VIDEO: One person was injured in an East Anchorage house fire on Tuesday morning, according to Assistant Fire Chief Alex Boyd. The fire was reported at 3973 Defiance Street around 11:45 a.m. Firefighters were on the scene by 11:52 a.m. and the fire was brought under control about half an hour after it was reported. "There is significant damage to the home," Boyd wrote in a message to Alaska's News Source. "(It is) unknown how many occupants will be displaced." Boyd said the injured person was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. The cause of the fire is still under investigation and there is no monetary estimate on damages at this time.  

Josh Willaert, 30, was heading home from an April goose hunting trip with three hunting partners, brothers Bruce, Kenny and Craig Savo. The group decided to take a detour to see if they were close enough to hunt a bear reported nearby. But when they passed a creek near the Iowithla River, Willaert's machine shot out over the edge of the bank and fell several feet. He hit his head as he crashed. His brother, Joe, said the Savos' actions in the minutes after saved Willaert's life. "What we know from the doctors now and the medical teams and the surgical teams and all the staff is that Josh is alive because of the three guys," he said. Willaert suffered a frontal skull fracture and more than 20 fractures in his face. One of the hunters, Craig Savo, is a certified first responder and an assistant fire chief. He said he always keeps a first aid kit when traveling.  

A man was badly burned and a DTE Energy worker was injured when a house exploded Tuesday in Inkster. The explosion happened around 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 2, at a house in the 26000 block of Penn Street in Inkster, near the border of Dearborn Heights. "I was in my living room watching TV and I heard some ‘boom,' and I thought someone was in my house," neighbor Alina Boudi said. Inkster fire Chief Chuck Hubbard said the house was already fully engulfed in flames when his firefighters arrived. "All of a sudden, our whole house shook," neighbor Cynthia Dowell said. "It was a very loud explosion. It was just a lot of smoke, a lot of sirens real fast." A man was in the home at the time of the explosion, but he was already outside when authorities got to the scene. Officials believe he was helped out of the house.  

A new program to treat traumatic brain injuries in veterans and first responders is coming to Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin following a $12.5 million donation from a national nonprofit. Advocates for the program, known as Building Resilience through Action in Veterans and First Responders and shortened to BRAVE, say it's the first of its kind in the Midwest. "This new program ... will accelerate our capacity to diagnose and treat traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions that we see far too often among our military veterans, their spouses and the families of emergency first responders," Medical College of Wisconsin President and CEO John Raymond said during a press conference Thursday.  

Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are presenting an unprecedented challenge for New York City firefighters who are battling an increasing number of these blazes that quickly get out of control and are stubbornly hard to extinguish. In large part, the technology that is used to manufacture the type of rechargeable battery commonly used in electric bikes and electric scooters makes the batteries dangerous to handle when they catch on fire. "We are in a crisis mode right now when it comes to the batteries," City Councilman Keith Powers said at a Committee on Fire and Emergency Management hearing last month. Lithium-ion batteries caused 220 fires in the five boroughs last year, up from 44 in 2020, according to the FDNY. These fires resulted in 147 injuries and six deaths in 2022, 32 injuries and two deaths more than the previous three years combined.  

PHOTOS: The Denton Fire Department unveiled a new fire engine, but instead of sporting the traditional fire engine red, it was painted to better suit the colors of one of the city's universities, the University of North Texas. Engine 3 was decked out in green after the "Mean Green" of UNT, with the university's flag, a green-tinted Texas flag, on display in the truck's front grille. "Mean Green" is also carved into the front and back bumpers in light-up letters, with the school's logo and trademark eagle symbol painted on the sides. The engine was unveiled at Eastside Denton as part of Downtown Victory Fest, a celebration of the school's basketball team's record-breaking season and their winning of the 2023 National Invitation Tournament. The men's basketball team arrived on the engine, which was donated to the city by the school. It also has the unique ability of playing the school's fight song through its horn system.  

PHOTOS: Dozens of fire rescue squads across Florida are putting their skills to the test competing against an international group of emergency responders for the Palm Beach State Invitational. David Hamel, director of Palm Beach State College's fire academy, said the friendly competition gives emergency responders a chance to hone their skills and learn from each other. "It lets us practice our skills in a competitive environment, not in a life or death one," Hamel said. Noting that firefighters can turn anything into a competition, Hamel said the events are typically held at venues across the country, but the college has taken all of the circuits and made a supersized competition where some departments from Canada compete. Tuesday's simulated events took place to showcase each squad's skills, most addressing rescues from vehicles.