A massive fire tore through a row of stores and an apartment building in the Bronx overnight, bubbling a virtual inferno into the dark sky but causing no serious injuries. The fire broke out at a one-story taxpayer building — a small, cheaply built building to cover the owner’s property taxes — on Prospect Avenue in Longwood around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the FDNY.

It was fully involved in flames by the time crews arrived. It chewed through a bodega, fruit shop and dollar store, then jumped to the roof and second floor of an adjacent six-story apartment building, which was evacuated. One resident was treated at the scene for a minor injury, officials said. Ultimately, more than 200 fire and EMS personnel responded.

The FDNY posted a dramatic aerial photo of the scene on X. The building appeared to be part of a row of businesses, some of which were damaged in the fire. Witnesses described the chaos. “You see people just running from all over,” recounted Maylani Napoles. “You see people in the building, waving their hands out the window, trying to catch somebody’s attention — everything.”

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VIDEO: Santa arrived early at UVM’s Children’s Hospital Thursday, hitching a ride with members of the Burlington Fire Department as part of Operation Fire Cuffs.

Burlington Assistant Fire Marshal Philip Edgerley helped come up with the idea for the annual event. “At the time, we had some co-workers — both of us that had children in the hospital at the time — and we just went with the idea and it kind of stuck,” Edgerley said.

Standing in for Santa’s elves, the Burlington Fire Department worked alongside businesses and dozens of police and fire agencies from across the state to collect new toys and gift cards for kids spending Christmas at the hospital.

The hospital’s Dr. Lewis First says the goal is to provide joy and a sense of normalcy during a time when it’s anything but normal. “Our goal is to have as few numbers of children as possible spend their time in the hospital, but right now, we’re pretty full, and we have a lot of children who are going to be here over the holidays,” he said.

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NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Greg Biffle was reportedly killed in a plane crash Thursday morning, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Around 10:15 a.m., an aircraft crashed at Statesville Regional Airport, they confirmed in a post on their Facebook page.

Biffle and members of his immediate family were on the plane, according to an NCSHP news release. Troopers say they will be able to say who all seven people on the plane were after getting confirmation from the medical examiner’s office.

Biffle’s family, alongside other families, shared a joint statement about the loss of their loved ones on Thursday afternoon. The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the investigation alongside the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the FAA. They described the aircraft as a small passenger jet.

The NCSHP said that the plane had taken off from the airport and then turned back to land. The plane that crashed appears to be a Cessna Citation that is owned by the former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, according to FAA paperwork.

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A small plane crashed Wednesday afternoon into a residential neighborhood in Nashua. The plane crashed at a residential complex in the area of Cannongate Road, which is on the other side of Route 101A from Nashua Airport. The crash happened at about 2:15 p.m., and fire officials said the pilot was the only person on board.

The plane clipped the roof of a home and then crashed upside down near a parking lot. Fire Chief Steve Buxton said the pilot was able to get out of the plane with the help of bystanders. He was taken to a hospital, and the extent of his injuries was unknown. No one else was hurt. Buxton said he believes the pilot was practicing taking off and landing at the airport before the crash. James Fogarty, one of the good Samaritans who helped pull the pilot from the plane, said he noticed signs of trouble before the crash.

“I knew it was going down because it was sputtering, the engine, and once I got over there, it hit the building, and it flipped upside down. He wasn’t really saying much to me. I kinda like backed up once I pulled him away. He had a gash on his head, on the top of his head, probably about 2 inches wide, long, I mean. He was bleeding pretty good,” Fogarty said.

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In a historic development, the U.S. Senate has passed the IAFF-endorsed Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), advancing a long-fought effort by the IAFF to secure federal recognition of occupational cancer as a line-of-duty death.

“We know the devastation occupational cancer has brought to our profession. When a fire fighter dies from job-related cancer, that is a line-of-duty death – and it is long past time the federal government recognized that truth,” said General President Edward Kelly. “Congress’s passage of the Honor Act marks a significant turning point. This legislation ensures our fallen are honored, and their families are not left behind.”

The Honor Act, led by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), updates the federal Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program to recognize occupational cancer as a line-of-duty death. The bill extends death and educational benefits to survivors and presumes certain cancers are job-related, removing the requirement to pinpoint a specific exposure.

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A rare piece of Greensboro Fire Department history returned home Monday, more than a century after it was first purchased and decades after it last served the city, according to the department.

American LaFrance Steam Engine No. 496, built in 1904, arrived in Greensboro after being away for more than 85 years. The engine was originally purchased by the Greensboro Fire Department the same year and was the first engine produced after the formation of the American LaFrance Fire Engine Co. The nearly nine-foot-tall engine, which weighs more than four tons, served the city into the 1920s, remained in reserve through the 1930s and last pumped water in 1940.

The engine traveled across the eastern United States for decades before being restored by Firefly Restoration Co. in Maine, with most of its original components preserved. Dean Green, who recognized the engine’s historical significance, facilitated its return to Greensboro. City officials and fire department members marked the homecoming as a celebration of the department’s heritage and service to the community.

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PHOTOS: A massive blaze at a lumberyard shot flames into the air that could be seen by morning commuters as they headed through the Jackson Curve east of downtown Kansas City Tuesday. Firefighters responded to the blaze around 6:15 a.m. at the Central Missouri Reload Inc. lumberyard, 3900 E. 14th Terrace, said Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins, a spokesman for the Kansas City Fire Department.

The first crews to arrive found a large outbuilding, where stacks of lumber that had come off the rail yard were fully engulfed in flames, Hopkins said. Firefighters took an immediate defensive attack due to the size of the blaze and sprayed large streams of water from multiple aerial trucks to bring the fire under control, Hopkins said. The fire was brought under control shortly before 9 a.m.

“We’re just working on hot spots, starting to unpile it and getting down to the meat and potatoes of it down in the middle,” Hopkins said. Smoke still filled the air at the lumberyard after the flames were extinguished. A stream of water flowed down from Truman Avenue where a tanker truck attached a hose to a fire hydrant. Earlier, the fire department issued a second-alarm assignment as they were battling the blaze, mainly to bring additional pumpers to run hose lines needed to supply water.

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VIDEO: North Collier Fire Rescue District is leading the way in Florida by introducing plant-fiber helmets for children to enhance connections with kids and educate them about fire safety.

The district noted that plastic helmets are rarely recycled and often end up in landfills for years. They expressed gratitude to the Bonita Shores community for the opportunity to unveil these helmets at a recent event.

They also thanked Better Choice Costumes, whose founder spent 30 years as a firefighter, for leading this initiative and finding a way for the fire service to join the effort to reduce plastic waste.

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PHOTOS: Fire crews watched as a property crumbled to the ground in Camden, New Jersey, early Wednesday, as firefighters worked to put out flames at the building.

NBC10’s SkyForce10 captured the moment the roof of the structure collapsed into itself as crews worked at the scene along the 1600 block of South 6th Street in Camden, NJ, at about 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday.

According to officials, the fire was placed under control shortly after the building collapse and no firefighters were hurt in the incident. Crews were dispatched to the scene at the two-story property at about 5:15 a.m. on Wednesday.

Officials said the property was vacant. Officials did not immediately detail what may have caused the fire. An investigation is underway.

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Fire crews in San Francisco on Monday afternoon extinguished a gas tank blaze at a gas station in the Mission, the Fire Department said. At 4:41 p.m., firefighters were called to the Shell station on the corner of 16th and Guerrero streets, where a gas tank that was being removed was on fire.

Firefighters extinguished the fire within 10 minutes, but the department said that some residue gas remained in the tank during the removal. “At this time a company has been called out to remove the remaining fuel so the construction crew can safely continue working at a later time,” SFFD said on social media. Fortunately, no one was hurt. A school and an apartment building next door to the gas station both had to evacuate.

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The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services (DFS) has enhanced its Special Operations fleet with the addition of three new drones capable of streaming footage from hazardous indoor environments.

These drones, tested by the DFS throughout the year and procured this fall, enable personnel to gather real-time information from inside buildings during hazardous material incidents, structural collapses, and other high-risk situations.

“Drones were a giant step forward for situational awareness in the fire service,” said State Fire Marshal Jon Davine. “Up until now, we’ve used them primarily to provide aerial footage from outside a structure or above a large wildfire or search area.”

The drones were demonstrated to DFS Hazmat technicians, State Police fire investigators, bomb technicians, and senior leadership at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy before the new program was announced publicly. They were also utilized during the Massachusetts Association of Technical Rescue Specialists’ 2025 Tech Rescue Challenge onboard the USS Massachusetts.

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VIDEOS: Eleven firefighters are recovering after a home exploded during a firefight Monday evening in Salisbury. Chief Bob Parnell told Queen City News he’s relieved none of their injuries were life-threatening.

Around 4:56 p.m., the Salisbury Fire Department was dispatched to the 1100 block of Laurel Street in reference to a structure fire. When crews arrived four minutes later, they noticed heavy fire throughout the rear of the single-family home.

As fire personnel worked to extinguish the flames, there was an explosion inside the home, causing the roof to collapse. During a press conference, Parnell said his crews were doing exactly what they were supposed to when the explosion occurred.

“They were on the roof cutting holes. They were dragging hose lines from the front to the back to extinguish the fire. And they were searching for the occupants,” said Parnell.

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A massive fire severely damaged a $1 million home in rural Collin County Thursday afternoon. Firefighters responded around 2 p.m. to the blaze at 598 Justin Pl. at around 2 p.m. By the time CBS News Texas Chopper arrived about 30 minutes later, large portions of the roof were gone and flames engulfed other parts of the home, sending thick black smoke into the sky.
- PUB DATE: 10/18/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVT-TV CBS 11 Fort Worth

A fire medic is in stable condition at Temple University Hospital and expected to make a full recovery after being stabbed in North Philadelphia. Speaking outside the hospital Thursday morning, Philadelphia fire and police officials said a fire medic crew of two people first responded to a sick person call at 18th Street and Ridge Avenue around 6:15 a.
- PUB DATE: 10/18/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KYW-TV CBS 3 Philadelphia

PHOTOS: Nice stache, bro! We had Greg White, a firefighter for the Cloquet Fire Department, on the show to discuss an upcoming competition. The 7th Annual Stache Salt contest begins on November 1st. They are looking for the best mustaches in the world. Registration for the competition ends on Friday, October 18th.
- PUB DATE: 10/18/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WUBE-FM 105.1 Cincinnati

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) has recognized Dr. Sara Jahnke as the latest recipient of the Foundation’s Arthur J. Glatfelter Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Jahnke serves as Director of the non-profit Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research at NDRI USA, Inc., where she leads research projects aimed at understanding the health risks faced by firefighters—and developing evidence-based interventions to mitigate those risks.
- PUB DATE: 10/18/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

PHOTOS: Nearly 90,000 Colsen-branded tabletop fire pits sold by major retailers nationwide are being recalled after dozens of alarming incidents left 19 people with burn injuries, some requiring surgery and others permanently disfigured. The products are a burn and fire hazard in that alcohol flames can be invisible and lead to flame jetting when the pit reservoirs are filled, causing fire to flash back to the alcohol containers, unleashing burning alcohol onto people nearby, according to a notice posted on Thursday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
- PUB DATE: 10/18/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS News

One person was injured in an explosion at a propane production facility in Waller County on Wednesday afternoon, according to emergency officials. It happened around 12:30 p.m. at the RapidXchange Production Facility on FM 529 in Brookshire, about 10 miles north of I-10. As of 3:30 p.m., the Waller County Fire Marshal's Office said the fire was under control and the grass fire surrounding the facility was completely contained.
- PUB DATE: 10/17/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

PHOTOS: The Summit Fire and Rescue team is sending gratitude to the Blountsville and Brooksville Fire and Rescue teams after two of their crew members were involved in a apparatus wreck. According to Summit Fire and Rescue, via Facebook, the station received a call Tuesday, October 15, that reported a Fire truck from station 60 had overturned.
- PUB DATE: 10/17/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBMA-TV ABC 33/40 Birmingham

VIDEO: If you call for fire services in one of 35 counties in Georgia, specially trained prison inmates may be the first to respond. Amid a historic shortage of firefighters, Georgia counties are increasingly turning to state prisons for manpower. The latest data from the National Fire Protection Association reports the lowest number of volunteer firefighters nationwide since 1991.
- PUB DATE: 10/17/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIA-TV NBC 11 Atlanta