A residential fire in Niagara County prompted a multi-department emergency response Saturday morning after flames originating in a chimney began spreading toward the attic of a home. All residents were able to escape safely.According to the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, emergency dispatchers received a report of a possible structure fire at 2860 Drum Road in the town of Hartland at approximately 10:36 a.m. on Saturday.Three people were arrested on gang assault charges following an investigation into an incident in the town. Ellicottville police arrested Ariel J. Aswash, 22, of Cheektowaga, Arianna M. Robinson, 20, of Buffalo, and Eddaejia C. Keene, 26, of Buffalo, on Oct. 24, 2026. All three were charged with second-degree gang assault.The Lewiston Police Department reported the arrest this week of two Rochester-area residents who were found to be part of a multistate burglary operation that had been targeting professional offices and buildings, including two in the area. Police Chief Mike Salada said officers responded to three separate calls for service on Sept. 13. Professional offices in the Village and Town of Lewiston area were reportedly entered during the day, and employees’ wallets allegedly taken by a male and female listed as suspectsNiagara County took in $3.7 million in opioid settlement funds meant to fight addiction, and through the end of 2024 it had spent none of it, according to a state report. The county ranked second-worst in New York for its overdose death rate in 2020 and remained among the state's ten worst counties for overdose deaths in 2023, even as the money sat untouched.