A fire which apparently began in a malfunctioning ceiling fan at the Madison Inn brought a quick response from the Oak Bluffs fire department Tuesday afternoon.

Against a bitter backdrop of union contract negotiations and charges of unfair labor practices, Oak Bluffs selectmen voted Tuesday to separate the functions of emergency medical service (EMS) personnel from call firefighters.

Oak Bluffs firefighters quickly put out a fire in a house off New York avenue Friday afternoon. There was nobody at the home at the time of the fire.

A rooftop solar array planned for the Oak Bluffs fire station could offset electricity costs for the town.

An Oak Bluffs woman who was seriously burned early Saturday morning in an Oak Bluffs house fire has been upgraded to good condition.

With the snip of a long red ribbon, the new $8.3 million Oak Bluffs fire station officially opened for business Tuesday. The station has nearly 20,000 square feet of space.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend proved a busy time for Island first responders, who responded to several calls, including a fire in a downtown Edgartown restaurant Saturday morning.

Two men were uninjured after the Jeep they were traveling in caught fire near the Big Bridge on Beach Road Friday afternoon. The Oak Bluffs fire department said their response was delayed because traffic did not yield to the emergency vehicles but they quickly extinguished the fire once they arrived.

In hiring and supervising members of his family, Oak Bluffs ambulance and fire chief John Rose broke conflict of interest rules, the state ethics commission said Monday. But the commission declined to fine Mr. Rose or call for a hearing, instead sending a letter explaining requirements of the law.

Oak Bluffs officials stood in a semi-circle on Monday, shovels ready, to mark the beginning of a major construction project. They faced a gray structure that’s been home to the fire department since 1973, but will soon be razed to make way for a new station.