Emergency crews respond to office building fire in Huntsville

Multiple fire crews battled an office building fire at 2805 Governors Drive in Huntsville Monday morning. Crews were dispatched to the fire after a person driving by called it into 911 around 4:40 a.m., according to District Fire Chief David Whitman. When News 19 arrived on the scene, flames could be seen coming out of the building’s roof and fire crews were at work to try to put out the blaze. Huntsville Police shut down the Eastbound lanes of Governors Drive while crews were working. A couple of hours later, they were able to reopen two lanes. Officers were on the scene assisting with traffic control. By 7 a.m., all lanes were reopened. Whitman said they are unsure what caused the fire but they have the blaze under control.
WHNT-TV CBS 19 Huntsville

Heavy damage reported to Madison apartment building following fire

Madison Fire and Rescue say they were called to the 100 block of Royal Drive around 11:30 Sunday morning for reports of a fire at an apartment complex. Madison firefighters arrived in about six minutes and had the fire out within 30 minutes. At least four apartments were damaged. Two have pretty heavy damage, according to Madison Fire and Rescue. It's unclear at this time what caused the fire. No injuries were reported. Huntsville fire and Rescue encourage everyone to make sure they have multiple working smoke detectors in their home.
WAAY-TV ABC 31 Huntsville

Huntsville Fire & Rescue responds to house fire

Huntsville fire crews were called to the 6200 block of Angus Circle around 11:00 Sunday morning for reports of a fire. Huntsville firefighters say the fire started in kitchen and quickly spread throughout the home. Four units responded to the home to put out the fire. Everyone that was inside was able to get out safely. No injuries were reported.
WAAY-TV ABC 31 Huntsville

Wildfires in Talladega National Forest 95% contained; Cheaha State Park and trails opened

The USDA Forest Service has reopened all trails in the Talladega National Forest. Both wildfires are now 95% contained. “We appreciate the fire crews’ hard work to contain the wildfires and the show of kindness from the community. Everyone working together has made a difference.”, said USDA Forest Service District Ranger Linwood Butler. As of Friday afternoon, the USDA Forest Service has reopened all trails in the Talladega National Forest near Cheaha Wilderness and Cheaha State Park due to the wildfires being 90% contained and favorable weather conditions. Fire crews are still present at the "Duck Nest" and "Fall Branch" wildfire locations conducting mop up and rehabilitation activities. Drivers and visitors near those areas are asked to be cautious as firefighters and their equipment are near the roads and trails.
WVTM-TV CBS 13 Birmingham

A training tower has been built at the Enterprise Central Fire station

If you drive by the Main Central Fire station on Plaza Drive in Enterprise, you may be in for a surprise. Within 24-hours, a crew from Texas assembled a 47-foot training tower in the parking lot of the Enterprise Central Fire Station. For Fire Chief Chris Davis and his predecessor, "retired" Chief Byron Herring, they long sought the structure which is just under 50-feet. Due to a construction boom along the boll weevil circle, several multi-story hotels have been constructed. The tower will provide his 50 firefighters the ability to practice attacking a high-rise building. Davis says "The ability with this we can do pump operations, tactics, approaching floors that may be on fire and obviously technical rescue. This tower gives us the opportunity to do anything we could want to train on other than live fire."
WDHN-TV ABC 18 Dothan

Florence city employees to receive $4K bonus

From ice storms to keeping the recycling center running and being a first responder, City of Florence Essential workers didn’t take a day off through the pandemic. “We were out working every day and never missed a day of work,” said Done Lane. And now through the American rescue plan funds full-time city employees are getting a $4000 and part-time $2,000 bonus just in time for the holidays. “We stayed working and now it’s finally paying off,” said Lane. Lane has worked for the city for 25 years and he said: “I’ve never had a bonus period.” The city of Florence received 8.5 million dollars in recovery funds. “We felt like the four thousand was the best way to really show the employees that we appreciate their service and what a good job they’ve done while working through the pandemic,” said Dick Jordan.
WAFF-TV NBC 48 Huntsville

DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, first responders receive grant for new communications tower

After five decades, an outdated communications tower at the DeKalb Sheriff’s Office will soon be replaced thanks to half a million dollars in grant funding. During emergencies, first responders and law enforcement are the first ones to respond and it all comes through a tower, which was aging and unreliable. DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden told 48 News, it’s been a challenge at times. “There have been times where parts of the system have gone down in the middle of the night, and we are only able to use a certain tower in the county, which will limit the capability of the town on different ends,” said Sheriff Welden. The new communications tower will be replaced, which Sheriff Welden said will cut down on response times for first responders and make them more competitive with surrounding agencies.
WAFF-TV NBC 48 Huntsville