days.