The polished red floors of the Cutchogue Fire Department’s new apparatus bay, marked with bright yellow lines, reflect rows of fire trucks now housed together in one space — a far cry from the previously cramped, uneven quarters that were falling apart.

The faint smell of fresh paint still lingers inside the new $16 million headquarters, which received its certificate of occupancy in January.

Last week, The Suffolk Times got an exclusive first look during an hour-long walkthrough — from the bright, open lobby to the rooftop generator designed to keep operations running during major storms.

A large American flag hangs in the atrium of the building, which was designed with both present needs and future demands in mind.

Inside the apparatus bay, trucks now sit side by side in clearly marked lanes, with turnout gear neatly organized on rolling racks just steps away — a layout designed to get firefighters moving faster when seconds matter.

“We’re utilizing the space better now where we can move trucks closer to where the crews can get their gear quicker,” first assistant fire chief Chris DiNizio said. “Even if it’s 30 seconds faster, 30 seconds is a big deal in an emergency.”

The Suffolk Times

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VIDEO: A 12-year-old girl from Brownsburg is on the mend from serious burns after trying a TikTok trend. Kelsey Dybala put a popular sensory toy in the microwave and it exploded. Now, she and her family are warning other kids about the danger.

Stacey Dybala said it took just seconds for a simple toy to explode and seriously injure her daughter. Stacey was in another part of the house a couple of weeks ago, when she heard screaming. “All of a sudden, I heard, ‘It burns! It burns! It burns!’ and I was like, ‘What did you do?'” Stacey said.

Kelsey suffered severe burns on her neck and face after trying a trend she saw on TikTok. Videos showed kids heating a NeeDoh Nice Cube, a popular sensory squeeze toy, in the microwave. That advice is on social media, too.

“I’d seen a bunch of things saying if you put it in the microwave it gets softer,” Kelsey said. “I had started to actually see that people were doing it and people were encouraging it.” So she tried it. She said she heated the cube five seconds at a time, checking it each time.

After a minute total, she took it out, squeezed it and the gel-filled cube exploded, sending hot liquid into her face. “I was in, like, shock that what happened because it was over 200 degrees. So I was just yelling, ‘It burns! It burns! It burns,” she said.

WTHR-TV NBC 13 Indianapolis

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A deadly house fire in Minnesota that claimed the lives of an NHL reporter and her three children over the weekend does not appear to have been intentional, officials said Monday, citing preliminary investigative findings.

The White Bear Lake Fire Department released a statement Monday following the Saturday morning fire that claimed the life of 37-year-old Minnesota Wild correspondent Jessi Pierce and her three children. “We are in the very early stages of the investigation, and our preliminary findings have not led to any evidence that the fire was set intentionally,” the press release read.

“The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The official cause and further information will be released once the investigation is complete.” Officials said that in addition to the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office, they are “dedicating all possible resources to this investigation.”

FOX News

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PHOTOS: The historic courthouse in Rome is a total loss after a massive fire, a Floyd County fire division chief chief said in a news conference on Monday. The fire caused the bell tower of the structure to collapse.

Rome-Floyd County Fire Department said they were able safely evacuate everyone from the fast-moving fire before they had to switch to a defensive posture. The fire was discovered in the building at around 2:20 p.m. Monday. The courthouse was undergoing renovations at the time of the fire.

No firefighters or members of the public were hurt in the fire, fire officials confirmed. The historic courthouse was built in 1892. The site was previously home to the Davis Foundry, and will still being used as the office of the Floyd County Tax Commissioner.

The tax commissioner’s office said in a statement Monday night, “Thank God for the Facilities staff who warned us to get out and the firefighters and 1st responders who ran into the fire while we ran out.”

WSB-TV ABC 2 Atlanta

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VIDEO: The Aroostook Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has a new tool designed to give crews real-time views of dangerous situations from above: a drone. Officials say the drones can be used to monitor river ice jams and spring flooding, as well as spot and track wildfires across the county.

“We can sit up in one spot on the river and go up and down the river getting a better perspective of the area,” said Derrick Ouellette, deputy director of Aroostook EMA. In a county as large and rural as Aroostook, that perspective makes a big difference, giving emergency crews real-time information for up to 40 minutes at a time, without putting boots on the ground.

“It’s going to be a really good tool. And especially since it was made in the U.S. It is going to be a lot more secure to use than other things that come off the shelf,” Ouellette said. The drone kit, which includes infrared attachments, multiple batteries, and a waterproof, impact-resistant case, cost about $20,000 funded through a grant Ouellette applied for more than two years ago.

“The biggest part for me was probably getting the SOPs and policies in place and getting the grant for the drone,” Ouellette said. With a licensed drone team in place, officials say the technology will help them quickly assess situations from above so they can better respond on the ground.

WAGM-TV CBS/FOX/CW+ 8 Presque Isle

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