VIDEO: As sub‑zero wind chills settle in across Chicago, a rare and visually striking winter pattern has begun forming along the Lake Michigan shoreline: pancake ice — round, lily pad‑like discs that look sturdy, photogenic and deceptively walkable. But the Chicago Fire Department wants to send a clear warning: do not step onto the ice — any of it.

Deputy District Chief Jason Lach, who oversees CFD’s marine and dive operations, explained pancake ice forms when turbulent, freezing water begins to spin small chunks of ice into circular pads. From above, they resemble lily pads floating just off the shoreline.

“If you’re looking at it from above, it looks like a lily pad — just a circular disc in the water,” Lach said. The discs may appear thick, but their structure is uneven. Lach noted pancake ice “could be an inch in the middle and four inches on the outside, or vice versa,” making its stability impossible to judge from the surface.

The post Pancake ice has formed on Lake Michigan; Chicago firefighters say it poses a hidden danger appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

PHOTOS: Fires can spread quickly through a home, which is why it’s important to know how to slow that spread. KTXS spoke with the Abilene Fire Department about the training firefighters use to understand how fire moves through a structure.

“We have small dollhouses that we build to kind of replicate a full size structure,” AFD Training Division Captain, Trent Farmer, said. “We use those so you can visually see each part of the house. And that allows us to have people stand back in a safe environment where we can teach them and show them actual live fire without actually having to use a regular structure.” Farmer said one of the most important skills firefighters learn is how to control airflow.

“Natural windows and doors, if you keep everything closed, that restricts the flow path,” Farmer said. “Fire wants to move from higher pressure to lower pressure. So if you stop the ability to flow, I mean, we recommend that everyone sleeps with their door shut That allows us more time, and that allows our percent of the chances to help you guys and put the fire out and the survivability of the victims.”

The post VIDEO: Texas firefighters use a dollhouse to demonstrate airflow control and fire spread appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO/PHOTOS: An apartment fire in Bee Cave on Monday morning caused a “structure collapse,” according to fire officials. Lake Travis Fire Rescue crews responded to the fire at the Estates at Bee Cave apartment complex, located in the 3500 block of FM 620 South after a structure collapse. Assistant Fire Chief Michael Prather said crews first responded after receiving a call around 9:30 a.m.

Around 1 p.m., the fire had been contained. By 2:15 p.m., the fire was under control. Prather said the fire impacted one building at the complex, forcing 45 people out of their homes.

Officials said all of the impacted people were able to make it out safely. One responding firefighter was injured after slipping on ice. Lake Travis Fire Rescue said 30 of the 45 people displaced by the fire have found places to stay, whether with friends or family, or in vacant apartments within the apartment complex.

The post Apartment fire in Central Texas causes structure collapse appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

The oldest continuously operating fire station in the world was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. It’s in Northern Michigan and was built in 1888. The Manistee Fire Station, 281 1st St., was added to the national register on Jan. 20, city officials announced.

For generations, it has been a “cornerstone of public safety and community resilience,” the news release said. “Its distinctive architecture and enduring role in protecting the citizens of Manistee highlight both its historical and cultural significance.”

The designation underscores the station’s importance and guarantees that its legacy will be preserved for future generations, the release said.

This isn’t the first time the Romanesque Revival-style facility has earned recognition. In 2019, the Manistee Fire Station was awarded the title of “Oldest Continuously Manned Operating Fire Station” by Guinness World Records.

The fire station is one of more than 150 documented historic sites in Manistee County.

In the wintertime, the county “becomes an open-air museum blanketed in snow, each building, bridge and trail telling stories from lumber camp days to maritime trade and Victorian life,” according to Manistee Tourism.

The post The oldest continuously operating fire station in the world is in Michigan appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

A Ford recall tied to engine block heaters matters now because winter habits—plugging in overnight—can quietly create the exact conditions that raise fire risk.

I’ll be honest: most recall headlines blur together until one lands in the overlap between “common behavior” and “rare but serious outcome.” This one sits right there.

If you live anywhere that gets real cold, you already know the routine. You plug the vehicle in overnight so the engine warms a bit before start-up. It’s practical, it’s normal, and it’s the kind of thing you do without thinking twice—especially if you’ve done it for years with no drama.

The issue is that this recall is specifically about the engine block heater system: the part that gets energized when the vehicle is plugged into household power. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Ford, certain block heaters may crack and allow coolant to leak, which can create an electrical short when the heater is plugged in. That short can raise the risk of an under-hood fire while the vehicle is parked.

The post Ford recall: 119,000 vehicles face block heater fire risk appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

One person was killed and 15 other people were hurt after a high-rise fire in the Bronx. Citizen App video from a wider angle showed the top floors of the building as they turned into an inferno. The fire broke out early Saturday at 12:19 a.m. on Bivonia Street between Reeds Mill Lane and Boston Road in Eastchester.

It started on the 15th floor of the Boston Secor Houses. The FDNY was on the scene at the time to investigate a possible gas leak in the building. Officials say work was being done in the building, but only on the facade. The explosion occurred in the building about 15 minutes after emergency officials arrived on the scene.

Several apartments became fully engulfed in flames. Residents were seen in the windows of the building and one man was even spotted dangling with his legs out of the building as he tried to escape the intense heat from the fire. One person was killed, another suffered critical injuries.

The post VIDEOS: 1 dead, 15 others injured in New York high-rise fire and explosion appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: A San Antonio firefighter is now the center of a pilot program that allows him to help his fellow brothers and sisters dealing with substance misuse. His addition to the counseling team offers a professional therapist who also understands the trauma firefighters go through.

Chris Raymond has worked for the San Antonio Fire Department for 22 years, spending the last 15 on the technical rescue team. His job in the department just shifted again, this time to the counseling team for a brand-new pilot program.

“As far as we can tell, the research we’ve done, it is the first of its kind, the only one in the nation. So right now, we’re kind of on the cutting edge of things,” Raymond said. He said it’s not only the first to add a licensed chemical dependency counselor to a fire department team but also one that is a firefighter himself.

“Having a firefighter occupy the position of a clinician is unique. I don’t sit in the seat and think, ‘I wonder what that’s like.’ I’ve lived it, and in many cases, I’ve lived it with them,” Raymond said. While the career is fulfilling, it can take its toll.

The post Longtime Texas firefighter becomes licensed counselor to help his peers with substance use appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: On Friday, first responders got a lesson in homemade explosives at the Danville Fire Department. Crews said while this has not been an issue in Central Illinois, it’s better to know what to do just in case. More than 40 police officers and firefighters learned to identify how homemade explosives are made, and what do to when faced with them. They also saw how regular household items can be dangerous.

“Identify potential hazards that we may encounter on the job, specifically explosive hazards,” said Ben Crane of the University of Illinois Police Department. Police officers and firefighters got an in-depth lesson at the Danville Fire Department on homemade explosives, with the help of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“As first responders, we’re the first ones to get in these situations and so there may be a time where they go on a routine call, and encounter things that you start to put together that tells you that this is not typical,” said Ryan Allison of the Danville Fire Department.

The post Illinois first responders receive homemade explosives training appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

PHOTOS: Milwaukee firefighters responded to a large commercial fire Wednesday night, Jan. 21, at a U-Haul Moving & Storage facility in Walker’s Point. Milwaukee Fire Department Assistant Chief of Operations Schuyler Belott said the call came in shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday to the U-Haul Moving & Storage facility near Barclay and Orchard.

A FOX6 News crew on scene observed firefighters working to contain and extinguish the fire. Heavy flames could be seen coming from the building. According to the Milwaukee Fire Department, cold temperatures and wind made the fire attack more challenging. In addition, many void-spaces within the buildings made it difficult to find hidden fires.

MFD companies remained on the scene Thursday extinguishing spot fires. Fire officials said the size of the building and the intensity of the fire prompted a significant response early on. A total of 37 first responder units were dispatched to the scene. Belott reported no injuries and said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

The post VIDEOS: Crews battle 5-alarm blaze at Wisconsin U-Haul storage facility appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: As America approaches its 250th birthday celebration, the Prattville Fire Department has found a creative way to turn trash into patriotic treasure.

An American flag made from old fire hoses hangs in the fire department as a symbol of gratitude and love of country. Instead of scrapping the decommissioned hoses, they decided to turn them into an art piece for what they call their home away from home.

“Just to walk in- it just give you a sense of pride in something that you say hey I did that 8 to 10 years ago,” said one firefighter. Captain Michael Weigel of the Prattville Fire Department said the idea began in 2015. “We decided we could make these unique wall art for our home and then at the same time be able to express our patriotism,” Weigel said.

Each flag is unique, carefully cut to a particular size and painted by hand. The most detailed work involves the stars. “Probably the most tedious part of this was each one of the stars- we use a stencil to do the stars…” Weigel said, “but each star in the end process is completely hand done.”

The post Alabama firefighters turn old hoses into American flag displays appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: Firefighters are getting ready for something that could save lives in a different way. Across Pennsylvania, first responders are taking part in Autism Awareness for First Responders, a training created by Orwigsburg Fire Department Captain Zach Kirsch.

“We’re doing Autism Awareness for First Responders,” Kirsch said. “It’s a program I wrote with the help of some others last year. It debuted last September, and it really took off.” The idea behind the training is deeply personal. “My son’s autistic,” Kirsch said. “I saw a need for it in the community. A need for responders to learn about the autism spectrum disorder, to make sure people are safe during emergencies and to spread awareness.”

Research shows emergency calls, with loud sirens, flashing lights, and sudden physical contact, can be overwhelming for people on the autism spectrum and their families. “You’ve got to slow down when you respond,” he said. “Find the caretaker. Know how to talk, rather than a run-and-gun method.”

The post Inspired by his son, Pennsylvania fire captain brings Autism awareness training to first responders appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

Firefighters battled a massive blaze at a Kansas City junkyard. The Kansas City Fire Department says it responded to the fire just after 7:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, near 13th and Kensington Ave. Crews say the fire started in a stack of tires and spread throughout large portions of the junkyard.

News crews on the scene reported roads closed, including 14th St., Jackson Ave. and Kensington Ave. while firefighters contained the scene. Crews also observed a power outage that may be connected. According to Evergy’s outage map, 457 customers in the area lost power due to an “unidentified” cause. Power has since been restored.

KCFD warned those in the area to avoid inhaling smoke from the fire at its height. “Hopefully everyone is okay down there,” said De’Shawn Evans, who lives in the area. “I actually use that junkyard sometimes for extra change here and there if I need it or I have scrap lying around. So if it’s a loss, that’s bad for the community because it actually comes through sometimes for a lot of people.”

No injuries were reported. KCFD stayed on scene throughout the night to oversee hot spots. Some significant areas of fire were deep-seated in piles of rubble and junk, requiring heavy equipment to uncover for extinguishment.

The post VIDEOS: Firefighters battle massive junkyard fire in Missouri appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: When a building fills with thick, black smoke, visibility drops to zero. For firefighters, every second counts. But that reality is starting to change for the Corpus Christi Fire Department.

I got a chance to try on this helmet, part of a new QWAKE technology system designed to help firefighters see through smoke and complete darkness. “Built in infrared camera that’s into the helmet. That really kind of sees through smoke,” said David Zarate, assistant fire chief.

The technology gives firefighters an advantage in times where the naked eye can’t keep up. And it doesn’t just help the firefighters inside.

Firefighters in the truck can monitor exactly what the firefighter wearing the helmet is seeing, giving staff real-time visuals during a fire.

Fire Captain Loosemore says before this, searches were often done without being able to see what was right in front of them.

The post Texas fire department gets revolutionary helmet technology to see through smoke appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

PHOTOS: Images of firefighters at work, along with a Bald Eagle, American flag and stars are featured in a mural designed and painted by Warren County artist Daniel Guevara which adorns the side of Hawtree Volunteer Fire Department in Wise.

In the center of the design is the image of a Hawtree fire truck with flames behind. The mural also salutes the fire department’s place in the Warren County community as Station No. 8.

For Guevara, the mural is meant to show everyone now and for years to come that firefighters, like members of Hawtree Volunteer Fire Department, are heroes. “The most important element of the design is the fire truck,” he said. “It is a great honor to show people that heroes are here.”

Guevara has completed several artistic projects in the Warren County community. The first large mural was one he completed at Mill Hill Brewery in Warrenton three years ago in tribute to Hillmon Poythress. In the middle of 2025, he completed a mural on the back of the Bragging Rooster Beer and Mead building.

After he completed the Bragging Rooster mural, he told the newspaper that the art he has created in Warren County represents a renaissance, or re-energizing of his lifelong talents and interest in art that began shortly before he immigrated from Colombia several years ago.

The post North Carolina artist’s latest mural honors firefighters appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

PHOTOS: Video shows Wyoming firefighters carrying a small child to safety and helping two adults escape a third-floor apartment during a fire Monday night.

The Wyoming Fire Department is still investigating what caused the fire, which broke out around 8:45 p.m. at Crossroads Apartments on Clyde Park Avenue SW near 44th Street SW. When crews arrived, they found smoke and heavy flames that were moving toward the roof. Then, they learned there were people trapped on the third floor.

Helmet video released by the fire department Tuesday shows crews hurrying to put a 35-foot ladder up to the window of the apartment where the people were. “Do not jump,” firefighters can be heard telling a woman in the apartment. “There’s a ladder coming up.”

“Help me,” the woman said as she handed a child out of the window to a firefighter. “Thank you. Thank you guys. My baby, please, my baby.”

The post VIDEO: Child, two adults rescued from third floor in Michigan apartment fire appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: At a UPMC training center in Lemoyne, Cumberland County, EMT Matt Warner counts out loud with elbows locked and pushing hard and fast. Teaching strangers how to save a life is what he does for a living. Last year, though, Warner became the one who needed saving.

“[During the] Farm Show [in] 2024, I was working in our first aid office. I was perfectly fine that morning, and then, next thing I know, I’m on the ground looking up,” Warner said. Co-workers rushed in, starting CPR and grabbing an AED.

“They did chest compressions on me for about three or four minutes. They delivered one shock and continued chest compressions for another minute or so, and then I woke up there,” he said. At the hospital, doctors discovered a blockage in his heart and put a stent in the then-43-year-old.

Warner says survival often depends on who’s nearby. Bystander CPR saves lives, but research shows only about 20% of people actually step in during an emergency. He says this is, in part, because of fear and myths they potentially see on TV.

The post How TV CPR scenes and one Pennsylvania EMT’s story could save lives appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

PHOTOS: Firefighters at the Great Jones Street firehouse in Lower Manhattan, New York, were in the midst of a shift change on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center.

By the end of the day, 10 of the 14 firefighters from the station that houses Engine Company 33 and Ladder Company 9 would be killed, and the cab of Ladder 9’s truck would be crushed by falling debris.

Nearly 25 years later, the truck Ladder 9 firefighters used to rush to the scene of the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history is being restored at 10-8 Emergency Vehicle Service in New Holland.

For Jon Bredbetter, a service technician at the company that sells, repairs, and customizes emergency vehicles, the work has become a passion project. The U.S. Marine Corps veteran said he was excited by the idea of helping restore a piece of history.

The post Company gives new life to New York City fire truck used during 9/11 appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

PHOTOS: Approximately 85,000-86,000 chickens died in a fire that consumed an industrial chicken coop in the late-night hours of Jan. 17 and early-morning hours of Jan. 18 in Cherokee County. Valleytown Fire Department Chief Justin Hyde told News 13 that crews were called to Andrews Valley Poultry Farm at 617 Taylors Creek Road in Andrews at 9:18 p.m. on Jan. 17.

Hyde said the owners of the facility told him there were about 85,000-86,000 chickens in the building at the time of the fire. No staff were in the facility, and all the chickens died, Hyde said. “It was a 60 feet by 600 feet commercial structure. When crews arrived, the fire was 50% involved. We requested a county-wide response for tankers,” Hyde said.

“It took us about six hours to put out the fire. Crews were there until about 3 a.m. Saturday morning.” Hyde said the cause of the fire is still under investigation and that the fire caused an estimated $5 million in damages. “No people were in the building at the time of the fire. No firefighters or any other personnel were injured in the fire,” Hyde said.

The post VIDEOS: Around 86K chickens die in North Carolina industrial chicken coop fire appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO/PHOTOS: The Southwest Fire District has teamed up with Harvester Homecoming Inc. to revive a piece of local history. The Southwest Allen County Fire District announced in a press release that it is collaborating with Harvester Homecoming Inc. to restore a 1941 International K-7 fire truck, the first fire truck that the department ever purchased.

Formerly the Wayne Township Fire Department, Southwest Fire purchased the truck from the Fort Wayne International Harvester Truck Works and used the workhorse vehicle until the mid 1960s, when it was auctioned off. A gentleman from Arkansas reached out to the fire department in 2007 after he purchased the pumper truck at an auction in Texas.

He tracked down the department by the name painted on the doors and asked if they wanted the historic truck back, and they did. Since bringing the truck back home again in 2007, officials have weighed what to do with it and how to get it back in working order. Recently, Southwest Fire District Chief Donald Patnoude and Assistant Chief Thomas Goodwin met with Harvester Homecoming CEO Ryan DuVall, and the restoration is already underway.

The post Fire district in Indiana partners with Harvester Homecoming to revive 1941 fire truck appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEOS: Four Baltimore firefighters were injured when a firetruck crashed on an icy road late Sunday night, according to department officials. The firefighters were taken to a hospital as a precaution and later discharged, officials told WJZ.

Officials said the crash occurred around 11:30 p.m. as the crew was responding to a single-box alarm. At Chesapeake Avenue and Maude Avenue, the firetruck slid on an icy patch of road and hit a parked box truck, officials said.

Four firefighters were evaluated for minor injuries and taken to local hospitals, according to officials. As of Monday afternoon, the firefighters had been discharged. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. The crash happened as parts of Maryland were experiencing icy road conditions and dangerously cold temperatures following light snowfall over the weekend.

The post Fire truck crash on icy road injures 4 Maryland firefighters appeared first on Daily Dispatch.