VIDEO/PHOTOS: What some might see as rust, dust and worn out machinery, Lincoln County’s own Dylan McCool sees as opportunity.

With a YouTube following of more than 640,000 subscribers, McCool has built a national reputation for rescuing forgotten cars, trucks and what he jokingly calls “plenty of junk.” But to him, every abandoned machine carries a story worth saving.

Through nearly 400 videos, McCool has documented the process of finding vehicles tucked away in fields, barns and overgrown lots, then methodically bringing them back to life.

Now, that passion has found its way to Fayetteville. Through a partnership with the Fayetteville-Lincoln County Museum and the Fayetteville Fire Department, McCool has taken on one of the community’s most recognizable historic artifacts: a 1953 Mack fire truck affectionately known as “Maude.”

For decades, Maude served the citizens of Fayetteville, responding to emergencies from the old fire station on what many locals still remember as Fire Hall Hill.

Photographs from the 1950s show the truck sitting proudly in front of the station alongside the firefighters who operated it which you can see in McCool’s YouTube video.

After being retired from service in the mid-1990s, the truck sat largely untouched. In recent years, it rested behind the museum in a chain-link enclosure, weathered, faded and uncertain if it would ever run again.

Elk Valley Times – Metered Site

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PHOTOS: The occupants of a home that caught fire in South Haven were evacuated, South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) says.

SHAES was dispatched to a structure fire at 849 Phillips Street around 8:45 a.m. Thursday. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the home fully engulfed in flames.

Neighbors of the home said they heard a series of explosions. Michigan Gas Utilities was needed to turn off the gas supply to the home. All of the six occupants of the home were evacuated safely, SHAES said.

One person was taken to the hospital for burns and smoke inhalation. SHAES said mutual aid was requested from the Bangor Community and Covert Township fire departments. The Hartford and Watervliet fire departments was also dispatched to the scene later.

Firefighters remained on the scene until after 12:00 p.m., SHAES said. The nearby St. Paul Lutheran Church and School was placed in a soft lockdown, which has since been lifted, as first responders addressed the structure fire.

WZZM-TV ABC 13 Grand Rapids

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PHOTOS: A former firehouse in Aurora, Illinois hides a remarkable slice of history behind its brick walls. Built in 1894, this Victorian-era station still stands along North Broadway, now serving a very different purpose.

Inside, visitors step into more than a century of firefighting history, where vintage engines, detailed artifacts, and interactive exhibits bring the past to life. One moment you’re looking at hand-powered equipment, the next you’re exploring how early crews responded to emergencies long before modern tools existed.

The building itself adds to the experience, with its restored architectural details offering a glimpse into the city’s past. It’s an unexpectedly engaging stop that blends local heritage with hands-on discovery, making it just as appealing for curious adults as it is for younger visitors.

For 86 consecutive years, this building was not a museum or a landmark. It was a fully operational fire station, housing the Aurora Fire Department and sending crews out to protect the city from 1894 all the way through 1980.

That kind of longevity in a single structure is genuinely rare, and it gives the building a lived-in energy that no amount of decorating could manufacture.

Generations of Aurora firefighters reported to duty here, trained within these walls, and answered calls from this very address at 53 N Broadway, Aurora, IL 60505.

The rhythms of shift work, the clang of alarm bells, and the rumble of engines rolling out through those garage doors were part of daily life in this neighborhood for nearly a century.

Ever After in the Woods

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In recent months, two firefighters have retired from Clallam County Fire District 3. Firefighter/EMT John McIntyre retired on March 28, and Captain Kevin Van De Wege on April 30. District officials honored them with ceremonies on March 27 for McIntyre and April 22 for Van De Wege, who also served as a state representative (2007-2016) and a senator (2017-Oct. 1, 2024) for the 24th district while in the fire service.

According to district documents, McIntyre began as a volunteer for the district on Feb. 3, 1992 and joined the district’s maintenance division on Jan. 1, 2001. He transferred to become a career firefighter/EMT on June 1, 2017 working on A shift. Van De Wege started working for the fire district as a firefighter/paramedic on April 9, 2001. He was promoted to lieutenant on July 1, 2008 and then to captain on Oct. 1, 2021. He retired serving on the district’s B shift.

Sequim Gazette – Metered Site

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Spokane County has received a federal grant to fund wildfire prevention projects in four conservation areas as officials prepare for the upcoming fire season. The newly accepted FEMA grant will support fire mitigation work at Haynes , Holmberg, Beacon Hill, and McKenzie Conservation Areas. The projects aim to clear fire-burning materials that could help wildfires spread through these areas. The initiative comes as residents remember recent wildfire threats in the region. A wildfire on Beacon Hill previously forced hundreds of people to evacuate and threatened nearby homes.

“The fire moved very, very quickly. And we got to the point, at least in this neighborhood, that we had to be prepared. And it was very nerve wracking,” said Ben Van Meter, who lives near Beacon Hill. “You had to think through like, okay, what are the absolute essentials that we need to grab and get out of here in case the fire does move quickly in our direction?” Van Meter’s experience reflects the concerns of many residents living near forested areas in the Pacific Northwest. The proximity to natural areas brings both benefits and risks for homeowners.

KAYU-TV FOX 28 Spokane

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