The Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD), in partnership with Mayor Joe Hogsett and the Indianapolis City County Council, broke ground Wednesday, April 16, on the site for the new IFD Station 20, the department said in a press release.

The new station, located at 1330 North Emerson Avenue, will replace the current station located at 1452 North Emerson Avenue.

The two story station will house 15,733 square feet of operating space with three bays and house Engine 20 and Ladder 20 and a battalion chief. One unique detail to the look will be the use of bifold doors on the drive-through apparatus bays. The station will also boast a community room on the first floor along with bicycle parking for those who may bike to the meetings. The building’s exterior was designed to reflect the look and materials similar to others already used in the community.

The estimated cost of the project is $8 million. Funding came through general obligation bonds and City of Indianapolis funding for capital projects. The project timeline is set for just under 480 days with the station opening anticipated as early as mid-July 2026.

The current station, built in September 1952, has proudly served the Little Flower neighborhood for more than 73 years. It is the third location to serve as IFD Station 20 with the other two at 537 North Belleview Place (1898) and 352 North Beville Avenue (1901).

Speakers at the event included Mayor Joe Hogsett, IFD Chief Ernest Malone, Councilor Andy Nielsen, Councilor Jesse Brown and Joanna Harris, President of the Little Flower Neighborhood Association.

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Robert Harding
The Citizen, Auburn, N.Y.
(TNS)

As the Auburn Fire Department submits its nearly $8.7 million budget request for 2025-26, it is also renewing its call to replace aging vehicles.

Auburn Fire Chief Mark Fritz outlined the department’s budget at the Auburn City Council meeting Thursday. The request totals $8,699,157.90, up from $8,397,821 in 2024-25. The largest expense is salary and wages ($7,689,504.60), which will increase in the upcoming fiscal year due to contractual pay raises. Overtime is expected to decrease slightly, from $393,242 to $380,000.

Operating expenses will rise from $504,209 to $598,617. Those costs include fuel for vehicles, utilities at the department’s stations and physical exams for firefighters.

With the city facing an $8.6 million budget gap, Fritz told the council that he slashed more than $93,000 from the department’s operating budget.

“Every one of those cuts hurt just a little bit, but it is what it is,” he said.

One priority for Fritz is the replacement of aging vehicles. The city’s capital improvement program includes the purchase of two new fire engines, two command vehicles and a ladder truck. According to the capital plan, the fire engines will need to be replaced within the next year, while the ladder truck will need to be replaced within three years.

The city is seeking funding through state Sen. Rachel May to help cover the costs associated with buying new vehicles. Fritz explained the price tags have increased over time.

As an example, he said one fire truck cost $600,000 when he first requested it six years. Two years later, the truck’s price rose to $800,000. Now, a basic fire engine costs $1.2 million.

The cost of a new ladder truck also increased over the last six years. According to Fritz, what began as a $1.2 million expense is now $2.4 million.

The fire department needs to replace the vehicles because maintenance costs are rising. As the vehicles get older and need more repairs, the cost of maintaining them is “significant,” Fritz said.

Fritz’s presentation was one of several the City Council will hear this month as it develops the 2025-26 budget. The final budget will be approved in June.

© 2025 The Citizen, Auburn, N.Y.. Visit www.auburnpub.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Three people were injured after a truck and an ambulance collided at the intersection of Williamsbridge Road and Pelham Parkway early Tuesday morning.  

The crash left the Crystal Fruits and Vegetables delivery truck flipped onto its side, with debris scattered across the sidewalk. The ambulance sustained heavy front-end damage, with airbags deployed, ABC 7 reports.

The driver of the truck and the driver and passenger of the ambulance were taken to Jacobi Hospital with minor injuries.

The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. as the produce truck was on its way to deliver food to a nearby assisted living facility. The accident remains under investigation.

Visit ABC 7 for more.

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BRAD NYGAARD and BLAKE NICHOLSON
The Bismarck Tribune, N.D.
(TNS)

Two firefighters were injured while helping battle a wildfire in Sheridan County over the weekend, and one of them was flown to a Twin Cities burn hospital.

The blaze Saturday also destroyed a wildland rescue truck the firefighters were on. The fire was started by a controlled burn that got out of control, according to an account posted by Goodrich Fire Department Chief Brian Galvin and reposted by the state Department of Emergency Services.

Strong wind gusts and shifting winds made fighting the fire difficult, Galvin said. He estimated the fire speed at about 6 inches per second and described it as “massive and chaotic.” The size of the blaze dubbed the Highway 14 Fire was estimated at 4,100 acres — nearly 6 ½ square miles, according to DES spokeswoman Alison Vetter. No structures or livestock were lost, according to Galvin.

Sheridan County Sheriff Trent Naser confirmed to the Tribune that one of the injured firefighters is Jaiden Bauer, of McClusky. The other injured firefighter is Casey Quale, of Wing, according to Wing Fire Chief Frank Hein. Quale was treated at a hospital and released, and is recovering at home, Hein said. Quale declined comment to the Tribune.

Bauer and his family farm and ranch in the area, according to information posted on the Meal Train meal support website. He was listed in fair condition Monday at Regions Hospital Burn Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, according to a hospital spokesman.

Another large wildfire dubbed the Potato Hill Fire occurred over the weekend in Emmons County. Heavy smoke prompted the closure of state Highway 1804 about 15 miles south of Bismarck for about 2 ½ hours Saturday evening, according to the Highway Patrol. The blaze scorched an estimated 3,000 acres, or about 4 ½ square miles, according to DES. A North Dakota National Guard Black Hawk helicopter was called in to assist with water drops. The cause of the fire was being investigated.

Emmons County video of North Dakota National Guard Black Hawk assist for wildfire

Both of the weekend fires were contained. Another recent large fire in the region, the Cedar River Fire in Adams County, was fully contained Sunday evening, according to Perkins County (South Dakota) State’s Attorney Shane Penfield, who also serves as a fire marshal and public information officer for the Lemmon Fire Department. Firefighting operations were assisted by one-fourth inch of rainfall overnight Saturday, he posted.

The Cedar River Fire, which started Wednesday, scorched 8,730 acres — nearly 14 square miles. It burned several structures including a hunting lodge, but no injuries were reported, according to the Lemmon Fire Department.

The fire danger rating in south central North Dakota on Monday was low to moderate following weekend rains, but it was listed as high in most of western North Dakota, which is mired in moderate, severe or extreme drought. No large active fires were listed on the DES dashboard Monday afternoon.

More rain fell in North Dakota on Monday. The workweek forecast from the National Weather Service called for more chances of precipitation across the state Wednesday night into Thursday