The flames die down. The sirens fade. Firefighters peel off their gear, thinking the danger has passed. But in the quiet aftermath, another enemy lingers, an invisible film of “forever chemicals” clinging to jackets, pants and masks.

Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, have developed a way to see what the eye cannot. A simple wipe test reveals per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on protective gear without damaging it.

Published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, the study, completed in partnership with senior co-author Natalia Soares Quinete, Ph.D., a researcher at Florida International University, offers a practical tool to help firefighters reduce exposure to chemicals linked to cancer.

“Think of it as turning on a blacklight in a dark room,” said Alberto Caban-Martinez, Ph.D., D.O., M.P.H., deputy director and investigator at Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative (FCI). “Suddenly, you see what’s been hiding all along.”

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Crews responded to a large apartment fire early Thursday morning in north Houston near Greens Road, close to Bush Airport. According to officials with the Houston Fire Department, the fire started just after 3 a.m. and was upgraded to a second-alarm fire, prompting additional firefighters and resources from neighboring departments to assist.

Fire officials said the flames have been knocked down, but crews will remain on scene monitoring for hot spots. Two ladder trucks were still positioned at the complex as a precaution, though no water was actively being sprayed. Authorities said about 10 apartment units were a total loss. It is unclear whether all of those units were occupied at the time of the fire.

The Red Cross was on scene assisting families who were displaced. Fortunately, fire officials said no injuries or fatalities were reported, and residents were able to get out safely. Investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire. Officials said it is not yet known whether the fire was intentionally set or if it may have been related to a heating source.

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PHOTOS: Ever since the sixth-generation Ford Bronco debuted for the 2021 model year, The Blue Oval has been keen to use it to help give back to the U.S. Forest Service and other entities that help out in terms of preventing forest fires, preserving the wilderness, and conducting search and rescue missions. It has done this via the Bronco Wild Fund and by creating some special Broncos outfitted for such purposes, including the Bronco Filson Wildland Fire Rig Concept and the Bronco Wildland Firefighting Command Rig.

Now, Ford continues those efforts by announcing a new collaboration with the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR), dubbed Bronco “Answer the Call.” This new initiative is designed to help close the resource gap for volunteer rescue teams in the U.S. by identifying and donating three upfitted Ford Bronco SUVs to deserving search and rescue operations. The donated vehicles will be Ford Bronco Badlands models equipped with the Sasquatch Package, purpose-built to handle everything from high-altitude peaks to dense, mud-laden forests.

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VIDEO: A local firefighter is back at home recovering after a stroke paralyzed half his body. His journey to walk again hasn’t been easy. Some recoveries are about learning how to live again, but for Paul McNabb, his recovery journey is about fighting his way back to the life he already loves, as a firefighter in both Guilford and Alamance Counties and a paramedic in Alamance County.

It started on a quiet drive home, fresh off a 24-hour firefighting shift, when a body trained to save lives suddenly sent a warning of its own, “I instantly knew I was having a stroke,” Paul McNabb said. McNabb didn’t hesitate. He turned around and drove to the nearest hospital, seven minutes away, racing the clock before the damage could set in, “an entire side of your body going numb? Not normal. At all. Ever.”

What followed were days in intensive care, therapy and uncertainty, and somehow, even there, moments of lightness, “I could still speak, but you couldn’t understand much of what I was saying.” Through it all, he never lost his laugh. But for a moment there, the man who runs toward emergencies couldn’t walk at all, “honestly, when it happened, I didn’t think I was gonna walk again. I didn’t think I was gonna do anything again.”

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Crews from multiple departments responded overnight Tuesday after an intense fire destroyed multiple modular structures in Cahokia Heights. The fire broke out a little before 2 a.m. on the 3900 block of Mississippi Avenue. The incident involved an abandoned business and several construction site trailers.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they encountered an active fire in one of the buildings that had begun to spread. At least two double-wide trailers and a single-wide trailer were burned in the fire.

According to officials, crews faced multiple challenges while trying to put out the fire, including the lack of nearby hydrants and windy conditions. At least nine fire departments responded, with operations extending over a extended period.

The fire is out and an investigation into the fire is ongoing. Officials have labeled the fire as suspicious due to there being no electricity near the abandoned business or trailers. At this point, no injuries have been reported.

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VIDEO: The Ogden Fire Department has a new tool to help meet people in the unsheltered community where they are. This week, the department launched a mobile outreach clinic to give immediate medical care to people experiencing homelessness.

“In our hearts, we need to love them and care about them,” said Ogden City Fire Chief Mike Slater. “And that’s the approach we took. We just want to help people get the right health care, and what we do know is taking someone to the emergency room is not always the best care for that individual.”

It started off with a new initiative last year. Slater said most of the calls for service to the fire department come from the Lantern House homeless shelter. So, through state grants, the department hired a medical advocate to be on-site full-time and help with triage, medication and setting people up with the right medical care. The department said it has been successful so far.

“It’s been a huge relief, especially to our staff and the clients,” said Lauren Navidomskis, the executive director of the Lantern House, “knowing that more than those service workers and the law enforcement agencies, like, there’s a community that’s wrapping behind them.”

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VIDEO: The Rapid City Fire Department’s Cadet Program has been providing firefighter training to high school students for a couple of years. Each year, around 10 high school students from the Black Hills get to experience what it is like to be a firefighter both in the classroom and in the field.

“Before we started the cadet program, we didn’t have a good way to engage high school students; it just didn’t exist for us. So this has been a great opportunity,” RCFD Firefighter EMT & Cadet Mentor Jim Bussell said. While this is an introductory program, learning to react like a professional is the goal.

“A smoky burning building, you know, with a mask on your face, you’re always having to communicate and let others know what’s going on around you. So that was one of the biggest takeaways for me was communication. It really just opened up a lot of career paths for me. One of the biggest ones being Wildland, that’s something I think I want to do after college,” 2024 cadet graduate Carson Bussell said.

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One person was hospitalized after a large fire broke out at a two-story commercial building in the Winnetka area of Los Angeles early Tuesday morning. The blaze was reported shortly after 5 a.m. in the 21200 block of W. Sherman Way. The street was closed off in both directions. AIR7 was over the scene as crews worked to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the building.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said the building suffered a partial roof collapse. A nearby two-story apartment building was not being threatened by the blaze and firefighters applied water to the exterior of the apartment building for additional protection, according to the agency.

One person was taken to the hospital in unknown condition, LAFD said. No further details were immediately known, but it appeared firefighters were making good progress against the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: Firefighters believe that puppies brought to the Sky Valley fire station in Gold Bar on Sunday may have overdosed on fentanyl. When they arrived, the three puppies were in critical condition, in respiratory distress, and firefighters knew that since all the puppies had the same symptoms, the cause had to be some kind of environmental poisoning.

Crews worked to save the dogs with CPR, oxygen therapy, and Narcan. “Knowing that fentanyl is one of the major causes of poisoning when introduced in the air as a powder, it was our firefighters’ best guess that the puppies had experienced a fentanyl overdose,” Sky Valley Fire wrote in a Facebook post.

As firefighters worked to revive the puppies, the fire officer in charge called Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) deputies to find the people who had brought the puppies to the fire station. Deputies found those people at their home, where they found three more very ill puppies.

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A burning barge in the Mobile River Monday morning resulted in a response from agencies including the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Hours later, at 1:17 p.m., the Coast Guard advised that the Mobile shipping channel was closed to all traffic from mile marker 2 to mile marker 4 as a result of the fire. During the morning hours, heavy smoke from the barge could be easily seen by motorists crossing the Cochrane-Africatown Bridge.

Emergency responders were quickly on scene, and a fire boat sprayed jets of water onto the barge. Land-based fire crews were also dispatched to the area. According to authorities, the barge was carrying scrap metal cars.

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A massive car fire broke out early Sunday at Raceway Park in Old Bridge, Middlesex County. The fire started just after 2 a.m. and involved more than a dozen cars. Video shows flames shooting from vehicles as firefighters sprayed water to put out the blaze. Officials have not released information on the cause or whether anyone was injured.

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VIDEO: Panama City Beach officials opened a new fire station Thursday after three years of construction, cutting the ribbon on a facility designed to withstand Category 5 hurricanes. Fire and city leaders disconnected a ceremonial hose at Fire Station 32 on Hutchinson Boulevard to signal the station is officially open and ready to respond to emergencies.

The new facility cost just over $7 million, with about half funded through state-secured grants. The station is significantly larger than the old Middle Beach station and is built to hurricane standards that will allow firefighters to remain on duty during major storms.

“With it being a storm-hardened station and rated to withstand those hurricane-force winds, means we don’t have to evacuate our area here,” said Panama City Beach Fire Rescue’s Chief Ray Morgan. “In the past we’ve always had to evacuate that station because it wasn’t safe. So, this allows us to stay right here in the house safely, so we can quickly respond to our community should they need it.”

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VIDEO: With the last name Pigg, there’s no doubt Gary Pigg loves barbecue. And now, he’s taking that love to a level Panthers fans may have never seen before. Sitting in his driveway is a massive Southern Pride commercial smoker, the kind that slowly rotates meat for hours, sealing in smoke and flavor.

It’s impressive on its own. But what makes it truly unforgettable is where it’s mounted on the back of a fully restored 1988 Ford 8000 fire truck. “This truck has been totally redone,” Gary said. “It’s only got about 9,000 miles on it.”

So what does a fire truck, a smoker, and barbecue have to do with the Panthers’ Wild Card matchup against the Rams? Tailgating. And not just any tailgating. Next Level Tailgating, the name of the business he owns.

Gary is known for going big. Really big. From pizza ovens to grills, he’s long been a familiar sight in Panthers parking lots and other events around town. He even has another fire truck decked out in black and blue that he dreamed of turning into a smoker rig one day.

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Three homes were evacuated and one resident was hospitalized as a fire tore through multiple homes on Hope Road early Friday morning. Crews battled flames and heavy smoke as the fire spread, prompting commanding officers to escalate the blaze to three alarms. Firefighters from several towns, including Garfield, Clifton, Rutherford, Paterson and Carlstadt, responded to assist the Passaic Fire Department.

Passaic Mayor Hector Lora told News 12 that residents from 158, 160 and 164 Hope Ave. were evacuated, and one resident was transported to a hospital for smoke inhalation. A total of nine people from four apartments were displaced as a result of the fire, the mayor said. Lora added that a 7-month-old baby who also resided in the home was evacuated and is doing fine.

The Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents with emergency housing and other necessities, Lora said. Ladders stretched to the top of the main building on fire, and firefighters could be seen on the roof trying to bring the blaze under control. Police closed multiple roads in the area near the fire, routing traffic away from the scene.

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VIDEO: After more than 170 grueling hours of training and tests, Emily Gindele graduated from the entry-level firefighter program as a West Whiteland Fire Company volunteer firefighter on Wednesday night. “I never thought I would see this day,” said the 26-year-old from Exton, Pa.

“I’m so excited I can finally do it. After the accident, I was definitely kind of hopeless and thought that I would never get to this point, but I’m here. I did it, and I worked really hard to get here.” It’s a miraculous dream come true for Gindele after a car crash left her critically injured and killed her boyfriend, 25-year-old Colin Reedy, two years ago.

Both of the volunteer firefighters were responding to a call at the time. “It was hard. I went through a lot. My body went through a lot. I still feel pain every day. I still have cognitive issues,” said Gindele. Despite her brain injury, broken bones, stroke and heartache, Gindele wanted to prove to herself she could accomplish her original goal. “I did everything that I could to be like everybody else,” said Gindele.

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VIDEO: Fire departments across Central Texas are preparing to implement mandatory annual cancer screenings for firefighters under a new state law aimed at detecting health issues early. The Wade Cannon Act requires all paid fire departments in Texas to provide annual cancer screenings for employees. Departments have until June 1 to implement the screenings.

“Cancer has always been an issue for firefighters,” said District 54 Representative Pat Curry. “And on top of that, if they’re not getting the annual physicals and they’re not available to them, that can be a real problem.” Hewitt Fire Chief Jonathan Christian said firefighters face constant exposure to carcinogens during emergency calls. “Every time we go into a fire, we come out with all the carcinogens and smoke. It penetrates everything,” Christian said. “We get exposed to a lot.”

Curry said firefighters often encounter unknown hazards during structure fires. “They go out into the middle of these fires, and they don’t know that this house happens to have a bunch of paint or different chemicals in it,” Curry said. “And all of a sudden the garage catches on fire and things start exploding, and they’re breathing in something that could easily give them cancer or kill them.”

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PHOTOS: Bartow city officials said the Bartow Fire Department and Polk County Fire Rescue were working a structure fire at Sonny’s BBQ Restaurant, located at 595 N. Broadway Ave.

A fire that started early Wednesday morning has completely destroyed the Sonny’s BBQ restaurant in Bartow, leaving a community staple that has served the area since 1992 in ruins.

The Bartow Fire Department received a call just after 6 a.m. from an employee who discovered the fire. Officials said the employee noticed it when he heard a loud popping sound coming from above.

“Our pitmaster shows up first thing in the morning to unload meat and get out of there and noticed that obviously that there was a fire,” said Scott Frantz, president of ACG Barbecue, which oversees 30 Sonny’s BBQ franchises.

The fire started in the attic and quickly spread to the roof. Deputy Fire Chief Byron Moore said the flames burned so intensely that the roof eventually collapsed, forcing crews to switch to defensive tactics.

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VIDEO: When someone overdoses, paramedics and EMS are usually the first people arriving to help. That’s why a new law in Pennsylvania is helping first responders and EMS with combating overdoses in the Commonwealth.

The goal of the legislation is to provide more accurate and detailed information to responders on the scene faster. First responders see what’s happening where and how often overdoses occur around Pa. They will also not be required to upload the information onto the Overdose Information Network Dashboard.

“In 2025, we at First Capital EMS responded to 126 opioid overdoses,” executive director of First Capital EMS Benjamin Kirkpatrick said.

The data matters because when officials know where overdoses are spiking, they can move faster to the scene and help people before it’s too late. “Over 5,000 Pennsylvanians die from accidental drug poisoning every year. I mean, that’s a plague,” Senator Doug Mastriano said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference highlighting Act 18 of 2025.

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VIDEO: Maryland firefighters no longer have to pay out-of-pocket for cancer health screenings thanks to a new law that went into effect this year.

House Bill 459 and Senate Bill 374 also known as the James “Jimmy” Malone Act, named after a former Maryland state delegate and lifelong firefighter who died of cancer in 2024, eliminates co-pays for cancer prevention screenings for career firefighters covered by county self-insured health benefit plans.

“The law allows for people that have county covered self insured health benefits plans to have free access without co-pays to cancer preventing screenings so we think that early detection is the best prevention so we fully support that legislation,” Deputy Fire Chief Gordon Wallace of Howard County said.

Firefighters face higher cancer risks than the average person due to repeated exposure to toxins during fires. The carcinogenic byproducts of combustion put first responders at significant health risk throughout their careers.

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It didn’t take long for speculation to settle on Water Street in Waxahachie. At 4:30 a.m. Monday, Kayla Peppers and her family had to act quickly.

“We got woken up by the Waxahachie Police Department,” Peppers said. “I got my kids and everyone and we ran out here. It was just like engulfed in flames.” Peppers snapped photos of the fire next door.

“The flames were already, like, to that tree,” Peppers said. “Very scared. I thought our house was going to catch on fire too…”

The fire covered the Blind Pig Butchery, which officially opened in October 2025. The owners told WFAA off camera they bought the property in 2023. They said it took a little more than two years to fix up the building.

While ashes remained, the whispers on Water Street lingered.

“When we first moved here, I was kind of asking around and they said that Water Street was probably one of the most haunted areas in Waxahachie for some reason,” said Peppers.

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