With surging interest in county and state fire training programs, the Erie County Fire Training Academy sent out a call to obtain apparatus of its own -- and departments answered.

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A massive fire at a metal recycling facility in Fontana sent thick plumes of smoke into the air Wednesday morning as powerful Santa Ana winds pushed flames toward neighboring businesses and prompted several road closures.

The second-alarm fire broke out at a scrap yard at 14187 Slover Ave. in South Fontana, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

Fire officials said the flames engulfed a large pile of metal debris, with winds reaching 25 mph driving the fire south and threatening adjacent commercial properties.

Video shared by the department showed towering flames tearing through piles of scrap metal as thick clouds of smoke filled the sky. As firefighters worked to contain the blaze, the Fontana Police Department announced several traffic restrictions to allow emergency crews to safely access the area.

KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles

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VIDEO: A drone from the Logan-Rogersville Fire Department gave neighboring firefighters a new view of the front lines as Highlandville firefighters and crews from other departments battled a 200-acre fire in Stone County Monday afternoon.

The fire burned more than 200 acres and marked the department’s second large-acreage fire in three days. The fire spread along Curbow Road in Stone County, and flames crossed a river as wind picked up to 30 mph, creating an additional fire for crews to battle.

Highlandville Fire Chief Stephens said he is uncertain what caused the fire. Using Logan-Rogersville’s drone, crews identified critical hotspots and tracked where flames crossed the river.

The aerial view gave Highlandville firefighters a better understanding of how the fire was spreading. It was the first time Stephens and his crew had seen a fire response supported by the Logan-Rogersville department’s drone.

“I was pretty impressed by it. I had never used one of them. I’d never been around one of them. Never been around one, never seen one,” Stephens said.

Logan-Rogersville Assistant Fire Chief Grant Peters said Captain Wescoat piloted the drone and crews were able to identify crucial areas.

KYTV NBC 3 Springfield

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Body camera video captured the desperate effort to rescue a 4-year-old boy trapped inside a burning home in Mississippi.

Sister station WAPT News has obtained exclusive video from the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office showing flames engulfing the home as firefighters spray water on the fire and neighbors and deputies search through smoldering debris for the child.

After several minutes of digging through the wreckage with his bare hands, neighbor Kennard Hodge pulls the boy from the debris. “I got him! I got him!” someone shouts in the body camera footage. Neighbors and first responders can be heard clapping and cheering as they urge the child to keep going.

Edwards Police Chief Terrence Crump described the rescue as extraordinary. “This was nothing short of a miracle,” Crump said. Six children were inside the home on Utica Street when the fire started around 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Neighbors rushed toward the burning home, breaking windows and risking their own safety to get the children out. Five children made it outside, but the 4-year-old remained missing. The newly obtained body camera video captures the moment Hodge pulled the youngest child from the debris and the frantic efforts that followed to save his life.

KMBC-TV ABC 9 Kansas City

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Tacoma police are investigating a fire at a multi-million-dollar property owned by former NFL player and Washington Huskies player Desmond Trufant as arson, after fire investigators determined the fire was intentionally set. The property is used as an event space for weddings and other celebrations.

Neighbors said they woke up to sirens and heavy smoke as the fire burned early Tuesday. “As soon as we walked out the front door, we see all of this black smoke,” neighbor Iaunia Taylor said. Another neighbor, identified as Ivn, said the fire appeared to grow quickly.

“I came and I looked and was like, ‘Oh, it is on fire! Hey, call the fire department,’” Ivn said. Neighbors worried the flames could spread to surrounding homes. “It was, like, small, but it grew really fast,” Ivn said. Taylor said the fire’s proximity to neighboring properties was frightening.

KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

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