One person is dead after an SUV crashed into Westchester Lagoon early Tuesday morning. According to a community alert from the Anchorage Police Department around 12:15 a.m., Anchorage police and the Anchorage Fire Department responded to a high-speed car crash near Minnesota Drive, just north of Hillcrest Drive. According to APD, the preliminary investigation found that an SUV traveling northbound on Minnesota Drive went out of control and crashed into the east side of the lagoon. Police believe four adults were in the car. None were wearing seat belts and all were ejected from the vehicle. A man was pronounced deceased at the scene. Two women were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Search and rescue divers responded to the scene to search for the fourth person who has not yet been located.  

The U.S. Small Business Administration is currently offering low interest disaster loans to Willow residents and business owners who were affected by the devastating McKinley Fire. Last month, SBA PIO for the Office of Disaster Assistance, Field Operations Center- West, Kevin Wynne spent two weeks collecting applications in person at the Talkeetna Fire Department. Wynne has since returned to California but implores anyone who's been affected to submit an application online. "There's still time," Wynne said. A total of 52 primary residences, 3 commercial structures and 84 outbuildings were destroyed in the fire, according to data from akfireinfo.com. Wynne said that he gathered about 30 applications from residents and one business owner during his time up here.  

PHOTO: Thousands of acres damaged by the ongoing Kincade Fire in Northern California's Sonoma County are visible in this new image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite. The image was taken at 11:01 a.m. PST on Nov. 3, 2019. The burned area appears dark gray in ASTER's visible channels. Hotspots, where the fire is still smoldering, appear as yellow dots in ASTER's heat-sensing, thermal infrared channels. After starting on Oct. 23, forcing residents to evacuate, the fire had burned 77,758 acres and destroyed 372 structures by Nov. 3, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It is now over 80% contained. The town of Healdsburg is in the center of the image, which covers an area of about 24 by 25 miles (39 by 40 kilometers).  

A Wild Dunes Resort expansion project is worrying South Carolina Fire Fighter advocates. A new hotel is being built with 153 rooms, as well as meeting and event spaces. The Professional Fire Fighters Association of South Carolina said doesn't believe the Isle of Palms fire department has enough staffing to respond to a building of this size. "They don't even have the right amount of people to respond to a regular structure fire in a home. Let alone a high rise like that," said William Pesature, Vice President of Professional Firefighters Association of South Carolina. Pesature is an advocate for South Carolina firefighters and also spent over eight years as an Isle of Palms firefighter. "Even back when I started there in 2009, they didn't have the right amount of people on a vehicle," said Pesature. He believes the number of people in their fire trucks right now, will not cut it.  

At just 11 years old, Zechariah Cartledge runs a mile for every first responder who loses their life in the line of service. Since January, he's run 283 miles. "All I think about during the runs is the fallen heroes, the fallen officers, the fallen firefighters, their families. That's my mission for the run," he said. Inspired by New York's Tunnel to Towers 5K, which honors the fallen 9/11 first responders, Cartledge started his tribute when he was 8. Near his home in Seminole County, Florida, Sheriff Dennis Lemma said the runs come at a critical time for law enforcement. "I think it's important that our communities at all age groups know the sacrifices that are being made," Lemma said.  

At 8:40 a.m. Sept. 10, 2018, Cedar Falls dispatched four fire-response units — including a rescue truck with special "confined space" equipment — to the University of Northern Iowa, where a massive amount of steam was spewing from the campus Commons. But "due to staffing," only two of the four units rushed to the scene, arriving five minutes later. The truck with confined-space equipment didn't go initially, showing up 30 minutes after the first call after being re-dispatched. A ladder truck also dispatched never came. As the initial crew of seven firefighters crafted a plan to retrieve a UNI worker they understood to be inside the campus' compromised steam system, they assumed roles and assigned posts — including one that called on a captain to take on a different job — again, "due to staffing."  

York City firefighters have a new tool to teach children about the dangers of fires, how to prevent them and ways to escape a burning home. The city's fire safety house is a haulable trailer that's been turned into a mobile classroom, with bleachers for kids to sit on, mock rooms including a kitchen, bedroom and living area, a window so children can practice climbing to safety and more, according to Lisa Altland. "It's equipped with smoke detectors, a smoke machine and a phone for (mock) calling 911," she said. "The door actually heats up to show children what to do if they're caught in a fire." Altland, the wife of retired York City Assistant Fire Chief Greg Altland, said she started raising money for the fire safety house about three years ago.