The U.S. Forest Service has started burning slash in Cooper Landing, part of a project to mitigate the fire risk of fallen trees and reduce beetle kill in the area this winter and spring. Chugach National Forest fire management staff will conduct burns on forest land near the Quartz Creek, Crescent Creek and Russian River campgrounds in Cooper Landing, as well as the Hope Point trailhead in Hope, according to a recent statement from the Forest Service. Already, staff have started burning piles in Cooper Landing. On Jan. 23 and 24, fire management staff burned a slash pile near Quartz Creek Campground. The work created residual smoke along the Sterling Highway, and the Forest Service warned motorists to use caution. The Forest Service says the goal of the project is to get rid of slash piles, the result of spruce bark beetle destruction. The other purpose is to get rid of material that could potentially pose a fire risk in the forest.  

One person was taken into custody Thursday evening in connection with a massive structure fire inside a two-story apartment building in Westlake. Calls about the fire came in around 5:15 p.m. at a building located on the 2800 block of 7th Street, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Fire Department. Prior to the fire breaking out inside the complex, an LAFD engine was already on scene to support an LAPD operation. The call was upgraded to a structure fire response after one of the firefighters saw smoke coming from a window. Heavy flames were showing in both the second floor and attic, and additional resources were requested. In total, more than 100 firefighters responded to the scene, the Fire Department said. The building was fully evacuated and firefighters worked their way through the building to ensure that no people were trapped inside.  

VIDEO: Vincent Dransfield lives life on his own terms, and that's not something many 108-year-olds can say. He leased a car two years ago and is still driving — in more ways than one. "I'm still driving everybody crazy," Dransfield joked. When asked what type of car he drives, he responded by saying "four wheels." He's still sharp and quick-witted. "I like to have a sense of humor," Dransfield said. "It's good. It gets you somewhere. If you're nasty and angry, you ain't going nowhere." Dransfield is also the oldest firefighter at the Little Falls Volunteer Fire Department. Not as active as he once was, he's still on the roster at Singac Engine Company No. 3. "I said, ‘When I grow up, I'm going to become a fireman,' so I became a fireman," he said. His contributions and pictures from the last 84 years with the department are plastered on the firehouse walls.  

Design. Engineering. Technology. Manufacturing. These are a few of the departments you likely think of when you think of a car company. And when it comes to Toyota, you can add fire department to the list. The automaker recently shared a feature highlighting its Fire and Rescue Brigade. There's one at each of its manufacturing plants in North America. Toyota says they are fully staffed and operate like a local fire station. "We have a full-time fire brigade and are authorized to have 18 firefighters," says KB Hallmark, Assistant Chief of Fire and Rescue at Toyota Texas. "Our staff works a 48 hours on/96 hours off schedule - common with municipal fire departments in the area." He adds, "Our staff members are required to have professional certifications through the Texas Commission on Fire Protection and the Department of State Health Services and receive additional training specific to their duties."  

VIDEO: The alarm sounds and Roy Lewis grabs his gear and darts to the truck. He feels a rush of adrenaline as he climbs into the driver's seat, starts the engine and turns on the siren. Lewis is a Phoenix firefighter who's living his dream of helping the community. "I always vowed if I ever had an opportunity to give back, I would," he said. Lewis has been fighting Phoenix's fires for almost ten years. He's an engineer with Station 18 who is constantly responding to calls and helping save lives. He always knew this was a job he wanted, but sometimes life throws a curve ball. "Football has afforded me so many opportunities, and I'm very thankful and very humble," he said. "This job reminds me how fortunate I am." In 2008, Lewis joined the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a cornerback and played with everything he had.  

When Thayer Smith, a firefighter in Austin, Texas, received the call that a Tesla was on fire, he knew that he'd need to bring backup. It was in the early morning hours of August 12, 2021, and a driver had slammed a Model X into a traffic light on a quiet residential street in Austin before crashing into a gas pump at a nearby Shell station. The driver, a teenager who was later arrested for driving while intoxicated, managed to escape the car, but the Tesla burst into flames. As emergency responders battled the fire in the dark of night, bursts of sparks shot out of the totaled car, sending plumes of smoke up into the sky. It took tens of thousands of gallons of water, multiple fire engines, and more than 45 minutes to finally extinguish the blaze. "People have probably seen vehicles burning on the side of the road at one point or another," Smith, the division chief at the Austin Fire Department, recalled.