There’s heavy equipment across every corner of the Fire Engine and Motorcoach Museum in East Windsor. “We have a collection of 15 antique firetrucks and eight vintage buses,” said museum president John Gasper. As the country is recognizing its 250th birthday, Gasper is quick to point out that the collection at the museum plays a vital role in firefighting history and, additionally, Connecticut history.

“The engines are like apple pie, it’s Americana. A lot of people relate to the stuff here,” said Gasper, who then laughed, “Who doesn’t love a firetruck?” Gasper noted that the museum collection dates back 100 years, to one engine from 1926 to the most “recent”: a firetruck from 1975.

“We want to preserve the state of Connecticut firefighting and bus service, and also fire safety for kids, and bring these vehicles to kids in the community so they can get exposed to the history,” he said. Aside from visitors seeing the engines and vintage buses, the volunteers at the nonprofit museum also bring their treasured keepsakes to events like parades and public events.

WTIC-TV FOX 61 Hartford

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PHOTOS: Two adults and one child died in a house fire in the Sugar Creek neighborhood in Greer, South Carolina. Firefighters were called to the house on Sugar Creek Lane at 9:30 p.m. Thursday. They said two women and a child were found dead in the home. The names of the victims have not been released. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement agencies are investigating.

WYFF-TV NBC 4 Greenville

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El Paso’s fire protection system has been recognized among the best in the country, with the El Paso Fire Department earning an ISO Class 1 rating from the Insurance Services Office.

The designation is the highest classification ISO grants, and fewer than 1 percent of the more than 30,000 fire departments in the United States hold an ISO Class 1 rating.

The department also continues to maintain international accreditation through the Center for Public Safety Excellence’s Commission on Fire Accreditation International, a distinction held by only 334 agencies worldwide. Only 12 fire departments in the country serving populations over 500,000 hold both recognitions.

Officials said the distinctions reflect exceptional performance in emergency response, fire suppression, communications, training, fire prevention and water supply.

This rating affirms what the El Paso community sees every day: a fire department that is fast, professional, highly trained, and ready to respond,” Fire Chief Jonathan Killings said. “It reflects years of strategic investment, accountability, and the dedication of our personnel to protecting lives and property.”

KFOX-TV FOX 14 El Paso

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A commercial fire damaged a fruit packing company’s maintenance facility in the 100 block of Wagon Trail Drive Wednesday afternoon. According to a release by Yakima County District 4, the fire started at 4:34 p.m. in the engine compartment of a maintenance vehicle parked inside the shop.

Fire crews arrived to heavy black smoke coming from a door on the southeast side of the building and from the building’s four roll-up doors. Crews entered the shop, found the source of the fire and put it out at 5:20 p.m. Firefighters ventilated the rest of the building to reduce smoke damage. Damage was limited to the vehicle where the fire started, though the shop had moderate smoke damage and the nearby office area had minor smoke damage. The building was empty when the fire broke out and no firefighters were hurt, according to the release.

KNDO-TV NBC 23 Yakima

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Seattle fire crews gave the all clear after responding to a reported hazardous materials incident at the University of Washington’s Denny Hall Thursday morning. According to the Seattle Fire Department, the call came in around 9:30 a.m. for a report of an unknown substance in the 4200 block of Memorial Way Northeast.

Officials said the substance was located in a room on the third floor of the building. That room was evacuated, while people on the rest of the third floor sheltered in place. Hazmat crews responded to the scene and concluded that the white powder found was not hazardous and was a drying agent used in packaging. People were able to reoccupy the building. No injuries were reported.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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