VIDEO/PHOTOS: The Ryegrass Coulee Fire remained active Wednesday night near Vantage, but evacuation levels were reduced as firefighters gained ground on the blaze. The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office announced late Wednesday that all areas of Vantage had been reduced to a Level 2 “Be Ready” evacuation, allowing residents to return home.

Earlier in the evening, portions of the city north of Interstate 90 had been under a Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation order. Officials urged returning residents to use caution and stay away from downed power lines. The Washington State Department of Transportation reopened eastbound Interstate 90 at milepost 115 near Kittitas.

KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: The Central Fire Station in Taunton, Massachusetts is closing after 157 years of continuous service.

Built in 1869, it was the third-oldest fire station still active in the United States and the oldest continuously operated station, having never closed for any period of time.

Over the years, veterans of the Civil War, World War l, World War ll, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom all served as members of the Central Fire Station.

The station closed Wednesday morning as the department transitions to its new public safety facility for police and fire.

WFXT-TV FOX 25 Boston

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VIDEO: A bagpipe and drum band in South Carolina is carrying on a tradition rooted in more than 170 years of first responder history.

The Coastal Carolina Shields Pipes and Drums is a service band composed primarily of fire and police personnel.

The tradition traces back to the mid-1800s, when most police officers and firefighters in New York City were of Irish and Scottish descent. Today, first responders of all backgrounds make up similar bands across the country.

Retired Yonkers police officer Bob Brown founded the band in Myrtle Beach. “It’s become such a tradition with the police department,” Brown said. “I just thought it would be something nice to bring down here.”

Brown serves as pipe major and is responsible for selecting the band’s music. Firefighter Jeanine Shelley has played pipes for 15 years and is a member of the band. She said Scottish and Irish immigrants brought the pipes to New York City and into fire and police service.

Aging Untold

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PHOTOS: A fire tore through a manufactured home park in Clarkston, WA on Tuesday evening, destroying three homes and prompting a large multiagency response from across the Lewis-Clark Valley. Fire crews were dispatched shortly after 6 p.m. to 1650 13th St., where the first arriving officer reported a fully involved manufactured home with flames spreading to neighboring homes. Three manufactured homes were destroyed.

The fire also destroyed two vehicles and heavily damaged a barn located south of the manufactured home park. Firefighters from Asotin County Fire District No. 1, the Clarkston Fire Department, Asotin Fire Department, Lewiston Fire Department and Wheatland Fire District worked together to contain the blaze. One person was arrested at the scene on suspicion of arson. The investigation remains ongoing.

KBOI-TV CBS 2 Boise

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VIDEO: King County’s life‑saving rescue helicopters are getting a major boost, thanks to more than $1 million in new federal funding that leaders said will pay off in safer, faster responses to emergencies across western Washington.

The money, secured by U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier, will upgrade one of the King County Sheriff’s Office’s (KCSO) rescue helicopters — part of the region’s only full‑time patrol and rescue air unit. The helicopter is a critical tool for hoist rescues in rugged terrain, wildfire response, flood evacuations, and other natural disasters.

Schrier described the investment as a deliberate effort to bring local tax dollars back home for projects that save lives. “As your representative, it is my job to make sure that your hard‑earned tax dollars come right back home for projects like this one, which will help our emergency responders save lives,” she said at Tuesday’s event.

The funding was secured through congressional appropriations, with coordination across federal, state, and local levels of government. Schrier credited strong partnerships with the KCSO and county leaders for helping make the case in Washington, D.C. that the air support unit is not just a local asset, but a statewide one.

My Northwest

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