Fire detectives, also known as investigators, are not born with their skills. They have to learn them, just like anyone else. In Minnesota, these detectives-in-training get a special kind of classroom: a house that has been set on fire on purpose. This house is in a rural part of Anoka County. A few weeks ago, the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office lit six differe...

Dennis Lehane, a well-known writer, has a deep understanding of fire. This comes from a personal experience where he survived a house fire in Boston. He was living on the top floor of an apartment building when a propane tank on the roof exploded, causing a massive blaze. The landlord was replacing the smoke detectors at the time, so none were working. Lehane is grat...

A man is in trouble after breaking into the Pennsylvania governor's house late at night. He started a fire that caused a lot of damage. The governor, his family, and guests had to leave the building quickly. This all happened during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The fire was put out early Sunday morning. No one got hurt. The man, Cody Balmer, was caught later that...

North Macedonia is currently in a state of shock and grief. A deadly fire swept through a nightclub in Kocani, a town about 50 miles east of the capital, Skopje. The disaster claimed at least 59 lives and left at least 155 people injured. The fire started during a concert when fireworks set the roof ablaze. As families mourn and wait anxiously by hospital beds, t...

In the spring of 2021, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) issued a health advisory for residents on French Island. The worry? Potential contamination of private wells by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called "forever chemicals" because they stick around in the environment for a long time. Campbell residents, especially those in the s...