The number of people in the U.S. dying from drug overdoses is falling for the first time in years—and it’s falling quickly. Nationwide, overdose deaths fell 12.2% between April 2023 and April 2024 from 110,771 to 97,309, according to CDC data released in September. In comparison, overdose deaths fell by 3% between 2022 and 2023, the first annual decrease since 2018 when the number of deaths was 67,367.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Healthcare Brew

VIDEO/PHOTOS: The magnitude of devastation wrought by Helene intensifies by the hour as search crews discover more bodies and floodwaters slowly recede, revealing more neighborhoods obliterated by the storm. The death toll across six states soared to 119 Monday, days after Helene made landfall in Florida as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

PHOTOS: A two-alarm house fire killed one person and badly injured another inside a home in SeaTac late Saturday. The fire happened along South 187th Street just after 11:15 p.m., where most of the damage is on the backside of the home with the frame now charred and exposed. It was a complete shock to at least one neighbor who told KOMO News she saw the massive blaze.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

Nearly 150 firefighters may have inhaled asbestos at a training exercise at two abandoned houses in Snohomish. The Daily Herald in Everett has reported a private company tested the two houses before they were deliberately set ablaze. Both houses were considered asbestos free. But a month later, more tests showed asbestos in spots inaccessible before the fires.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIRO-FM 97.3 Tacoma

An off-duty firefighter joined fire crews to help put out a fire that was threatening homes in the South Hill area on Wednesday. A fire was called out on Sept. 25 and when the first engine arrived, they discovered the fire was spreading quickly. “As they pulled their initial leads for fire attack, out of the smoke came a guy wearing a pair of shorts, a tee shirt and some Sanuks,” said Spokane Firefighters in a Facebook post.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHQ-TV NBC 6 Spokane