Alaska State Troopers say arson is suspected in a house fire that happened Nov. 1. Troopers say on that day just before 8 a.m. the North Star Volunteer Fire Department responded to a house fire on Pueblo Street in North Pole. "A Deputy Fire Marshal from Fairbanks responded and conducted an origin and cause investigation," wrote troopers in an online dispatch. "The fire was classified as Incendiary." AST says no one was hurt or killed but the damage to the property is estimated at over $20,000.  

VIDEO: A Civil Air Patrol pilot was killed when a small plane slammed into multiple vehicles that were parked on a residential street in Pacoima on Thursday morning, igniting a fire near several homes, officials said. No other injuries were reported in the crash, which occurred shortly after 11:30 a.m. in 10000 block of North Sutter Avenue, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The deceased pilot, the only person onboard the aircraft, was not immediately identified. The Civil Air Patrol's California Wing later identified the pilot as a member of that organization, but did not release the pilot's name. The plane was identified as a Cessna 182T. "Our hearts go out to the family of the member involved, and to all of the volunteer Civil Air Patrol members in California Wing who diligently serve their state and country with pride and professionalism," said Col. Ross Veta, Commander of the California Wing, Civil Air Patrol.  

While Emergency Medical Service workers and firefighters were 15 times more likely to contract the coronavirus than members of the public during the early weeks of the pandemic, the Fire Department's decision to exempt firefighters from responding to calls involving COVID symptoms made them five times less likely to develop infections than their EMS counterparts, according to a study led by Dr. David Prezant, the FDNY's Chief Medical Officer. The exemption of firefighters from responding to those cases was designed to minimize the possibility that entire firehouses—where members eat and sometimes sleep—would come down with the virus. During the time period studied beginning in March, 62 department responders contracted severe COVID-19 infections, and four EMS members died.  

As COVID-19 cases across Connecticut continue to climb, first responders in eastern Connecticut are asking for more regular access to COVID-19 testing. Members of the Region 4 EMS Council, covering New London County and parts of Windham County, are working to secure weekly, in-station testing for their members. "If a responder has an exposure at work and they become sick we can get testing pretty ready available, but the testing that I am trying to get established for us is surveillance screening to test providers weekly," said Maria Wilson, who serves as the president of Region 4 EMS Council. "Catch those asymptomatic carriers before they have the chance to potentially infect the rest of their stations." Wilson, with the support of other organizations in Region 4, wrote a letter to state leaders last week asking for help establishing a program for first responders to have easier access to free asymptomatic testing in their stations.  

"Grey's Anatomy" is kicking off its 17th season on ABC. The celebration includes a crossover with their firehouse friends at "Station 19." The blended families of both series allow fans to see the doctors and the firefighters combine their TV worlds; it's even more fun for the actors on both shows. "What I love is the writers treat it like one big world," said "Station 19's" Jason George. On the COVID front, the actors say, given the settings for both shows, there was never a doubt they'd address the coronavirus - especially as an homage to the real-life first responders out there. "It's really about this new world we're living in, and the human consequences,' said "Grey's Anatomy's" Chandra Wilson. "Bringing the humanity to stories of front line workers and first responders." "For us to be able to shine a light on that, create conversations and awareness is the least we can do, and we're honored to be a part of that," said "Station 19's" Boris Kodjoe.  

A marina fire in Scottsboro, Alabama, earlier this year illustrated how such a situation can turn tragic in just minutes. At 12:35 a.m. on January 27, 2020, a man living aboard a houseboat at Jackson County Park Marina awoke to a "popping" sound and smoke filled the cabin. According to the report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the owner told investigators he saw flames coming from the forward bulkhead near the vessel's electrical panel. He emptied his fire extinguisher on the flames then went to the neighbor's boat to get another extinguisher. When he returned to his boat the fire had grown and using the second extinguisher had little effect on the fire. The boat owner called 911 at 12:38 a.m. When Scottsboro police officers arrived seven minutes later, they reported the whole dock was on fire. The fire department arrived four minutes later. "Within 10-12 minutes every boat under the dock was somehow involved," said Scottsboro Fire Department Chief Gene Necklaus.