Dozens of people were displaced after a five-alarm fire tore through a mixed-use building in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Photos from the scene showed crews at 1135 Broadway in Teele Square. The fire started just after 5 p.m. Wednesday. Flames were not visible at the scene as firefighters fought the blaze into the evening, but a large amount of smoke was seen at the building. Four buildings were damaged, each containing 8 apartments.

“We had to pull all the ceilings on the top floor, and I had a number of crews on the roof to get the roof open to let the fire vent itself,” Somerville Fire Chief Charles Breen said. “It’s just been a tremendous amount of work.”

Warren Thanes, who lives in the building, said he was on his way home when he saw the flames. “I was sitting waiting for someone to go in there and get my cat,” Thanes said. “My cat is so precious to me and my partner; we need our cat. And I don’t know what’s going on. They told me to wait patiently.”

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PHOTOS: Firefighters raced to put out a fire in a Delaware County apartment building on Tuesday night.

SkyForce10 was over the scene on the 3300 block of West 3rd Street in Trainer, Pennsylvania, at around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29 where a large emergency response was visible.

According to Chief Vincent Zappacosta of the Lower Chichester Volunteer Fire Company, the fire is believed to have started on the second floor, but its cause is unknown at this time and remains under investigation.

The apartment building has around seven units, and there were people inside when the fire broke out, but they were able to get out unharmed, Zappacosta said.

However, there were five cats inside and three did not survive, the pet owner told NBC10. The American Red Cross said it responded to the fire and provided emergency assistance to three families, totaling 11 people.

Thirteen volunteer fire companies and the City of Chester Fire Department responded to the blaze, which was put under control in about 30 minutes, Zappacosta said.

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VIDEO: In the fire service, they call it a “brotherhood.” For the O’Neill family, that’s more than a saying. For 75 years, members of the Northeast Ohio family have answered the call to serve, a tradition that began with John L. “Jack” O’Neill at the Shaker Heights Fire Department and eventually spread to firehouses in several communities.

Four of Jack’s six sons became firefighters. Now, a third generation is carrying on the tradition, and during Firefighter Appreciation Month, the O’Neills’ story is also a reminder of the commitment and sacrifice that come with the job.

Jack O’Neill joined the Shaker Heights Fire Department in December 1951, the same year the city built Fire Station No. 2. He would spend more than three decades with the department before retiring in January 1983.

His son John followed him into the same department in September 1981, giving father and son a little more than a year together on the department. But their schedules rarely aligned. “Dad got hired in ’51, right? December of ’51, retired January of ’83,” John says.

“I got hired in September of ’81, so we crossed. We worked the same department for a little over a year, but only worked one 24-hour shift together because we were at different firehouses, different shifts.”

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Four rental cars caught fire at the Portland Jetport Tuesday morning, and investigators are working to determine what caused it.

Viewer video shows crews battling large flames and smoke from an overflow lot off District Road, where the Jetport stores rental cars.

Portland Fire says two of the four cars were destroyed. The cause is undetermined but is not considered suspicious. No one was hurt, and the Jetport says operations were not affected.

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A six-alarm fire broke out Monday morning at a 100-year-old commercial building in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, forcing firefighters to evacuate the structure and battle the flames from the outside.

The fire started just before 8 a.m. at 72 Warren St., with thick smoke billowing from the building as fire crews arrived. Boston Fire officials posted on X, “Fire companies have the entire block surrounded with engines pumping to all the trucks with ladder pipes.”

Crews were ordered out of the building due to the intensity of the fire, and water was pulled from hydrants as far as Moreland Street, two blocks away, to fight the flames. Several businesses, including Ugi’s Sub Shop, were affected by the fire.

“We should be grateful this happened so early in the morning,” said Sharon Galloway, public information officer for the Boston Fire Department. “This would be a nightmare if it was after school or any later when people would be in the building.”

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A new AI and augmented reality helmet, tested in Oklahoma City, is designed to help firefighters navigate through smoke, locate victims faster and improve safety during emergencies.

Moving in zero visibility and extreme heat with only seconds to find someone inside is the reality firefighters face when responding to burning buildings. The C-Thru system, developed by Qwake Technologies, uses AI and augmented reality to help firefighters see through smoke while also transmitting their visuals to commanders outside.

“If we had found a way to move a car through a city with all of the hazards, why have we not found a way to help a firefighter navigate the screams of the baby in the back room?” said Sam Cossman, CEO of Qwake Technologies.

Oklahoma City was one of 30 fire departments nationwide selected for a Homeland Security field assessment of the technology. Victor Stagnaro, CEO of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, explained the system’s impact.

“It changes that equation. Search and rescue is roughly half the time than what it used to be. A shorter search means a shorter exposure,” Stagnaro said.

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VIDEO: A firefighter was hospitalized after a driver blew through a freeway blockade and crashed into a Ventura County fire engine early Sunday in Simi Valley, authorities said.

The crash happened shortly after 2:30 a.m. on the 118 Freeway and Tapo Canyon Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP officers and firefighters were at the location investigating an earlier traffic collision involving a wrong-way driver when the second crash occurred.

Authorities said emergency crews had established a blockade at the scene when the driver of a red Tesla drove through it and struck a Ventura County fire engine and a firefighter.

The firefighter was taken to a hospital. CHP did not release the firefighter’s condition, though the injury was described as major.

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An outside fire spread to multiple structures in Los Angeles’ Westlake neighborhood Saturday afternoon, injuring a firefighter and prompting a large response from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The fire was reported at 12:58 p.m. near 525 S. Union Ave., according to LAFD. Flames from the outside fire extended into a two-story apartment building, a single-family home and a recreational vehicle, officials said.

Video from the scene showed towering flames and thick black smoke rising from an area filled with debris, with an RV and nearby structures immediately surrounding the fire.

One person was rescued from a structure and evaluated at the scene. An LAFD firefighter suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital.

Additional resources were called to the scene as crews worked to contain the flames. The fire was knocked down at 1:42 p.m., 44 minutes after the initial 911 call. About 60 firefighters remained at the scene afterward for overhaul operations.

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VIDEO: Fire crews from all over the state made their way to Springfield on Friday for a unique training.

The focus wasn’t necessarily on how to stay safe when running into a blazing building; it was all about self-defense. Crews took part in a jiu-jitsu course designed for first responders.

Now, when emergency crews get sent to mental health situations without a police escort, they’ll have the tools they need to protect not only themselves, but others as well.

“We’re hoping that everybody is safer, because there has been problems in the community where there’s excessive force being used,” said Mark Commean of Gracie Humaita Jiu-jitsu. “And it’s not because people are malicious, it’s because they just don’t know. What I’m hoping to do, I’m hoping to educate our community of first responders.”

Studies have shown this type of training was effective more than 99 percent of the time, and it caused zero injuries during the period the study was conducted.

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PHOTOS: A plume of thick, black smoke rose from a fire at a plastics plant on the south side of South Haven for hours Friday, the massive fire also resulted in a citywide power outage that lasted most of the day.

All workers evacuated safely and no one was hurt, South Haven Area Emergency Services said.

The fire broke out around 3:45 p.m. at East Jordan Plastics on Stieve Drive off Blue Star Highway. Photos from SHAES show firefighters dumping water on bright orange flames leaping from the building in front of a huge plume of smoke.

About 2 million gallons of water were used to extinguish the fire, with SHAES Executive Director and Fire Chief Brandon Hinz saying that no other buildings or businesses were impacted by the fire.

“We were able to contain it just to the building and just to the fire load on the outside of the building,” he said.

A spokesperson for the agency said there were tens of thousands of pallets of plastic waste on site, which the plant converted into containers.

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PHOTOS: Eight Seattle firefighters hurt while fighting a house fire Thursday morning are back on the job, while their colleagues plead with city leaders to avoid potential cuts to the department’s budget.

The firefighters suffered minor injuries after an awning fell on them on Sand Point Way NE near Matthews Beach, and a 57-year-old man inside the home remained at Harborview Medical Center in stable condition as of Thursday afternoon.

Officials confirmed the blaze first sparked outside, but investigators are still looking into what exactly caused it. A man living across the street who reported the fire before 3 a.m. told KOMO News this was a tragedy for the neighborhood.

“This is something that’s not in the norm for us. It’s scary, and it really shows how dangerous the job of a firefighter can be,” SFD spokesperson Kaila Lafferty explained, adding the firefighters were following protocol and were connecting a hose line to a hydrant when an awning or carport collapsed on top of them.

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VIDEO: Electric bikes have become a way of transportation for some students and community members, as their popularity has led to concerns about the number of crashes first responders are being called to.

“We’re, you know, probably once a week at least we’re running on somebody that’s been either hit or had an injury on an E-bike for sure,” said Tim Griffin with the Carmel Fire Department.

Griffin said he isn’t against E-bikes, but wants parents to know that more and more kids are getting hurt.

“The issue is when we’re putting a young rider especially on one, you have to know what you’re putting them on, right? They can go up to excess speeds of 30, 40 miles an hour, and it’s the acceleration that they can do,” said Griffin.

“We’re seeing it in intersections where a child or somebody that’s inexperienced is coming up to that intersection much faster than the cars are thinking. So, it’s also obviously always on the drivers too, but we just want parents and individuals that ride E-bikes just to have an understanding for their safety.”

The department is working with Carmel-Clay schools to reduce the risks of injuries.

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PHOTOS: More than 160 new and used golf carts were damaged in a fire Thursday that sent black smoke billowing into the air in Brandywine, Maryland.

Prince George’s County Fire and EMS units responded to the 15200 block of Crain Highway around 6:30 a.m. after flames broke out at a commercial golf cart repair business. Nearly 60 firefighters battled the flames.

The fire extended to an additional vehicle and trailer on the property before crews brought it under control.

Officials said some of the golf carts that were damaged or destroyed were gas-powered while others were electric. The fire spread from one vehicle to another fueled by burning rubber, plastics and other materials.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The shop, Metro Golf Cart Sales and Rentals, has been in business at the location for more than 30 years. The owner, who did not wish to speak on camera, shared on social media that they hope to be back up and running soon.

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Five homes in East Newark were destroyed or badly damaged in a morning fire along President Street.

Multiple neighbors told News 12 New Jersey that the fire started when a motorcycle exploded while being repaired inside of a garage. Witnesses say the man working on the motorbike suffered serious burns before taken away by ambulance.

People evacuated their homes along President Street at around 11:15 a.m. as the fire grew in size. Residents in this section on East Newark live in row homes. They are three story structures with a family on each floor, making it possible that as many as 15 families will be touched by this.

News 12 spoke with one man who lives next door to the home where the fire started. Ricky Zhao heard that initial explosion. He heard people yelling for help and quickly got out of his home and out onto the street.

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PHOTOS: A piece of original artwork honoring firefighters who died in the Sept. 11 attacks now has a permanent home at Ashland Fire Station 1.

The Ashland Firefighters Local 1269 said the union and Ashland Fire & Rescue received the original painting “A Prayer for My Brother” from renowned artist and former Ashland firefighter William S. Phillips. The union said Phillips donated the artwork to Ashland Fire & Rescue.

Local 1269 called the painting “a powerful tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the firefighters who gave their lives on September 11, 2001, and to the brotherhood that continues to connect firefighters across generations.” The artwork is now on permanent display in the lobby of Fire Station 1, the union said.

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A Pasadena Independent School District school bus caught fire while the football team was returning from a game on Tuesday evening. The Queens Intermediate School football team’s bus experienced a mechanical issue near Winkler Drive, just northwest of Hobby Airport.

According to the school district, a coach driving the bus from their football game smelled something burning and immediately started the evacuation process. Five coaches were able to get all the student athletes safely off the bus and were moved away from danger.

At some point, the bus went up in flames.

The students were taken from the scene by a METRO bus and the coaches stayed with them until every student was safely reconnected with their family.

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: A vacant house exploded early Wednesday morning on Cleveland’s East Side, according to the Cleveland Division of Fire.

The explosion happened at approximately 4:49 a.m. near East 160th Street, north of Miles Avenue, Cleveland Fire said in a post on X at 6:18 a.m.

Firefighters responded to the scene and the fire was later brought under control. No injuries were reported.

“The house had collapsed down. It’s what we call a pancake collapse, which is just the roof had fallen down. The walls were blown out, the roof had fallen down, but there was a considerable amount of fire here,” said Cleveland Fire Lt. Mike Norman in an interview with 3News’ David Greenberg.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, according to Cleveland Fire.

Cleveland Fire says that the loss is estimated at $200,000. In addition, a neighboring home also sustained exterior damage.

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Wildfire smoke is linked to greater cardiopulmonary and cancer health risks than other fine particulate pollution. Two large U.S. studies indicate that the source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) may influence its health effects, with wildfire related PM2.5 showing greater toxicity per unit of exposure than pollution from other sources.

The findings raise clinically relevant concerns as wildfire smoke reaches communities well beyond traditionally fire prone regions. The first study examined long term exposure and survival among 414,016 adults aged 65 years and older with lung cancer. Researchers combined residential information from the SEER Medicare database with estimates of wildfire related and non-wildfire PM2.5 exposure.

Both exposure types were associated with increased mortality following lung cancer diagnosis. However, equivalent increases in wildfire related PM2.5 were associated with substantially greater toxicity. Although wildfire smoke accounted for approximately 4% of total PM2.5, it contributed an estimated 17% of mortality associated with total PM2.5 exposure.

Hundreds of deaths annually were estimated to be attributable to wildfire related PM2.5. More smoky days and longer periods of exposure were also associated with poorer survival, suggesting that environmental exposure could warrant consideration in cancer care and survivorship planning.

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VIDEO: Four first responders were injured Monday night after they were reportedly struck by a vehicle while responding to crashes on Interstate 26 in Kingsport.

According to the Kingsport Fire Department (KFD), its members were on I-26 westbound near Exit 6 at around 10 p.m. Monday, working a crash when a secondary crash took place behind the first incident. The KFD said its members, along with personnel from Sullivan County EMS, immediately went to the second crash to provide first aid.

“While emergency personnel were loading a patient into an ambulance, a vehicle traveling westbound struck three Kingsport firefighters and one Sullivan County EMS EMT, injuring all four emergency responders,” a news release from the KFD states.

The department said all four first responders were taken to a hospital for treatment, and two have since been released. The other two remained hospitalized as of Tuesday morning with what the fire department called non-life-threatening injuries.

“We are extremely thankful that the injuries sustained by our firefighters and our partner from Sullivan County EMS were not more serious,” the KFD states. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with all four responders, their families, and everyone involved in this incident as they recover.”

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Two Fly Precision crew members died after their helicopter crashed while fighting the Dome Fire in Yosemite, officials said Monday.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Eurocopter AS32 crashed around 2:55 p.m. Sunday during firefighter operations. The two men killed in the crash were identified by Fly Precision as Greg King and Ryan Cutter.

“It is with unimaginable sadness and broken hearts that we share the loss of two beloved members of our team,” Fly Precision said in a social media post. “We are devastated by this loss and are struggling to find the words. We ask for privacy and compassion for their families and our team as we grieve this tremendous loss. Please keep their families, loved ones, and our entire team in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.”

The Super Puma helicopter was using a water bucket to help suppress the fire when it went down southeast of Ostrander Lake, said Benjamin Cossel, a spokesperson with the Federal Complex Incident Management Team overseeing the firefighting response.

The Dome Fire has burned at least 3,047 acres as of 9:18 p.m. Sunday. The number of reported acres burned has slowed recently, with the last update being 3,016 acres at 1:47 p.m. Sunday.

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