Four members of Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue left Saturday for Georgia where the department says they will join a Washington Department of Natural Resources strike team battling two large wildfires that are burning in the southeastern part of the state. The agency is sending a firefighter/EMT, a lieutenant serving as engine boss, a driver operator and a firefighter/paramedic, along with one of its newest brush engines, according to a Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue.

The crew is made up of firefighter/EMT Clint Smith, Lt. Kirk Huhta as engine boss, driver operator Garrett Johnson and firefighter/paramedic Jake Hawken. They’re expected to arrive by mid-week. Once on scene, the crew will be assigned to one of two fires burning in the Southeast Georgia Complex, according to the agency. The Highway 82 fire, also known as the Brantley Fire, has burned 20,933 acres and was 7% contained as of Saturday. The Pineland Road Fire has burned 30,004 acres and was 10% contained.

KGW-TV NBC 8 Portland

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PHOTOS: A home in Warsaw caught fire Saturday afternoon and ended up completely burned down. At around 3:45 p.m. Saturday, a helicopter from a local radio station in Warsaw, WIOE, captured video of a home on fire located in the Barrington Hills subdivision just off the intersection of N 100 E and 350 N.

In the video, the flames emitting from the home are visible as it becomes completely engulfed in smoke. Emergency vehicles can be seen speeding through the neighborhood streets to quickly respond to the fire.

After the helicopter pilot took off from the Warsaw airport, he told WANE 15 he saw black smoke coming from his right. About an hour and a half later, the pilot flew over the area again and snapped a photo of what was left of the home.

WANE-TV CBS 15 Fort Wayne

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: The Smokey Bear Historical Park will celebrate its 50th year May 1-2, 2026, in Capitan, New Mexico, birthplace of Smokey the Bear.

The free, two-day festival will also celebrate Smokey the Bear’s birthday with fire prevention and conservation exhibits, a parade, the annual firefighter challenge, food, vendors, game, and family-friendly activities.

Events are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at the park, 118 Smokey Bear Blvd., Capitan, about 166 miles from El Paso.

Smokey Bear was the living symbol of fire prevention for more than 25 years. The American black bear was orphaned during the May 1950 Capitan Gap Fire in Capitan. The months-old cub was found and rescued by U.S. Forest Service workers.

The Capitan Gap Fire started May 4, 1950, likely from a carelessly tossed cigarette, and burned for a week. Authorities said 14,000 acres of mostly federal land burned in the fire.

The original reporting of the bear cub’s story referred to him as Hot Foot Teddy as in this May 12, 1950, article: “Hotfoot Teddy,” the almost well-browned brown bear cub, is going to be all right.

HFT, about a month old, was flown here Wednesday in a private plane after Forest Service men found him on a rock slide, all four of his tiny feet badly burned in a forest fire on Capitan Mountain.

Dr. Edwin J. Smith, Santa Fe veterinarian who carefully bandaged HFT’s blistering paws, said the cub will be hospitalized until his seared footpads heal, then turned back to the Forest Service. Eventually, Hotfoot Teddy is expected to be released in some wilderness area.

El Paso Times – Metered Site

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PHOTOS: Santa Fe Drive was closed in Littleton as firefighters with South Metro Fire Rescue extinguished a fuel tanker fire Monday morning.

The fire began around 5:30 a.m. Monday in the 4800 block of South Santa Fe Drive, according to Littleton Police. That’s near South Santa Fe Drive and West Belleview Avenue.

South Metro Fire Rescue said the fire involved a fuel tanker on northbound Santa Fe Drive, just north of Belleview. The fire involved a potential hazmat component and a hazmat team was on scene, according to South Metro Fire.

South Metro Fire Rescue said they were letting the fire burn out, but monitoring to ensure the fire did not reach any structures, including a U-Haul business.

KUSA-TV NBC 9 Denver

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PHOTOS: Five people and their five pets were displaced by a garage fire in Vancouver on Saturday. Crews with the Vancouver Fire Department responded to the scene on SE McGillivray Boulevard shortly before 2 p.m. and found the fire was active in the garage and attic spaces of the home. Firefighters helped evacuate the five adults, four cats, and one dog from the building while preventing the fire from spreading. No injuries were reported.

“In addition to fire suppression efforts, crews assisted residents by removing personal belongings from the home both during and after the incident, helping to preserve valuable and sentimental items,” VFD said. The Red Cross also responded to help the displaced family. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire, which remains unknown.

KOIN-TV CBS 6 Portland

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