The State of Alaska, Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DOF) is preparing for multiple prescribed burns in the Delta, Fairbanks, and Matanuska-Susitna Areas. Burning operations will begin as early as April 30, weather and conditions permitting. The prescribed burns are planned for the following areas: DOF, in partnership with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), are planning to burn fields of the Delta Junction Bison Range as early as April 30, depending on weather and fuel conditions. Firefighters from State Forestry & Fire Protection along with Red Carded staff from ADF&G will use drip torches to ignite the fields. DOF staff and members of Pioneer Peak Hotshot Crew will be on site to assist in monitoring and controlling the burn. There may be smoke visible in Delta Junction, the surrounding communities, and on the Alaska Highway; signs will be posted to caution traffic.  

Fire crews are still on scene in Concord blocking off roads, several hours after a large fire gutted a commercial building. The fire broke out near the BART station on East Street and Sunset Avenue. That is right across the street from the BART station and in a stretch of commercial buildings. Overnight, the front part of the building collapsed in flames. "There was a couple of structural members that did collapse during the fire and that's primarily due to the amount of heat that comes during the fire, which caused a couple walls to fall," Victor Daniel, a spokesperson for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said. Daniel says luckily, firefighters had already taken a defensive approach to fight this fire from the outside, not long after the call first came in around 10:30 p.m. on Monday night.  

PHOTOS: Firefighters are used to getting to their destinations in a hurry. Hubie Widmer took 10 years to complete his quest. "I said, ‘You know, I want to get my picture taken in front of every fire department in the state,'" Hubie said. In March, the Watertown firefighter completed his task. Over a decade, Hubie visited 775 fire departments – as best as he can tell relying on state records – every fire department in Minnesota. "We kind of didn't think it was ever going to get done," Denice Widmer, Hubie's wife, said with a laugh. Denice traveled with Hubie on most of his trips, crossing off towns on a 20-page list and photographing her husband in front of the fire stations they visited. The pictures Denice took of her husband fill 14 photo albums. "We've basically been to every town in the state of Minnesota." Hubie says.  

Monday, The Milwaukee Fire Department announced they are partnering with Ignite the Spirit to provide essential mental health resources for firefighters through fully funded therapy sessions facilitated by licensed mental health professionals. The program is launching under the All-Hands Initiative, and Fire Lieutenant Joseph Flick founded Ignite the Spirit in 2018. He told WTMJ the importance of mental health for firefighters. "The culmination of everything that we go through and the traumas that we see… sometimes the human brain has a hard time dealing with that." he said. "We want to make sure that that's not what's going to keep our people from being our best selves." "Sometimes it's injury and illness… Other times, untimely death, and [during] this time, we've been looking for ways we can proactively support their mental and behavioral health," he said.