VIDEO: The Spokane Valley Fire Department has received a $5.5 million federal grant to reduce wildfire risks, with plans to thin overcrowded trees, provide education in schools and help homeowners protect their properties. Jessica Walston, who started last week as the department’s new wildfire mitigation supervisor, is helping lead the program.

The department is partnering with the City of Spokane Valley on work at several locations, including The Course Spokane Valley, a cross-country course. There, the plan is to remove smaller, overcrowded trees and vegetation while preserving the natural landscape. Creating space between trees can help limit the fuel available for a wildfire to spread.

“We’re creating that spacing so when a fire comes in, that fire doesn’t have another fuel source to carry it further across that landscape,” Walston said. That work is intended to help protect nearby neighborhoods. “And then ultimately, we want to prevent that fire from moving into those urban areas,” she added.

KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

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A massive fire at a metal recycling facility in Fontana sent thick plumes of smoke into the air Wednesday morning as powerful Santa Ana winds pushed flames toward neighboring businesses and prompted several road closures.

The second-alarm fire broke out at a scrap yard at 14187 Slover Ave. in South Fontana, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

Fire officials said the flames engulfed a large pile of metal debris, with winds reaching 25 mph driving the fire south and threatening adjacent commercial properties.

Video shared by the department showed towering flames tearing through piles of scrap metal as thick clouds of smoke filled the sky. As firefighters worked to contain the blaze, the Fontana Police Department announced several traffic restrictions to allow emergency crews to safely access the area.

KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles

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