A Beverly Hills apartment building caught fire Wednesday, displacing residents and forcing a partial roof collapse. The Beverly Hills Fire Department responded to a call in the 200 block of South Rexford Drive around 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 9.

Residents evacuated safely, but multiple firefighters were injured, with two taken to the hospital, including one treated for heat exhaustion. High heat and humidity created significant physical challenges for crews battling the flames in heavy gear.

The fire forced residents out of the garden-style, multi-unit building and onto the street as flames shot through the roof. Neighboring homes were also impacted by the emergency response. Scott Prisland, a 30-year resident of one of the four units, evacuated alongside his wife, Marnie. Firefighters managed to pull photo albums from their home, along with a Tony Award Prisland recently won for the Broadway musical “Schmigadoon!”

“The Beverly Hills Fire Department did get us out and rescued the Tony, which is very nice,” Prisland said. “We lost a lot of other stuff, which is terrible, and I feel horrible for our neighbors.”

KTTV FOX 11 Los Angeles

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During the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, first responders faced a number of problems. One of the most significant was a communications system that did not allow emergency workers from different agencies to easily coordinate with one another.

They all had unique radio systems with their own frequencies. That slowed responses in many instances at the World Trade Center in New York City, at the Pentagon and at the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The federal 911 Commission, established to examine the attacks and the response, recommended the creation of an agency that would work on delivering a nationwide broadband network that would be dedicated to public safety. The network needed to be robust enough to provide interoperable communications between all responding agencies to a major disaster.

In 2012, Congress created the First Responder Network Authority, known as FirstNet, to oversee the buildout of the network. Through a public/private agreement, AT&T was selected to build, operate and maintain the network. Congress appropriated a $7 billion to start the buildout and purchase dedicated prime broadband spectrum capable of supporting public safety communications.

The initial buildout was completed in 2023. “It’s shocking that we went so long without it,” said Anne Arundel County Fire Chief and FirstNet Board member Trisha Wolford. “There’s two things that keep us safe: One is our SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) with our air, but the other thing is our communication,” she said.

WTOP News

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Fire crews on Wednesday were at the scene of a massive fire at the Lochmoor Club in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan.

Authorities urged residents and drivers to avoid the area and use an alternative route as crews work to address the fire. People were also urged not to approach the scene.

Witnesses tell CBS News Detroit that the fire appeared to have started in the kitchen and spread into the attic.

Officials say everyone who was initially inside the club escaped. It is currently unknown if any injuries were reported.

WWJ-TV CBS 62 Detroit

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VIDEO: As the country pauses this week to honor the victims of the 9/11 Terrorists Attacks, two former Syracuse fire chiefs are sharing their experience in New York City following the attacks.

A group of about 10 Syracuse firefighters went down one week after the attacks.

“When we were driving down there on the West Side Highway, people were holding up signs, ‘Thank you for your assistance and help,” said Former Syracuse Fire Chief John Cowin.

The firefighters wanted to help. Everyone had volunteered to go, but a group of 10 experienced firefighters were chosen to bring down their ambulance to supplement the medical crews at Ground Zero. Their other mission was clearing debris.

“The thing that struck me, the pile was two 110-story buildings and it wasn’t that high, maybe nine stories high,” Cowin remembers.

Cowin said they were there for a short period of time and they found one firefighter. “The whole scene stopped and went quiet,” Cowin said.

WSTM-TV NBC/CW 3 Syracuse

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While officers and medical personnel were still actively responding to a reported shooting on Wednesday, the Cheney Police Department (CPD) dispatched first responders to a report of a child who was not breathing.

Upon arrival at the scene, “in the area of Irene Place,” a CPD officer quickly began life-saving efforts on the child. Cheney Fire Department personnel arrived shortly afterwards and took over the emergency medical care being administered to the child, in collaboration with American Medical Response personnel.

“The child was subsequently transported to a local hospital for further care,” CPD officials stated. “These two critical incidents occurring within such a short period of time required a significant, coordinated response from emergency personnel throughout our community.”

KHQ-TV NBC 6 Spokane

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