The Anchorage Fire Department calls it an alarming trend. According to Fire Marshal Brian Dean, across the country, the number of fires is going down but the rate of fire fatalities is increasing. That also seems to be the case in Anchorage where the fire department reports five fire fatalities since the start of 2023. This is already more than the number of fatalities in all of 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. There were just two fatalities in Anchorage in all of 2020, three in 2021 and four in 2022. "It's trending in the wrong direction to have this many fatalities this early in the year," said Dean. "Our community can do better." Dean said fires in 2023 had different causes, including blocked dryer vents and heating devices placed too close to combustibles, but he added that the majority of fatal fires did have something in common.  

First responders battled a 2-2-2 alarm fire early Monday morning at a vacant building in Cleveland. Officials with the Cleveland Fire Department said the fire started at 12:26 a.m. in the area of Miles Avenue and East 135th Street. Officials said 9 trucks and 40 firefighters responded to the blaze. Officials said nobody was hurt in the blaze. Officials confirmed the fire caused $50,000 in damages. Officials said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Thousands of people came together on March 12 at the world's largest on-air stair climb competition for one mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Held at the Columbia Center in Seattle, the LLS Firefighter Stairclimb hosted more than 2,000 volunteer and professional firefighters from more than 330 departments and 8 countries. According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Columbia Center is the tallest building in Seattle and the second tallest building west of Mississippi. This year's competition marked the 32nd year it has been held. Over the years the competition has raised over $24 million for LLS.  

VIDEO: Fighting fires is an already dangerous job but the Duncan Fire Department said something that can be just as dangerous is drivers. "This is becoming a more frequent thing for us so we would like to get that message out there to slow down, pay attention, get off the cellphone," said Captain Josh Hannigan, Duncan Fire Department. Early Sunday morning, around 1 a.m. the Duncan Fire Department's engine 81 was hit on Interstate 85 while they were responding to an accident. While all first responders on scene were safe, the driver of the vehicle was transported to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. Captain Josh Hannigan said now more than ever people need to be aware of a South Carolina law. "In 2002 the state passed a law that's actually the ‘slow down move over' law so it is mandated for fire personnel, law enforcement, tow truck drivers, EMS, anyone that has to put themselves in the roadway to operate to help the well-being and safety of others, they ask you move over and slow down," said Captain Hannigan.  

New York is leading the nation for residential fire deaths with 45 fatalities in the first three months of this year — a staggering statistic that highlights the need for legislative action, according to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York. John D'Alessandro, the association's secretary and a volunteer firefighter, said the fatalities have underscored the urgency of legislation that the organization has been pushing for years, including a measure to provide funding to local building departments to conduct routine inspections and ensure multi-family residential and commercial buildings are meeting fire safety codes. Another would suspend the sales tax on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors during the month of October — fire prevention month — in a bid to encourage residents to purchase and maintain the potentially life-saving devices.  

It's a bond that has truly been tested by fire. "No words can describe the bond," Lt. Kathleen Hancock said. "I'm super thankful for them." Hancock, Danielle Allen and Brooke Simms are the only Black women working at Aurora Fire Rescue. Their journey together came through different routes. Hancock, a native of Pueblo, lived in Tuscon, Arizona, where she was a physical therapist and athletic trainer. But her life would change after her mom died from a brain aneurysm. "After my mother died unexpectedly, was treating a couple of chiefs and other officers at the physical therapy unit. And they started talking to me, 'hey, come out and we need people like you to come out, work out with us, we really need women like you. And I thought to myself, 'why?'" Hancock said.