fire

Fighting fires has evolved, but federal safety regulations haven’t changed for nearly half a century. Now the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed new safety standards. It's great news for career and paid firefighters, but volunteer departments say the new rules could bog them down with expensive and irrelevant regulations.

George C. Hale served as the Chief of the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department, for 31 years. At the end of the 19th century, he revolutionized firefighting with his more than 60 patented inventions, including the Hale Water Tower and the telephone fire alarm, and helped bring the country's fire departments into the modern era.

More than 300,000 people are expected to head to Sedalia for the Missouri State Fair. Keeping that many people safe is a responsibility that’s actually too big for the town of about 22,000 people — but each year they get plenty of help.

Mayor Quinton Lucas has sponsored an ordinance that would combine the KCPD and KCFD communication centers. Neither police nor fire are enthused.

Fireworks have been used to dazzle and entertain for centuries. These spectacles can seem out of this world, and they’re directly related to Kate the Chemist’s favorite subject: chemistry. Kate answers your questions about fireworks, including what causes their sound, colors and even smell.

Just a month after a fire left the historic Warwick Theatre charred and out of commission, the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre will perform this week in a temporary space while the community rallies to help out.

Data surveyed by the U.S Drought Monitor show that the percentage of "abnormally dry" conditions in Missouri is 93%, up from 7.5% just three months ago. The Kansas City area is in a "moderate drought." Fire officials say that could increase the possibility of fires being ignited by consumer fireworks.

A fire at a recycling plant on Friday morning sent smoke billowing miles away, impacting air quality across the metro. By Saturday, fire fighters managed to control the fire and air quality levels in the area are considered "acceptable."

A fire knocked out the heat in a Northeast Kansas City apartment complex Friday, leaving residents in the cold indefinitely. The property owner, who serves on the board of a housing advocacy nonprofit, blames the issue on unhoused people breaking into the building. But the building has a history of code violations.

What is believed to have started as a mulch fire spread to both sides of Interstate 470.

The Bovee Fire has scorched central Nebraska’s Sandhills region, destroying the storied camp and taking the life of a local volunteer firefighter.

The bar has been a staple of the Westport entertainment district for decades.