PHOTO: A firefighter battling the Hewlett Gulch Fire, burning northwest of Fort Collins, was treated for minor injuries last night. The fire grew to about 982 acres Tuesday, according to the United States Forest Service. The fire is 5 percent contained. The firefighter, whose name has not been released, was treated and released. Most of the growth took place along the north and northwest border of the fire Tuesday. There was some growth overnight.

VIDEO/PHOTO: According to firefighters, the two could not see the fire from their vantage point, so they came down a crevice. Rocks in the crevice came loose and Burke got stuck. Dewie then went to get help from a firefighter. Larimer County Search and Rescue came in and used ropes from the top of the crevice to put a harness around Burke and pull him out. They had to use 60 feet of rope. Burke was stuck for a few hours, but was not hurt.

VIDEO: A volunteer fire department in Yuma County has agreed to remove kegs of beer stocked in its firehouse following concerns raised by two community members who said alcohol in the firehouse was a potential liability problem; and that firefighters had shown up on calls visibly impaired, an assertion many firefighters dispute. "We believe the mission was accomplished," said Sue Jarrett, who, with her husband Dean, had vigorously lobbied for the Wauneta Volunteer Fire Department to remove two kegs of beer that were a fixture in the Wauneta fire hall.

The national forest surrounding Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley is ripe for wildfires, according to Scott Fitzwilliams, supervisor of the White River National Forest. But while the Forest Service and other agencies are prepared to fight them, there may be times when the agency lets fires burn despite the tinder-dry conditions, Fitzwilliams told Pitkin County commissioners Tuesday.

Lightning from overnight storms is being blamed for a fire at Dow's Rohm and Haas plant overnight. Bristol Borough schools are closed today because of fumes from the fire. Officials at the scene said a fire police officer who was directing traffic apparently suffered a fatal heart attack after going home because he felt ill. He is confirmed as fire police officer Dave Wintz, 65. Officials say a lightning strike ignited a pair of chemical storage tanks at around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday.

A Clark County firefighter who was fired a year ago for misusing sick-leave privileges will get his job back. Arbitrator Michael Rappaport ordered Clark County to rehire Donald Munn in his arbitration order, even though he concluded Munn violated a policy banning the use of county computers to tell a colleague how to "call in sick on days that he had previously scheduled for vacation." That violation will only result in a written reprimand.

Emergency response times provided by Los Angeles fire officials to the public and City Hall leaders cannot be trusted because of problems with software used to prepare the numbers, according to a report by an expert assigned to audit the Fire Department's data analysis. The report called on the department to stop using the software until the problem is fixed and recommended an overhaul of the unit that analyzes statistics for Fire Chief Brian Cummings, according to a copy obtained Monday night by The Times.

Town Council of the Borough of Chambersburg authorized the filing of a lawsuit against the International Association of Fire Fighters 1813 (the union representing paid fire fighters in the Borough), Fire Captain Patrick Martin, who works as a paid fire fighter in the borough, and Scott McNew, another paid firefighter who works for the borough. Borough Solicitor G. Bryan Salzmann filed a complaint and requested the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas to immediately issue an injunction requiring the defendants to stop requesting and/or directing various volunteer firefighters from responding to fires within the Borough.

Fire and rescue workers are optimistic that an investigation will determine who has interfered with public safety radio communications – and impeded their response to a fire in a mobile home park Saturday. Fire Chief Skip Wood said Southern Maine Communications, the radio equipment vendor that was monitoring radio traffic during Saturday's fire, has narrowed down the number of radios that might have been used to jam the transmissions. "If it continues, I believe they'll catch him," Wood said Tuesday.