VIDEO: Firefighters say new homes are burning close to 10 times faster than older homes, giving families only a few minutes to escape once a fire starts.

“We’re seeing an uptick in our residential structure fires, how quickly they are burning,” said Heath Jones, Toney volunteer fire chief.

Studies from the National Fire Protection Association show modern homes burn up to 8 times faster than older homes, according to information presented in the report. That has reduced the average window of escape from 17 minutes to 3 to 4 minutes, according to the report.

“They don’t make cars like they used to, they don’t make houses like they used to,” Jones said.

Experts say a mix of engineered lumber, open floor plans and synthetic furniture can reduce the time families have to escape. “All of those are petroleum-based that just fuel the fire,” Jones said.

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Two Chippewa tribal bands are assessing damage after a massive three-alarm fire tore through a neighboring building and spread to their Minneapolis offices, forcing both to close until further notice.

Minneapolis firefighters responded around 4 p.m. on Sunday to a report of a fire burning in a commercial building along East Franklin Avenue near 13th Avenue South.

Firefighters said they received initial reports of people running from the building. Because of reports of people potentially inside the building, firefighters searched the former business for victims.

Officials said heavy shelving and a large amount of items inside the building made battling the fire difficult. As firefighters were inside, the fire intensified, forcing crews to evacuate.

Two firefighters were injured while evacuating and taken to the hospital for evaluation.

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A fire tore through the Esse restaurant and clubhouse at Reynolds Landing near Lake Oconee in Greensboro on Saturday night. No injuries were reported, officials said.

Members and employees told Atlanta News First the restaurant had a family atmosphere, with friendly members and staff. “Just the scale of it was hard to wrap our heads around,” said Justin Cullifer, a Reynolds Lake Oconee member.

Cullifer said Esse was the heart of the neighborhood and held many memories for him, including birthday lunches, company meetings and a luncheon the day after his wedding. “To hear that it went up in flames and then to start getting the text messages and the videos and hearing the stories is really heartbreaking,” he said.

The restaurant was renovated within the past five years, Cullifer said. Of the 15 restaurants at the Landing, he said, Esse was the “it” place, with an upscale feel.

“You could go into the restaurant and see a family with the kids having their textbooks, doing some homework. That was not uncommon to see at all,” Cullifer said. “So to lose that just really stings. It was such an investment for the neighborhood to make, and now it’s gone.”

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State investigators are looking into the cause of a fire that killed a Durham firefighter after a roof collapse.

On Friday, former residents of the building searched for their belongings after the massive fire ravaged their home on Marly Drive. Angeles Waleska Vega Villatoro lived in the building for nearly three years. The pregnant mother said she smelled something burning and grabbed her young daughter while leaving everything behind.

“I was already so upset,” Villatoro said. “I just couldn’t figure out what to do.” Officials said part of the building’s roof collapsed during the fire, causing the second floor to also collapse.

Several firefighters became trapped on the first floor. Durham firefighter Andrew Brokes died at just 24 years old while trying to save others. He previously served with the Elon Fire Department and Swepsonville Fire Department.

“My heart aches for what the firefighter’s family is going through,” Melissa Reyes said. “He was the angel who gave his life to save 14 people who are still alive.”

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VIDEO: The smoke has cleared after a fire in West Fort Worth burned for more than 17 hours, destroying several electric vehicles and highlighting the unique challenges and potential health risks firefighters face when responding to electric vehicle fires.

According to the Fort Worth Fire Department, eight electric vehicles caught fire, creating a complex and hazardous scene unlike anything some local responders had previously encountered.

“We have not responded to a scene like this,” FWFD Spokesperson Craig Trojacek said.

Unlike conventional vehicle fires, electric vehicle fires involving lithium-ion batteries can be particularly difficult to extinguish. Even after flames appear to be out and the smoke is gone, damaged batteries can reignite hours or even days later, complicating firefighting operations and requiring extended monitoring.

“You can’t put them out,” Trojacek said. “There are documented cases that some of these things, you can appear to put them out, and then up to — there have been some cases 28 days later — they’re sitting in a field somewhere, and they reignite.”

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A fire broke out in Los Angeles’ Chinatown neighborhood Thursday night, engulfing commercial buildings and sending a large plume of smoke into the air.

Firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire in the 1000 block of North Main Street just before 7 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

“First arriving firefighters found a very large outside fire that was exposing and already extending into a couple commercial structures,” LAFD Capt. and Public Information Officer Branden Silverman told Eyewitness News at the scene.

Witnesses described seeing intense flames before fire crews arrived. “There was just the flames and there was this noise like…. Really really hard,” said Chinatown resident Naara Fischert. Fischert said the flames rose high into the sky.

“It was like all the way up and it was red. Really red red red,” she said. According to officials, a one-story commercial building was already engulfed in flames with heavy fire ripping through the roof when crews arrived.

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Reigning NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Champion Jesse Love will be paying tribute to America’s fallen firefighters when he takes on the Blue Cross NC 300 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

On Saturday, October 10, Love will drive Richard Childress Racing’s No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet adorned with names of 204 firefighters who died in the line of duty.

The special paint scheme, featuring the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) logo, honors the Fire Heroes officially added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland, earlier this year.

The car will be on display at Charlotte Fire Department Station No. 1 prior to the race. Love also plans to meet with families of the fallen firefighters attending the Blue Cross NC 300.

“It is an absolute honor to once again partner with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation through Whelen to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” Jesse Love said.

“I have been fortunate to meet with these families the last few years and their stories are incredibly moving, giving me a newfound perspective. I can only hope that I will do them proud on race weekend.”

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A pilot was killed Wednesday morning after a single-engine plane crashed and caught fire in north Fort Worth, officials said.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Fort Worth Fire Department officials said the crash was reported at about 9:55 a.m. along Bonds Ranch Road between Willow Springs Road and Business 287, near Hicks Airfield.

Fort Worth fire crews arrived to find the plane engulfed in flames. Firefighters extinguished the fire and found one man inside the aircraft. He was pronounced dead at the scene, fire officials said.

Video posted on social media showed the wreckage on fire along a nearby road. Officials said the crash also damaged power lines, but power has been restored to surrounding homes.

The crash also sparked a grass fire, which firefighters were able to extinguish. Officials said the plane came down close to a residential community but did not hit any homes. No other injuries were reported.

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PHOTOS: A firefighter died and two others were injured in a large fire that broke out in a Durham building, the Durham Fire Department confirmed.

The two firefighters who were hurt are expected to be okay. The fire was reported in the 400 block of Marly Drive near South Miami Boulevard. The WRAL Breaking News Tracker arrived to find flames ripping through the roof of the building and smoke rising from the structure.

“We just ask that right now, you keep the family and the firefighting community and all the friends and relatives of the deceased and the injured firefighters in your thoughts and prayers,” said Deputy Chief Chris Iannuzzi.

Sky 5 flew over the damaged building at 8 a.m. The roof was mostly collapsed, and the damage was extensive. Three people at the scene said the building was a community home. One of the three reportedly lived at the home, and her friends were giving her a place to stay in the meantime.

Numerous crews from the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, EMS and others were on the scene. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation also arrived at the scene around 5:45 a.m., and the Durham Mobile Command Unit arrived about an hour later.

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VIDEO: The Vestal Fire Department hosted a demonstration Wednesday evening of new fire suppression equipment not previously seen in this country.

Leader Group, an international manufacturer of firefighter equipment, met with the Vestal Fire Department to demonstrate “Diphasic,” an indoor fire suppression system.

Jerry Halpin, with C.E.T. Fire Pump, said the product reduces structural damage caused by firefighting.

“It causes a great deal of damage to structures when the fire is put out, this product reduces those particular incidences to almost zero,” Halpin said.

Halpin said the technology applies small amounts of water atomized into fine particles, combined with compressed air, to fight, suppress and extinguish fires.

“With science and new technology, there is a way of applying very small amounts of water that have been atomized into the tiniest particles of water that can be produced along with compressed air to fight, suppress, and extinguish fires,” Halpin said.

The substances that burn most commonly in fires are gases that come from fuel being heated from sources in buildings, such as wood.

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VIDEOS: A fire tore through the Winchester fire station Saturday night, destroying a rescue truck and leaving firefighters with no choice but to stand back and watch their own station burn.

The call came in just after 10 p.m. Saturday. For Winchester firefighters, it sounded like any other call — until they heard the address.

“It was kind of disbelief, not really thinking that it was possible that our building was on fire, very sinking feeling. Not knowing what is actually on fire. Is it just a truck? Is it the whole building?” Noah Bunn said.

Fire Chief Travis Baker arrived within minutes. Smoke was pouring from the building. Inside, fire was tearing through a rescue truck parked in its bay. All of the department’s gear was inside — and compromised.

“I never thought in a thousand years that I would end up at my own firehouse for a fire. All of our gear was in there. Every ounce of anything we could have used was compromised in the fire, so we more or less had to sit back and watch until somebody else came to do the job. It’s a very helpless feeling,” Baker said.

The rescue truck is a total loss. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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A massive fire spread across a Tonopah property Tuesday morning as crews worked to contain the fast-moving flames.

The fire was reported near 387th Avenue and Buckeye Road, north of Salome Highway, at 7:30 a.m. Firefighters from Arizona Fire & Medical Authority found a home on fire, with flames coming out of the roof.

Firefighters used a defensive strategy to battle the blaze, keeping the flames from extending to surrounding properties and homes. Crews were using water tenders, a specialized vehicle used to transport large amounts of water, to extinguish the blaze since there were no fire hydrants in the area.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies say everyone made it out of the home unscathed, and no injuries have been reported.

Drone video shows a massive plume of black smoke engulfing the home, surrounding vehicles, and debris scattered across the property. Bright flames were shooting up into the air, and little of the home was left standing.

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VIDEO: A dozen firefighters from Owensboro’s sister city of Olomouc, in the Czech Republic, are in town this week for training.

The visit is part of a firefighter exchange program established in 2024. Owensboro crews trained in Olomouc two years ago, and a delegation from Olomouc visited last year to plan this week’s return trip.

“The main purpose was to exchange knowledge, the differences between the systems of fire protection and also differences and similarities between our communities,” Lenka Gräsleová, head of crisis management and civil protection for Olomouc, said.

Gräsleová said Czech crews use less water and nozzles, use a single-rope system for rescues compared with Owensboro’s two-rope system, and do not pair firefighters with police on active shooter calls, as is done in the U.S.

“It’s really great to see how things work here,” Śimon Slavíček, an Olomouc firefighter, said. “The houses are completely different, the amount of water you use, the approaches.”

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VIDEO: The City of Miami is rolling out its pink fire rescue truck for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Artist Romero Britto helped transform the truck with a custom design for its annual October campaign.

The design honors Kristin Jordahl, who worked with Miami Fire Rescue for nearly 20 years. She lost her battle with breast cancer in 2020.

Jordahl discovered the cancer through a self-exam and fought for 12 years before she passed away at age 48.

With this truck rolling through the city for the next 30 days, city officials hope to share her story to help save lives.

“We’re out to encourage everyone: make sure you get screened early. If you feel anything weird, see a doctor, get your mammograms. Make sure that you are doing preventative care to make sure that you can hopefully avoid this; if not, get the care that you need,” said Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez.

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A new bipartisan bill aims to expand death benefits for federal wildland firefighters who are killed in the line of duty from $10,000 up to the level of funds given to military families.

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Utah Sen. John Curtis introduced the “Honoring Fallen Wildland Firefighters Act,” which would address the gap in survivor support by raising the death gratuity paid to families of fallen wildland firefighters.

The current maximum benefit for survivors of federally employed wildland firefighters killed at work is $10,000. If approved, the benefit would be raised to match the up to $100,000 provided to military families.

The benefit would apply to federal, state and local wildland firefighters and also eligible contractors who die on or after January 1, 2026.

The senators say the legislation would make sure the families of wildland firefighters killed because of their job would receive a one-time death benefit.

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VIDEO: Four residents were displaced after a fire heavily damaged a home and attached garage on Clocks Boulevard Sunday evening, according to the Nassau County Fire Marshals.

Firefighters were dispatched at 6:21 p.m. and arrived to find a fully involved two-story home and attached two-story garage.

Approximately 100 firefighters from Massapequa and neighboring departments responded to battle the blaze.

One firefighter was transported to a hospital for possible heat exhaustion. No civilian injuries were reported.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Hazardous Materials Division responded due to lithium-ion batteries in the garage. The fire remains under investigation by the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Nassau County Police Department Arson/Bomb Squad.

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VIDEO: No injuries were reported after a fire truck was involved in a crash on Courthouse Road on Monday morning.

Fire officials say a crew was leaving to go to a structure fire call from Fire Station 20. The fire truck had a green light while the other lanes of traffic had a red light.

Officials said a dump truck headed south applied the brakes, but the truck’s real wheels locked up and jackknifed the trailer and truck.

The truck’s trailer became dislodged and went across the median before hitting the fire truck.

Officials said the truck’s emergency brake was not connected to the dump truck.

The truck’s Virginia State Inspection was also expired.

Fire officials say that while the fire engine had a green light, it was stopped waiting to turn right onto Courthouse Road when it was struck.

The driver was charged with reckless driving, failing to maintain proper control of his vehicle, and two counts of expired state inspection.

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The Londonderry firefighter who caught fire during a call is now recovering at home. Lieutenant Mike England was responding to a house fire Friday night when a flashover broke out in the house.

That’s when a room fills with hot air and smoke, then the entire room catches fire. He said he was inside because he thought there could still be people there.

Lt. England suffered a leg fracture and minor burns and is out of the hospital. He told News 9 he considers himself the “luckiest unlucky guy” when considering his injuries in the context of what happened.

Lt. England has been with the Londonderry Fire Department for 11 years. “Other firefighters that were there put him out by patting him down to put the fire out,” Battalion Chief Bruce Hallowell said.

Battalion Chief Hallowell said Lt. England didn’t realize he was injured at first and went back in to continue firefighting.

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VIDEO: Following a hot, dry season across Colorado – the still-burning Aspen Acres fire became the seventh-largest wildfire in state history over the summer – fire danger remains a threat in the state.

That’s part of why the State of Colorado Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (COEATAF) is pursuing a sky-high modernization of aerial attacks.

The typical aerial attack is low-altitude, executed by a helicopter or aircraft flight crew that drops water or red-colored retardant directly onto a wildland fire, sometimes repeatedly and over the course of hours or days.

The drops are often conducted at approximately 500 feet above ground, or lower, meaning weather, terrain and other conditions can rapidly change how teams are able – if at all – to fight fires from above.

“It can be too dark, too smoky, too windy, things like those,” said COEATAF Director Ben Miller. “We call that the denied environment. Those are places where fire exists, but we can’t get there.”

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PHOTOS: The Tyger River Fire Department and several other crews responded to a large commercial fire on Saturday morning.

Officials said they were called to a reported commercial vehicle fire at South Carolina Waste Management, located at 13775 East Wade Hampton Boulevard around 8:54 a.m. The facility specializes in the disposal of used oil and other products.

According to Fire Chief Jim Redd, camera footage from several nearby businesses showed a fire smoldering in a tote with debris and oily rags, with flames coming from it. It appears this was spontaneous combustion.

The fire spread to surrounding plastic waste storage containers and two 10,000-gallon fuel tankers. The tankers ruptured, involving the product in both tanks. The fire was contained to the outside of the facility.

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