Research on a flat spot for air evacuations. Talk of old-style civil defense sirens to warn of fast-moving wildfires. Hundreds of urban firefighters training in wildland firefighting techniques while snow still blankets the ground. This is the new reality in Alaska's largest city, where a recent series of wildfires near Anchorage and the hottest day on record have sparked fears that a warming climate could soon mean serious, untenable blazes in urban areas — just like in the rest of the drought-plagued American West. The risk is particularly high in the city's burgeoning Anchorage Hillside neighborhood, where multi-million dollar homes have pushed further and further up steep slopes and to the forest's edge. Making the challenge even greater is that many of these areas on the Hillside — home to about 35,000 people — have but one road in and out, meaning that fleeing residents could clog a roadway or be cut off from reaching Anchorage at all.  

A driver in Rockcastle County is unharmed after a scary moment caught on video. The Mount Vernon Fire Department said their chief, David Bales, was on his way to the fire station Friday morning when he was met by a truck on fire. The driver was headed north on Highway 25 approaching Mount Vernon when the chief noticed the fire coming from the hood and engine compartment area of the truck. An official with the department told WHAS11 News that fire crews hadn't been notified at the time and the chief was able to turn around and located the vehicle while calling for an engine to respond. They said the driver was making every attempt to stop the vehicle, but the fire had disabled everything besides the steering. The man was finally able to stop in the yard of a home on West Main Street, three miles from the location where the chief initially noticed the truck on fire.  

VIDEO: Tiara Grant said that since he was a little boy, her 11-year-old son Darrien has always dreamed of becoming a firefighter. Tiara said she has been taking Darrien to visit fire stations since he was three years old. "It just never stopped. It was always ‘I want to be a firefighter for Halloween,' or he would watch shows about being a firefighter," said Tiara. Darrien said the reason he wants to become a firefighter is to keep people safe. "I would like to help people," said Darrien. A few days ago, Tiara came up with the idea of setting up a firefighter training drill for Darrien. "He just has so much energy, and I know that he really wants to be a firefighter because he puts on the outfit all the time. So, I was like, you know, what, let me put something together, so he can actually feel like he's a firefighter," said Tiara.  

VIDEO: May 2013 is a month many Oklahomans will not soon forget. The May 20th Moore tornado and the May 31st El Reno tornado combined caused dozens of deaths, hundreds of injuries and billions of dollars in damage. As the 10-year anniversary approaches, KFOR is bringing you a special series of reports as we remember those lost on May 20 and May 31, 2013, as well as reflect on what we've learned in the decade since. No other fire department knows the devastation of May's Fury quite like the Moore Fire Department. KFOR's Emily Sutton recently checked back in with a Moore firefighter who opened up to News 4 for the first time five years ago about pulling children out of the rubble at Plaza Towers Elementary. It's been 10 years since Battalion Chief Corley Moore dug through the rubble pile of Plaza Towers Elementary.  

VIDEO: Flames and smoke took over the basement of a house in Washington County on April 24, but from the outside, you'd never know. A special fire suppression tool saved the home. "I got visible flames in the basement," a first responder said. "Looks like it's filled with smoke." On the morning of April 24, the Washington County Sheriff's Office responded to a house fire in Addison. Deputies saw fire coming from the dryer vent area. That's when they grabbed their fire suppression tool, also called an FST. "To get in there and reset the clock, buy some time for when the fire department gets there," said Mark Mock, Fire Suppression Solutions president. Deputies knocked down the door and then tossed in the FST. Sheriff's officials said the home suffered heat, smoke and water damage, but it was still intact after the fire. First responders believe the FST played a role in saving it.