U.S. 395 is back open after several fires between Eltopia and Connell. The fire near milepost 30 created so much smoke the Franklin County Sheriff's Office had to close the southbound lanes until visibility improved. Firefighters say the conditions made fighting the flames difficult. Chief Mike Harris with Franklin County Fire District #3 says, "We had a small fire burning on the road, but with the winds and the dry conditions we've had all week, the fire quickly took off.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2017 8:58:12 AM - SOURCE: NBCRightNow.com

After 24 years of leading Prosser’s fire department, Doug Merritt is retiring from his position as chief. The West Benton Fire and Rescue chief leaves his spot Wednesday He joined the department in 1993, after coming from Selah. “The governance board thanks Chief Merritt for his dedication to the department through the years and wishes him well on his retirement,” said David Moon, the West Benton Regional Fire Authority board chairman.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2017 2:56:30 AM - SOURCE: Mid-Columbia Tri-City Herald

After Olympia fire crews responded to a fire at the former Reliable Steel building last month, Olympia Assistant Fire Chief Rob Bradley decided something needed to be done to prevent future fires. That’s because it was the fourth fire at the West Bay Drive location since September. “Enough is enough,” said Bradley Tuesday, recalling his reaction after being called back to the site last month.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2017 2:02:03 AM - SOURCE: Olympian

Volunteer firefighters in Ozark County could only watch as a fire destroyed their own station early Tuesday morning. The fire at the Gainesville Fire Department occurred one month to the day after flash flooding left a mess inside the station. The department hadn’t fully cleaned up from the flood waters when the fire occurred.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSFX/KOLR-TV FOX 27 Ozarks First

Upland Fire Chief Daniel Smith has settled a federal civil rights lawsuit against the borough, former police chief Nelson Ocasio and former council president Ed Mitchell, according to online court records.No details on the settlement were available Tuesday, but the suit filed by attorney Jacqueline Vigilante on behalf of Smith last year claimed Mitchell and Ocasio conspired to create false allegations against him and threatened bogus criminal charges unless he resigned from council in the wake of a dustup over improvements at the fire house.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Delaware County Daily Times