5 . A Virginia family whose home was destroyed by a fire last week recently received the gift of some old-fashioned Christmas cheer from “Santa Claus” (圣诞老人).

In the spirit of Christmas, the Ferrum Volunteer Fire Department delivered presents to the family who lost their home and belongings in a house fire on Thursday.

“It was a working structure fire and unfortunately the family lost everything. We as volunteers knew that we couldn’t let this mom and her three kids go through Christmas without anything,” the fire station wrote on Facebook. “Yes, they’re OK but it’s Christmas, right?”

The fire station officials delivered Christmas gifts to the mother and her three children the following day at the local church shelter they were staying at, and in photos posted on the site, the children appeared joyful.

“We brought gifts and more gifts! The kids were overjoyed and very grateful.” the station said on its post.

“They were very happy to see all the gifts and the fire trucks that we brought the gifts in,” the department told USA TODAY. The kids received Barbies, Pokémon, artworks, remote control cars, blankets, clothes and shoes. The mother also received a gift card.

The Facebook post was flooded with what seemed to be comments from community members touched by the generosity. “The best Christmas gifts are the ones you give! Thank you all for your wonderful service and your big hearts!” one user commented.

“So thankful they are alright! We are truly blessed to live in such a giving and helping community, and our fire department and rescue teams are amazing! Great job! So proud!” another user wrote.

6 . In a heart-pounding display of courage and quick thinking, a 65-year-old crane operator became an unexpected hero as he rescued a man trapped on top of a towering building engulfed in flames.

Glen Edwards, a crane operator from Egham, was expressing his gratitude after a tense rescue operation in Reading last Thursday. Edwards found himself in a challenging situation as he navigated circling winds to save a man trapped by smoke and flames on a building. The dramatic rescue unfolded amid thick black smoke, making visibility nearly impossible

When the alarm sounded, Edwards, who had a concrete skip on his crane, wasted no time the moment he spotted the distressed man waving his coat. Employing his experience and knowledge of the area, Edwards attached a metal cage to the crane, carefully considering his options for the rescue. However, the challenging conditions, with smoke sheltering his view, added an extra layer of difficulty to the operation.

With a colleague providing guidance and a concerned crowd watching from below, Edwards skillfully operated the crane to rescue the man. The onlookers erupted in cheers and applause as the man was safely lifted to the ground.

Reflecting on the intense experience, Edwards remarked, “It seemed to pass a long time until the man got inside. The adrenaline (肾上腺素) was pumping.” He admitted to experiencing shaking after the rescue, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.

Despite the successful operation, Edwards is yet to meet the man he saved, humorously noting, “He’s got to take me across the road for a drink!”

The heartwarming part of this story is the overwhelming support Edwards has received from well-wishers. A fund-raising page was set up to “buy Edwards a beer as a sign of gratitude,” initially aiming for £5,000 but now standing at an impressive ₤9,100. The community’s response has left Edwards deeply moved. He stated, “It means a lot; some of the comments have been absolutely fantastic.”

7 . The five passengers on board the Titan submersible (潜水器) traveling to the Titanic wreckage (残骸) are believed to be dead, the vessel’s operator and the US Coast Guard said.

They reached the conclusion after a days-long search for the wreckage from the submersible on the ocean floor, indicating a failure of the vessel’s body that would be impossible to survive.

“The wreckage, found not far from the remains of the Titanic, was consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber and there was a catastrophic implosion (内爆),”said US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger.

OceanGate Expeditions, which operated the submersible, gave a statement of its own confirming the deaths.

Five men were on board: the British billionaire Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, former French navy diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.

The Titan submersible, a 21-foot-long vessel, set off Sunday to explore the remains of the Titanic located nearly 13,000 feet underwater, hundreds of miles off the coast of North America.

But after an hour and 45 minutes into the expedition, the Titan lost communications with its mothership at the surface.

Eight hours passed before OceanGate contacted the Coast Guard, which launched a wide-ranging rescue effort that lasted until Thursday.

Hoping the vessel was still intact, Coast Guard officials estimated the submersible had 96 hours of breathable oxygen when it first left for its destination. That deadline passed without resolution on Thursday morning, though the wreckage was located later that day.

Evidence shows that the implosion took place within hours of the submersible setting off, meaning the passengers would have been dead before anybody really started looking for them.

Hopes were raised on Wednesday after searchers said they detected a big sound in the general search area. But it was a false lead. The Coast Guard said on Thursday there didn’t seem to be any connection between the noise and the location on the sea floor.

8 . The reopening of an Asian American-owned bookstore in Manhattan's Chinatown following a January fire has received a warm welcome back from its supporters.

Yu &. Me Books, which is regarded as the first female-owned Asian American bookshop in New York City, has raised more than $369,000 for repairs since a tragic fire on January 4. It reopened on Wednesday. "We are so excited to welcome you all back to our Yu &. Me Books home," the store announced on Instagram. "We can't wait to shed tears, laugh loudly and open our hearts with all of you who have made us feel at home."

The fire in an apartment above the bookstore on Mulberry Street killed one of the building's residents. Smoke and water damage also devastated Yu & Me Books, destroying almost all its inventory and equipment, according to a GoFundMe campaign that store owner Lucy Yu set up to make up for the costs.

During the restoration and renovation (翻新) of the original bookstore, the business operated from a location within The Market Line, an underground marketplace on the Lower East Side, and several pop-up shops (临时店铺) in the city.

"It was a bookstore I always wanted to visit, and I'm so happy that they were able to reopen," Charlotte Leinbach, a teacher for New York City's Education Department said. Leinbach hadn't been to the bookstore before the fire, but she had heard quite a bit about its fate. She bought two books, the second and third in the series Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

"It's hard to find a lot of books written in Japanese, and then translated into English," she said. "The design of the bookstore is really nice, and the layout is great. I am glad that they also sell used books. I love buying new books because it's fresh and it's nice, but it's always nice to see people in the community giving their books back and reselling and just passing them on." She said she will continue to support the women-run small businesses that focus on people and authors of color.

"I actually came on the day of the opening, but there were too many people, and it was too crowded, so I just haven't had a chance to look at it," Liam Li, another Asian American, said. "This place is unique. It's in Chinatown. As Asians live in New York City, I feel this offers the most space for the community. I understand like a minority in this society, it is not easy to have a store like this," she added.

9 . In a remote mountainous region in Pakistan, a cable car carrying six children and two adults became stuck in mid-air. However, this terrifying incident resulted in a remarkable display of bravery and intelligence as ordinary bystanders stepped up to save lives.

The incident began like any other day when the small group started their typical daily journey to school and the local shops aboard the shaky three cables broke, causing it to be suspended in the air.

Immediately, multiple rescue efforts were set into motion. The rescue mission lasted for over 10 hours. Military helicopters and local experts attempted to rescue the stuck car. However, the complex terrain (地形) and the cable car’s unsafe position made progress slow. By nightfall, the helicopter team had only rescued one child from the car.

The local administration called upon two local brothers, Sahib and Nasir, for their expert skill in operating temporary cable cars in the region. With limited resources available, the Khan brothers thought up a clever idea to reach the stuck cable car. They constructed a small temporary car using a zip line, allowing them to move over the risky terrain and approach the hanging cable car.

Nasir remained on the ground, assisting with the pulley (滑轮) system. Sahib bravely boarded the temporary car and started a dangerous journey to ward the stuck children. Once he reached the hanging car, Sahib carefully tied a rope around the children in the car. Making several trips, he secured the children and carried them across one at a time. He successfully transported two children to safety in this fashion.

With Sahib’s courageous efforts paving the way, local rescuers took over, using the same method to bring the remaining three children and the two adults back to safety. This heroic rescue mission is a powerful reminder that when people work together with a common goal in mind, they can brainstorm, even in the face of challenges that seemingly can’t be tackled successfully.