A tenant in a house on Small Tracts road noticed a fire early Thursday morning and called Haines Volunteer Firefighters around midnight. When they arrived there were "open flames coming up out of and around the chimney," said Chief Brian Clay. Twelve volunteers responded and split into teams – one attacking the roof and the other the second floor. They were on the scene for about three hours, used four trucks, and about 4,000 gallons of water shuttled via a tanker. But the fire was extensive enough that the two story A-frame house is no longer habitable. "It's got holes in the ceiling and the roof itself. There's a lot of smoke and water damage," Clay said. He said the tenants have family members in town they can stay with. The homeowners could not immediately be reached for comment.  

VIDEO: A firefighter caught on fire while battling flames Saturday at a home in Brick Township. News 12 New Jersey was told he's expected to be OK. It happened just before midnight in the Herbertsillve section of the township. Officials say all residents in the home got out safely. All of Brick Township fire companies responded as well as Point Pleasant Boro and Point Pleasant Beach for coverage. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.  

Emergency responders who help stranded drivers on the side of the road are struck and killed nearly four times more than reported. A new study by the AAA Foundation for Safety reveals a disturbing picture of the dangers of helping stranded drivers. AAA Foundation researchers combed through the data and uncovered 123 roadside assistance providers killed in the U.S. by passing vehicles between 2015 and 2021, nearly four times the approximate 34 killed listed in national crash data. The discrepancy is due to inconsistent reporting in states and jurisdictions, including times when some roadside workers are identified as "pedestrians." The research also notes that while yearly total traffic fatalities increased significantly over the study period, the data suggest that roadside assistance provider fatalities increased even more.  

VIDEO: Saving lives just comes with the territory of being a firefighter — so if your life is in jeopardy who better to turn to? In this case: not only a firefighter but a best friend. For as long as just about anybody can remember, Kevin Barnwell and Devery Thomas have pretty much been joined at the hip. "We were friends before we could walk really," says Kevin. They played ball together, joined the fire service together and were the best men at each other's weddings. "I tell people that we are closer than most siblings," says Devery. "I don't think they have ever had an argument," adds Kevin's wife, Candi. Like most friendships, tests and trials have happened over the last couple of years. Kevin had a stroke that left him in a wheelchair, eventually, his kidneys started to fail which meant dialysis three times a week.