A fire near Homer destroyed the Fritz Creek General Store early Thursday morning, according to troopers. A dispatch from troopers said they were notified at 4 a.m. of a fire at the small shop located on East End Road. Fire crews from Kachemak Emergency Services, Homer Volunteer Fire Department, and Western Emergency Services responded to the scene and extinguished the blaze, but not before significant damage was done to the building and its contents. No one was inside the building when the fire started, and according to social media posts from the Homer Fire Department, no members of the public or first responders were injured. Troopers say it is "suspected to be a total loss due to the damage caused by the fire." The Alaska State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the blaze.  

As many as 19 fires in the last seven days have been attributed to homeless camps in Anchorage, according to Assistant Fire Chief Alex Boyd. Boyd said at least nine of those fires have happened in and around Davis Park in Mountain View, which is the site of a large encampment. No one was injured in this recent spate of fires, according to Boyd, but earlier this spring two people died in separate fires in homeless camps. Boyd said while the weather has greatly lessened the chance of a wildfire starting, there are still health concerns both for campers and firefighters who've been exposed to toxic smoke. "The things that are burning are not natural wood," Boyd said.  

Cellphone video captured the heart-pounding moments a teenager jumped into action to help save an Upland family whose home caught fire on the Fourth of July. Caleb Delasantos, 19, was watching fireworks with his girlfriend around 10 p.m. when he saw flames shooting up from the residence. He darted to the scene and helped the panicked and disoriented residents before firefighters arrived. "We were just following the smoke trail that we seen in the sky, and we eventually found the little road that led up to the house," Delasantos said in an interview with NBC4. Once they arrived, Delasantos immediately ran up to the home and heard someone say her dad was inside. "Right as I was opening the door, I met up with the guy that was in the home, the homeowner, and he was like in a frantic panic mode. He kept saying, ‘Get the keys. Get the keys,'" Delasantos recalled.  

VIDEO: Investigators are searching for answers after two firefighters were killed and five more were injured while battling a raging blaze aboard a cargo ship docked in Newark, New Jersey. It was the first time since 2007 that a Newark firefighter was killed on the job, according to city officials. The fire was still smoldering as of Friday morning, some 36 hours after it broke out on the massive vessel. There is also a sheen on the water around the boat, city officials said. While the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, there is an indication that the firefighters' equipment was incompatible with the European-made ship's fire suppression system, sources close to the probe told ABC News on Thursday. The firefighters also weren't trained to handle blazes that take place on cargo boats, a source said.  

The Nassau County Sheriff's Office provided assistance to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) after a mobile methamphetamine lab was discovered at the I-95 Welcome Center, Thursday afternoon. The incident prompted the activation of a hazmat team, resulting in the closure of traffic to the welcome center and the evacuation of its premises. The welcome center, situated along Interstate 95 South, serves as a gateway for travelers entering Florida from Georgia. Authorities were alerted to the presence of the mobile meth lab, prompting an immediate response from law enforcement and emergency personnel. The hazardous materials team arrived on the scene to handle the volatile situation. As a precautionary measure, traffic to the welcome center was halted, and visitors and employees were evacuated to ensure their safety.  

Yesterday marked the 79th anniversary of the deadliest fire in Connecticut history. On July 6, 1944, the big top of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Baily Circus ignited during a show in Hartford, killing more than 160 people. It's believed that a cigarette sparked the fire and spread quickly because the tent was completely coated in paraffin wax treated with gasoline. The fire prompted many new safety regulations that were implemented to prevent another disaster.  

There is no remedy to take away the pain of losing a loved one, but a new South Carolina law will help the families of first responders who make the ultimate sacrifice for their communities. It applies to first responders killed in the line of duty, including law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, and coroners. "People who put their lives in harm's way every day to protect and help the rest of us," Sen. Thomas McElveen, D – Sumter, said during a Senate debate on the bill. Under the law, the beneficiaries of first responders killed in the line of duty will receive $75,000, so long as their death was not the result of their own willful negligence, suicide, or intentionally self-inflicted bodily injury. That amount has increased to $150,000 if their death resulted from an unlawful and intentional act of someone else or if it was an accident while responding to an emergency, including traffic crashes, or while enforcing a traffic law.