VIDEO/PHOTOS: The Searsmont Fire Department has a new fire engine after one of their engines burned in the fire and explosion at the Robbins Lumber mill last month.

The Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office said three fire departments lost vehicles during the fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont. The Searsmont, Belmont and Appleton fire departments sustained damage to their fire apparatus during the incident.

On Friday, June 12, the North Thompsonville Fire Department (NTFD) in Connecticut announced it had donated one of its fire engines (E42) to the Searsmont Fire Department.

“As firefighters, we understand the critical role every piece of equipment plays in protecting our communities and supporting our members on the fireground. When we learned of their loss, we knew we had an opportunity to help. It is our honor to place this engine into service where it can continue protecting lives and property while assisting Searsmont in rebuilding their fleet. The fire service is built on brotherhood, sisterhood, and mutual aid,” the NTFD wrote on Facebook.

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A medical supply warehouse was destroyed after it went up in flames and prompted evacuations of neighboring buildings Thursday afternoon in Tracy.

The massive blaze, which was one of several fires reported on the 5700 block of Promotory Parkway in the San Joaquin County city, could be seen from across the Bay Area region.

Firefighters pointed to water supply challenges and weather conditions as the reason the blaze spread quickly and engulfed the approximately 1 million-square-foot facility.

No injuries have been reported, officials said. Officers were also on scene assisting with evacuations and directing traffic, according to police.

A police spokesperson said explosions could be heard at the warehouse as flames continued to burn. Police have also told residents impacted by the smoke to close their windows and to shelter in place.

NBC Bay Area’s SkyRanger showed the gutted building belonged to Medline Industries. The company has a distribution center located in the area.

Medline provided the following statement:

“Medline can confirm a fire is occurring at our Tracy, California distribution facility. All Medline employees and on-site personnel are accounted for. The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority. We are coordinating closely with local authorities and first responders as we assess the fire’s impact and will share more details as they become available.”

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: Wellston’s historic fire engine, Engine 48, has been restored after decades of service and will now be used for community events.

The city of Wellston has seen major changes since 1948, but one constant has been Engine 48.

“It served from that point, from, you know, from the late 40s, early 50s all the way up until the late 90s or, I’m sorry, late 80s, early 90s. And then it was retired,” said Chief Todd Beesley of the Wellston Fire Department.

Beesley, who became fire chief in 2021, wanted to continue the engine’s legacy in Wellston.

“I always thought, you know, it’d be so cool if we could get this thing restored. But I just knew, you know, we didn’t have the budget for it,” Beesley said.

An old high school classmate of Beesley, who teaches automotive classes at Francis Tuttle Technology Center, stepped in to help.

“He come out and looked at the truck and gave us a quote to pay for the materials since it was a school project,” Beesley said.

The fire department began fundraising, and with the help of generous donations, the restoration was completed.

Following its unveiling at an open house, Beesley said the truck will be used for community events.

“It’ll be a parade, a parade truck. But, you know, long-term goal would be to be able to display it somewhere in town,” Beesley said.

For now, the truck will be stored at an old feed store before finding a permanent home in town along Route 66.

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The sound is hard to forget for neighbors at Elk Lake in Clinton Township near Waymart.

“All of a sudden, we heard an explosion. The whole house shook. We thought our house blew up. I’m not kidding. It was this loud rumble, stuff fell off the walls,” said Katie Firmstone, victim’s family.

Troopers say a powerful explosion and then another happened along Sensentine Road around 10 a.m. Thursday.

The force was so strong it completely leveled two homes. Officials believe a gas leak ignited, causing two other propane tanks to explode.

John Warden lives across the street and was on the porch when he felt what happened. “The jets of the propane kicking fire against the house when that happened. The second house caught on fire, and there was a second explosion,” he said.

Neighbors like Katie Firmstone immediately rushing to help. One neighbor even carrying a person from the home.

“It’s your natural reaction, and he was actually a fireman in New York, so I’m sure he’s working on instinct,” said Firmstone.

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VIDEOS: Four people were injured, including two firefighters, and 14 residents were displaced after a massive house fire spread to two neighboring buildings Thursday morning on the city’s Southwest Side.

Firefighters responded to a large fire at a home on Laflin Street near 45th Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. The fire spread from the original home to two neighboring buildings before crews were able to bring it under control around 6:45 a.m.

Two civilians and two firefighters were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, and a total of 14 people were displaced.

Just under 100 firefighters responded to the scene. Fire officials credited them with preventing even greater damage.

“The crews here did a phenomenal job,” a fire official said at the scene. “Their quick actions protected the exposure buildings from being complete losses, and again, if it wasn’t for their quick action, we would have had a much bigger incident here.”

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VIDEO: Every year, thousands of firefighters are deployed across the Wild-Urban Interface (WUI) to battle wildfires.

In this zone, where homes and communities meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland, are more than 40 million homes at risk.

Recognizing the growing need for education and awareness surrounding WUI fires, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) has released a new Safety INSight video designed to educate both the fire service and the public on these fires and the advances being made to prevent future destruction.

Safety INSight first launched in 2021 as an educational video series to bring awareness to fire safety advancements, lessons learned, and best practices across the fire service industry. The goal of the series is to reduce risk, prevent injuries and fatalities, and ultimately save lives.

“At the NFFF, an important part of our mission is prevention—both firefighter injuries and line-of-duty deaths,” said Victor Stagnaro, CEO of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF).

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PHOTOS: The heads of several firefighters poked out over the edge of the highest roof of Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital, above the 12-story patient tower, Tuesday morning looking down at the sheer brick wall below them.

Throughout the morning, those firefighters practiced anchoring ropes to the building, attaching safety systems and ultimately throwing their legs over the edge of the building and rappelling down it.

These were the first group of Grand Junction Fire Department firefighters to go through a specialized training this week to prepare local first responders for rescues on the side of a building.

“We’re doing rope rescue training called pickoff rescues,” Grand Junction Firefighter Paramedic Josiah Brown said. “We’ll be going off the top of St. Mary’s using rope systems to lower a rescuer part way down the building to access someone that is suspended from the side of the building either from ropes or on scaffolding — whether they’re doing window washing, maintenance work, installation, things like that.”

These types of rescues are considered “low-frequency, high-risk incidents,” Brown said, which makes training for them important. He said they often practice the necessary skills, but rarely at the height of the St. Mary’s building.

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The South Spartanburg Fire District shared a video to social media taking us through the lens of firefighters battling a house fire, from making entry to searching for victims and extinguishing the flames.

Fire officials said crews were called to a house fire in the Roebuck community on Monday, June 8. According to officials, a person was able to escape the home before firefighters arrived. The victim was taken to the hospital by EMS with minor injuries. When firefighters arrived, they encountered heavy smoke and fire coming from the front of the home.

In the video, firefighters make entry, advance a hose line, and spray water on the fire. Simultaneously, firefighters perform a window-initiated search and search for people inside.

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The Edward M. Cotter, the world’s oldest working fireboat, is receiving new funding to help it stay afloat. The 126-year-old boat has received $125,000 from New York state to replace its transmission.

“Few pieces of Buffalo history are as beloved or as enduring as the Edward M. Cotter,” said Assemblymember Jon Rivera. “For 125 years, this remarkable vessel has protected our waterfront, responded to emergencies, broken ice during harsh winters, and served as a symbol of Buffalo’s resilience. This funding will help ensure that the Cotter remains operational for years to come.”

Wardynski Meats has also made a private donation to the vessel to renovate and modernize its galley.

“Buffalo has always been a city that values its history, but preserving history requires investment,” said Rivera. “The Edward M. Cotter remains an active working vessel that continues to serve our community. Replacing its transmission is a critical investment in both public safety and historic preservation.”

The Cotter breaks up the ice in the Buffalo River every year to prevent ice jams. It also recently led the first cruise ship to dock in the city of Buffalo in decades into the river’s channel.

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: An unusual rescue unfolded Sunday afternoon in Hackensack after a woman fell multiple stories down a garbage chute inside a high-rise apartment building and survived.

The incident happened around 1 p.m. at 150 Main St., when emergency dispatchers received a 911 call reporting that a woman had entered a trash chute on the building’s 14th floor and fallen to an unknown location.

The Hackensack Fire Department’s Second Platoon responded to the scene and quickly realized the rescue would require specialized resources. Commanders issued an “all hands working” technical rescue assignment, bringing additional personnel from the fire department, the Hackensack Police Department, and emergency medical crews from Hackensack University Medical Center.

Initially, firefighters were unable to locate the woman. An investigation determined she had fallen to the area between the third and fourth floors, where she became trapped beneath backed-up trash inside the chute.

“The fire department determined that she was in an area inaccessible by the trash door, so we had to commence breaching to reach her,” said Hackensack Fire Chief Keith Rosazza.

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Cellphone video captured a spectacular, pre-Fourth of July display of fireworks on a Tennessee highway Saturday evening as a trailer carrying the incendiary haul erupted, authorities said.

First responders racing to a reported vehicle fire on northbound Interstate 75 in the community of Ooltewah found a stopped work truck hauling a box trailer that was ablaze and popping with pyrotechnics, fire officials said.

“The trailer was full of fireworks, all of which became involved in the fire and exploded during the incident,” the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department said in a statement.

It added in a Facebook video that fireworks “were going off in different directions, endangering drivers.” Cellphone video shows fireworks rocketing spectacularly from the trailer as dark smoke spirals into the sky.

Authorities shut down the highway, roughly 25 miles east of Chattanooga, as a precaution and to allow first responders to get through traffic, the fire department said. Chattanooga city crews assisted.

The cause of the fire was not immediately available, and no injuries were reported. The roadway eventually reopened after cleanup was completed, the Tri-Community fire department said.

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Stellantis is recalling more than 1 million Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles over a defect that could spark a fire, urging owners to park their vehicles outdoors and away from buildings until a remedy is available.

The recall covers an estimated 1,076,999 model-year 2021–2025 Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles. In the affected vehicles, an electrical issue involving the wiring for the electric hydraulic power steering pump could cause nearby materials to overheat and potentially ignite, as first reported by the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.

“In rare circumstances, this may cause combustible materials to overheat, potentially leading to a vehicle fire,” Stellantis spokesperson Frank Matyok said in a statement to FOX Business.

Matyok added that FCA US, the automaker’s U.S. operating unit, is advising owners to park affected vehicles away from structures and other vehicles “out of an abundance of caution.”

The automaker said it has not yet finalized a repair but expects a remedy to be available by July. Once the fix is ready, affected owners will be notified by mail and instructed on how to schedule repairs at their local dealership.

“Affected customers will be notified by first class mail when they can schedule service. FCA US is working diligently to accelerate remedy availability and anticipates a solution no later than July,” Matyok said.

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PHOTOS: Sirens, smoke, and dozens of firefighters filled downtown as crews worked to put out a fire at the historic Lafayette Building. Firefighters have said finding the cause of the fire will take some time.

A little before 8:20 Monday morning, the South Bend Fire Department was dispatched to downtown South Bend. When firefighters arrived, they found the Lafayette Building on fire. The fire kept multiple crews busy for most of the day. The fire was marked under control around 11 a.m.

A South Bend engine company returned to the scene as the fire rekindled on Monday afternoon. Firefighters kept an eye out for hotspots, ready to pour water on those hotspots.

Firefighters could not get inside because it was deemed unsafe to enter the building, meaning they would not be able to search for a cause on Monday.

While heading to work in South Bend’s downtown, many people were met with black smoke billowing from the west side of the building.

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PHOTOS: Firefighters spend the overnight and early morning hours battling a five-alarm fire on Lyell Avenue.

The fire broke out shortly after 11:00 p.m. Sunday at Pallet Express, on Lyell Avenue near Glide Street and spread to a fifth alarm very quickly.

They got the fire under control by Monday morning. No injuries were reported.

Lt. Howard Villegas, a public information officer with the Rochester Fire Department, said crews expect to be on scene for hours but are confident they can keep the fire from spreading.

“Considering the heavy fire load, we’re going to be here quite a while, but we’ll have it contained to just this building,” he said.

Villegas said the building is a large structure filled mostly with pallets, and that several trucks on the property are also expected to be lost. No one was inside the building, he said, and while it had sprinklers, they were unable to contain the fire.

Neighbors were evacuated due to concerns the fire could spread to residential areas. RG&E is reporting more than 500 outages in the area around the fire.

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VIDEOS: A longtime Portland firefighter is finally back on duty after receiving a life-saving kidney transplant.

FOX 12 was introduced to Venedo Alcazar in December 2024. The Portland firefighter of nearly 20 years was living with stage five chronic kidney disease and searching for an organ donor.

Then something remarkable happened. Dr. Karen Douek, a retired nephrologist, otherwise known as a kidney doctor, saw our story and volunteered to donate her kidney.

In December of last year, the two underwent transplant surgery at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center. “I always knew I was going to give a kidney at some point.

To know it’s Venedo, a firefighter who puts his life on the line every day, feels really special,” said Douek. Three months later, Alcazar was back in the hospital.

Doctors discovered a mass on his native left kidney. Alcazar said they told him there was an 80% chance that there was renal cancer.

He underwent another surgery to remove the affected kidney. “It felt kind of cool having three kidneys for a while and now I’m just down to two,” said Alcazar.

After a lengthy recovery coupled with a clean diet, Alcazar is medically cleared to fight fires again.

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An electric vehicle exploded in a driveway in Winthrop, Massachusetts, sparking a massive fire that burned two homes Sunday.

The vehicle, parked between the two houses on River Road, caught fire around 4:30 p.m., drawing a number of firefighters to the scene, including from the surrounding cities of Chelsea, Revere and Boston.

Two people, including a pregnant woman, were taken to the hospital but are expected to be OK, according to firefighters. A teenager who lives in one of the homes tells NBC10 Boston she’s concerned about everyone affected by this fire.

“Our windows just completely melted and burned inside of our house…in my room I have so much memories made. I don’t know what it looks like in there, but I know it’s definitely bad,” she said. “I’m very, very scared and not only just for me, but for my family and everyone else who lives in these two buildings.”

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A massive fire broke out overnight at a yacht club in Winthrop, Massachusetts, destroying at least a dozen boats.

Winthrop Fire Chief Stephen Calandra said the department received a call shortly after 2:30 a.m. for six boats on fire at the Cottage Park Yacht Club on Orlando Avenue. Flames spread to six other boats in Boston Harbor, with at least 12 boats lost that the chief said were very expensive, high-end value vessels.

All of the boats were unoccupied, according to Calandra, who said they confirmed with yacht club staff. No injuries have been reported. Massachusetts State Police are on scene.

The chief said a challenge was running the hose lines from the street to the furthest point of the marina, requiring a lot of man power. He said they received great assistance from the marine units of Boston, Everett and Massport, who helped them contain the fire and keep it away from the building.

Two boats broke free, and one was still burning on Snake Island, according to Calandra, who said crews were unable to access it at the time due to low tide. The other boat ran aground on Point Shirley but is burnt out.

When asked how the fire spread like this, Calandra said, “Gasoline on top of the water, and the whole decking is composite Trex, so when that starts burning, it’s not like wood, wood you can put out easy. This stuff just keeps burning.”

“The only way to put the fire out with gasoline on top of the water is foam, that’s the most effective way. That’s what knocked it down,” he added.

There are environmental concerns after this fire, according to the chief. The Coast Guard cleanup team was on its way, along with environmental police. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection was notified.

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VIDEO: A 1929 Mack fire truck that served the Detroit Fire Department, the Detroit Zoo, and the Franklin-Bingham Farms Fire Department is at the center of a community restoration effort — and a family’s tribute to the man who dedicated himself to bringing it back to life.

Gary Roberts, a Franklin firefighter and self-described gearhead, spent years working to restore the historic truck before dying of esophageal cancer at age 70 a few weeks ago. Now, his children are picking up where he left off and launching an online fundraiser to get the Mack parade-ready within the next two years.

The truck’s connection to the Roberts family spans generations. Gary’s father, David, was also a Franklin firefighter who rode the Mack in parades and worked to keep it running after the engine gave out. When David died, Gary took over the restoration. Gary’s son Ben Roberts grew up watching his grandfather tinker with the truck and has his own memories tied to it.

“This has always been part of the family. Been very much engaged on playing with it. I remember very much as a little kid, there used to be a bell that was about right here. You’d ding it all the time. Kids love climbing on this thing in parades. It’s a huge, basically a centerpiece for the Franklin community,” Ben Roberts said.

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VIDEOS: A new public service announcement from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum is aimed at a generation of Americans who have no memory of the attacks. “I wasn’t there. I didn’t see the planes,” a voice says in the 60-second spot.

The campaign targets the roughly 100 million Americans who were not alive on Sept. 11, 2001, those who never witnessed the terrorism and heroism, and never experienced the service and sacrifice of that day.

Among them is 12-year-old Kylie Corrigan. Her father and uncle serve with the FDNY, following in the footsteps of her grandfather, retired FDNY Capt. James Corrigan, who died in the collapse of the South Tower. When asked to take part in the PSA, she agreed immediately.

“I wasn’t there, but I’ll never forget,” she says in the campaign. “I kind of just think of him as my dad because everyone always says that they look alike and they have the same personalities,” Corrigan said.

The PSA is part of the Memorial & Museum’s “Never Forget” fundraising campaign, which aims to raise $25 million.

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PHOTOS: A massive fire tore through the historic Hudson River Psychiatric Center, drawing a sweeping multi-agency response and destroying a piece of the region’s history.

Poughkeepsie Town Hall said firefighters from multiple departments, county agencies, Town Police and multiple town departments worked “tirelessly to contain the fire” at the former campus. Officials said there have been “no serious injuries.”

Town officials said that “In the last hour despite heroic efforts, we have lost the historic Admin Building designed by Thomas S. Kirkbride-a National Historic Landmark.” Poughkeepsie Town Hall said the town will work with the county on “a very thorough investigation” and provide updates as more information becomes available.

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, in a Facebook post, asked residents to support crews on scene:

“Please keep the firefighters and first responders battling the fire at Hudson River Psychiatric Center in Dutchess County in your prayers. With two fully involved buildings, this has been a significant and dangerous response. Thank you to all of the brave firefighters, EMS personnel, law enforcement officers, and emergency personnel who answered the call and are working tirelessly to protect lives and contain the blaze. We are grateful for your courage and service to our communities. Stay safe.”

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