Herrin City Council approved $178,145 in new fire department radios after Chief Shawn Priddy said current equipment has caused communication problems and safety concerns.

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A 26-year-old Buckholts volunteer firefighter died when a fire truck overturned responding to a fire in Holland.

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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.”

Atlanta News First

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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.”

WNCN-TV CBS 17 Goldsboro

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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.”

WFAA-TV ABC 8 Dallas

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