VIDEO: A fire tore through a longtime Auburn floral shop and the home above it, leaving a couple displaced and a family business reduced to ash. The Aug. 22 fire destroyed the property on First Street, about a block from Washington Elementary School. Paxton Reunanen and his girlfriend lived upstairs, while Alice Octavia Floral Shop — a longtime business owned by Reunanen’s grandmother — operated on the main floor.

Firefighters said the fire began in a shed or garage behind the property and quickly spread to the home. The home was a total loss. A neighbor captured video of the fire as it spread across the property. In the days afterward, charred debris and extensive damage remained at the site. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire, but do not believe it was suspicious.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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VIDEO: Three female firefighters from Mason County deployed last month to battle the Little Giant Fire near Lake Chelan in Eastern Washington, spending 15 days protecting homes as part of a strike team. They say they were welcomed by their male colleagues despite being part of a less common all-women crew in the male-dominated field of firefighting.

The Little Giant Fire started in July, destroyed dozens of homes and cabins, and remains 50% contained. Firefighter-EMT Charlotte Smith, who was part of the strike team, was glad to have a brush truck as she and two volunteers from West Mason County District 16 worked to protect the community.

Women make up less than 10% of fire departments across the country, but Smith said her team faced no resistance because of their gender. “We do the same job as them. We’re expected to pass the same test, do the same work, and they’re all extremely welcoming. I know that may not be the case for every woman in the fire service and hopefully that’ll change in the future, but my team specifically, we had a good experience,” Smith said.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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Laguna Beach [CA] firefighters dedicated a new 2026 Pierce Enforcer fire engine at Fire Station No. 2, retiring a 2005 American LaFrance after 20 years of service.

The post Laguna Beach (CA) FD dedicates new pumper with ‘push-in’ ceremony appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

PHOTOS: Multiple crews continue to be on the scene Thursday morning, September 3, after a massive fire in downtown Du Quoin.

Flames and smoke are still visible from where the fire started at the Home Lumber Co. on Wednesday afternoon. According to city leaders, the fire continued to rekindle throughout the night. The public is urged to avoid the Main Street area as crews continue to battle the fire.

On Wednesday, our crew on scene said the lumber company building is a total loss. According to Du Quoin Mayor Josh Downs, along with the lumber company building, BJs Garden Inn, Croessmann Wholesale Co. and an auto parts store were destroyed by the fire.

Mayor Downs is asking everyone to avoid downtown Du Quoin until otherwise notified. Governor JB Pritzker said his administration is continuing to monitor the ongoing fire. Mayor Downs went on to thank all of the fire, police and EMS crews from surrounding communities who responded to help.

KFVS-TV CBS/CW 12 Cape Girardeau

The post VIDEOS: Massive fire destroys, damages multiple businesses in one Illinois city appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

A recent state-of-the-art review in the journal Textiles by researchers at Oklahoma State University, USA, examines the use of nanotechnology to advance thermal protective clothing (TPC) for firefighters working in extreme thermal and hazardous environments.

The review highlights nanotechnology as a promising approach to developing lighter, multifunctional, and breathable firefighter clothing, while also addressing challenges related to scalability, durability, cost, and safety. Firefighters work in environments where intense heat, flames, steam, hot liquids, smoke, and toxic particles can cause severe injuries.

Thermal protective clothing (TPC) provides an essential barrier against these hazards, but conventional clothing often involves a difficult trade-off between protection and comfort. Increasing garment thickness or insulation can reduce heat transfer but also increases weight, limits breathability, and adds to physical strain.

In contrast, lighter and more breathable garments may provide less protection during intense thermal exposure. Nanotechnology offers new opportunities to address these challenges because nanoscale materials can provide high porosity, controlled surface chemistry, and tailored thermal and barrier properties.

Nanofibers and aerogels can reduce heat transfer, while inorganic nanoparticles can improve flame resistance and surface protection. Two-dimensional materials, metallic nanostructures, and phase-change materials can collectively provide functions such as sensing, infrared reflection, and thermal energy storage.

AZoNano

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