President Joe Biden may have already conceded that the U.S. will fall short of reaching his July 4 goal to have vaccinated at least 70% of the adult population against COVID, but the stakes for advancing the nation’s vaccine drive remain high as the Delta variant—the highly transmissible and concerning strain of the virus that first emerged in India—swiftly makes inroads across the country.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fortune

Spokane City Fire department wants to build a permanent fire station to serve the Eagle Ridge, Latah Valley area, but have not found a way to fund it yet. Six years ago, Spokane City Fire Department opened a temporary fire station at the foot of Spokane’s Eagle Ridge development. Station 5 has since reduced response times for the Latah Valley.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

Firefighters from the Yakama Nation and Yakima County Fire District 5 conducted a series of controlled burns near Ahtanum Ridge on Thursday. The fires were meant to reduce the amount of fuel that could be ignited by people using fireworks during the Independence Day holiday, according to the fire district.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2021 6:48:22 PM - SOURCE: Yakima Herald-Republic

It’s possible that the significant increase in fire-related deaths in 2020 correlated with more people at home during the pandemic. On Thursday, Washington State Fire Marshal Charles LeBlanc released 2020 data pertaining to the number of fatalities caused by fires. In total, there were 75 total fire deaths in 2020, a 39% increase from 2019.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2021 5:31:22 PM - SOURCE: iFiber One News Radio

Puget Sound Fire firefighters put out a car fire Wednesday, June 23 at a parking lot in the 11000 block of SE 220th St., in Kent. There were no injuries and the fire in the Volkswagen Beetle didn’t spread to any other vehicles, according to Puget Sound Fire.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2021 5:17:20 PM - SOURCE: Kent Reporter