The 2022 East Fork Fire is the largest fire in recorded history in the Yukon Delta area. Precipitation throughout the year usually prevents large wildfires around the area's communities, but a recent drought lead to extremely dry surface vegetation that id readily available to be consumed by fire. Locals in the villages of St. Mary's, Pilot Station, Pitkas Point and Mountain Village were surprised and alarmed, with wildfire being something they see in a distant part of the state on the evening news. However, this does not mean the surrounding communities were unprepared. The small village of Pilot Station, roughly 15 miles away from St. Mary's, has implemented a long term and well thought out plan in response to potential wildfire.  

The Denali Borough has issued a disaster declaration for damage from the Clear Fire. It says the 72,000-acre wildfire burned into two subdivisions — destroying one permanent residence, eight properties with cabins, 10 with other structures, as well as machinery equipment, trailers and building supplies. Denali Borough Mayor Clay Walker said he issued the disaster declaration to help impacted property owners, "by hopefully opening up the state's individual assistance program." The Denali Borough's request for individual assistance for Clear Fire victims is being evaluated by the state. Walker said the local disaster declaration meanwhile allows access to the borough's disaster contingency fund. "For a sum of up to $20,000 to be used to aid recovery efforts, focused on debris removal," he said.  

VIDEO: A four-alarm fire has torn through two mill buildings on Woronoco Road in Russell. Multiple fires at the vacant Strathmore buildings over the last several years prompted the State Fire Marshal's office to offer a reward back in 2020. Fire officials told Western Mass News that they expect to be here until sunrise Wednesday, working to put out the fire and hot spots on the building which has completely collapsed. Witnesses who were staying in a house close by told us that they were forced to evacuate. "We just got us and the pets," said Jaynice Alvarado. "That's all we could get. They kept telling us to get out." Flames engulfed multiple buildings at the Strathmore Mills in Russell on Tuesday. One witness said the fire seemed to come out of nowhere.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Members of the Springfield Fire Department (SFD) are competing on the world stage. Several local firefighters are at the World Police and Fire Games. According to the Springfield 37 Firefighters Union, first responders from more than 70 countries are competing in the games. Springfield's firefighters -- Captain Bryce McCormick, Captain Eric Jaeger, Captain Phil Johnson and Captain Kainan Rinaberger -- took home third place in the team's ultimate firefighter event. On Tuesday, the firefighters union says Captain Phil Johnson finished with a 500-meter row in 1.22 seconds (a PR) and earned a silver medal, bringing SFDs metal count to 5, 4bronze (Team FF) and one silver. After the men's heavyweight final, 500M, with a 1.22 row (also a PR) Captain Bryce McCormick earns the 6th medal of the WPFG for Local 37 Firefighters, a bronze.  

Studies by University of Arizona Health Sciences, in collaboration with Tucson Fire Department, have helped provide evidence that occupational exposure does pose a cancer risk to firefighters. Findings from these studies contributed to a larger body of evidence that led the International Agency for Research on Cancer to reclassify firefighters' occupational exposure from "possibly carcinogenic" to "carcinogenic." Dr. Jeff Burgess, a UArizona public health professor, was one of 25 experts invited to take part in an IARC working group to review scientific literature on the topic. The group found evidence showing that occupational exposure causes mesothelioma and bladder cancer, and limited evidence that it causes colon cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, melanoma of the skin and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.  

Drought conditions around the Twin Cities metro have substantially increased the risk of fires, a problem Minnesota's struggling with this year. Cigarette-related fires, specifically, are on pace to be more deadly any year on average in the last decade. Ralph Swarm died from his injuries in a barn fire in Foreston in May. His family says it was a cigarette ember that started it. Rick Scharber, Swarm's brother-in-law, is now in physical therapy after overcoming renal failure following the fire and nine surgeries. "My heart aches for every single one of these people that have suffered a loss of a family member due to something that was preventable," said State Fire Marshal Jim Smith. Smith says there have been an average of eight or nine cigarette-related fire deaths a year over the last decade. There have already been seven this year.  

The Bozeman Fire Department is getting ready to move to the new Public Safety Center and many of their keepsakes are getting packed up with them. The Bozeman Fire Station downtown off of N Rouse Ave has been home to dozens of firefighters for over 60 years but as the Bozeman community continues to grow the fire station needed to expand as well. As the fire department preps for their big move to the new center, many traditions inside the station such as their 24-year-old coffee table will move down the road with them. Bozeman Fire Department Battalion Chief, Graver Johnson said, "When you get hired here you sign the table, and then when you retire you also sign it. There are lots of signatures and we first got it in 1998... hopefully, it stays around for a long time." The table is not the only staple item from the fire department that is going to be relocated. Bozeman Fire was one of the select few stations that still has a Silsby Steamer fire engine on display.