As rental and home prices increase throughout the state, some firefighters say they can’t afford to live in the communities they work in. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, South Carolina’s annual mean wage in 2019 was $36,360, one of the lowest in the country. Bill Pesature, the vice president of the Professional Firefighters Association of SC, says salaries for firefighters have not kept up with the cost of living.
- PUB DATE: 1/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WIS-TV NBC/CW 10 Columbia

One-hundred -twenty-six years ago this past week, the city of Butte was rocked by a massive explosion that killed 58 people. On January 15th 1895, the Kenyon-Connell Warehouse explosion not only ended the lives of its innocent victims; it devastated their families and broke the city's heart. For some time now, community leaders, historians and artists have been working on a project to construct a monument to honor the men who died in that explosion.
- PUB DATE: 1/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC Montana

For this week’s Flash Back Friday we take a look at KOMO News’ coverage of the deadly fire at Mary Pang’s frozen-food warehouse. The five-alarm fire broke out on the night of Jan. 5, 1995 in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. The blaze killed four Seattle Fire Department firefighters, the worst loss of life in SFD history.
- PUB DATE: 1/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

Every year, the Seattle Fire Department responds to hundreds of cooking-related fires. With more people cooking at home because of the pandemic, the concern for cooking fires is elevated. Cooking fires remain the main cause of home fires in the U.S. To help try to reduce cooking-related fires, the Seattle Fire Department, in collaboration with the King County Fire and Life Safety Association, recently developed cooking fire safety videos in 12 languages and in American Sign Language.
- PUB DATE: 1/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Seattle Patch

PHOTOS: Firefighters from multiple agencies battled flames that destroyed a home occupied by two families in Lake Stevens. Crews were initially dispatched to the home in the 500 block of 103rd Drive SE at about 7:45 a.m. Tuesday and found the structure fully ablaze. More units were then called in. Four adults and three children who reside at the home were able to get out safely, and no injuries were reported.
- PUB DATE: 1/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle