VIDEO/PHOTOS: Firefighters have contained the fire that destroyed the home of former National Football League player and Southeast Texas native Earl Thomas. The home is located at FM 1130 and Bear Path Drive in Orange. Chief Matt Manshack with Little Cypress Fire and Orange County ESD 3 says they got the call around 5:15 p.m. Thursday. First crews on scene noticed heavy smoke and flames at the Southeast corner of Thomas' house. When they tried to get in, the smoke was too thick so they had to pull back and go into what he called "defensive mode." The cause of the fire is not confirmed, but officials are not ruling out lightning as a possible cause. The 12news StormTrackers reviewed radar data and found a lot of lighting with the storms that moved through Orange Thursday afternoon.  

The El Paso Fire Department hosted a graduation ceremony for Firefighter Class 100 on Thursday. A total of 29 graduates spent months undergoing intense training, studying and preparation to serve the City of El Paso. "It feels good sir, it's been a long seven months and it feels good to finally come to the end of a goal that I've had since I was in high school," said Jacqueline Morales, who was the only female graduate in the class. Morales said she graduated with her brother and both of them supported each other. "It's both mentally and physically challenging but it's worth the fight. It's worth the fight because here we are today, here I am standing in my uniform and it's the greatest feeling ever," said Morales. During the ceremony, the trainees had their badges pinned by their loved ones.  

VIDEO: Wednesday night's storms caused some serious issues for homeowners in Katy after a lightning bolt struck a home causing it to burst into flames. Video being shared in a neighborhood Facebook group shows the moments a massive lightning bolt struck a home on Murano Gardens Court near Clay Road in Katy. Connie and her husband live across the street and were watching the storm from their window Wednesday evening when they witnessed mother nature's wrath. "Lightning will strike wherever it pleases," said Connie, who lives across the street. "We saw this intense bright light and then instantly this loud boom, and my husband was like oh no that hit a house." Moments after the lightning strike, black smoke could be seen shooting from the roof, and it wasn't long before the entire home was up in flames.  

VIDEO: To lower the risk of cancer, firefighters are required to have two sets of bunker gear, so one can be worn while the other set is cleaned after fighting a fire. The Longview Fire Department is close to placing an order for 54 second sets of gear. Approval for the $175,000 cost will be voted on by Longview City Council tonight. The gear expires in ten years, is custom made for the firefighter, and goes through rigorous testing at least once a year. "A rip and tear test, where we check our seams and make sure it's all intact still. There's a hydro test at one PSI, where we check the inner liner to make sure the moisture barrier is still intact. And, a light test for the same inner liner to make sure things haven't moved around inside," LFD Captain Marcus Delaney said.  

Marcus Rabren is pulling out all the photo albums from their protective display case at the firehouse. He wants everyone who stops by Saturday to see Brazoria's 75 years of volunteer firefighting history as the department celebrates with free food and a fire-training demonstration. Rabren joined the Brazoria Volunteer Fire Department 42 years ago, serving as its chief from 1993-97 and again from 1998 to 2011. Now he's the secretary/treasurer and historian, and he's a fierce advocate of volunteer firefighters. He's also a recruiter. "We need volunteers so badly," he said Wednesday. Looking at the old photo albums, he recalled that the department was organized in April 1947 with 21 members. That's three more people than are on the call-out roster now.  

VIDEO: Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace says an arsonist started several fires near Groveton overnight. "We've got someone going around playing with matches again," said Sheriff Woody Wallace. The fires were set along Rainey Ave., Due Rd., and Ed West Rd. in Groveton between 3 and 3:30 a.m. Fire crews responded to a call at 3:30 a.m. and put out the fires with minimal damage. Moreover, the person responsible "left a couple pieces of evidence behind; they just don't realize it yet," Wallace said. "I promise you, this person is going to get arrested." Even so, the Sheriff's Office is asking for help from anyone who might have information on the culprit, especially video footage from Ring or other security cameras. "Not many people are going to be on the road at that time," Wallace said, so they would like to know about anyone suspicious who passed by.  

Authorities on Thursday identified the three people killed in a house explosion that rocked a suburban Indiana neighborhood and damaged nearly 40 homes. Meanwhile, officials were still investigating the cause of Wednesday's blast. Initially, Evansville Fire Department Chief Mike Connelly said the explosion was accidental but later retracted that sentiment, explaining the state fire marshal would lead the probe to determine a cause. Surveillance footage from a nearby building showed a burst before debris exploded into the air, followed by a billow of smoke. Evansville Fire Department officials said 11 of the 39 damaged homes were uninhabitable after the blast. The neighborhood was in tatters Wednesday, the splintered remains of homes flung across the road. First responders searched for victims.  

PHOTOS: In a nondescript warehouse outside of Atlanta, nestled among the office parks and chain restaurants that pepper suburban America, AT&T is preparing for catastrophe. This is one of the company's Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) sites, a place where a volunteer group of AT&T workers can test and train on equipment that can quickly spin up connectivity when a local office is destroyed. Longtime Engadget readers may remember our 2008 visit to a similar Chicago-area site, only a year after the launch of the iPhone and long before the company started deploying 4G LTE. Given just how much the world has changed since then — with smartphones in practically every pocket, and billion-dollar weather and climate disasters on the rise. Originally launched in 1991, AT&T has spent over $650 million in the US building up the NDR program (up $100 million since 2008).  

Nearly a half-century after arson killed 32 people in a New Orleans gay bar, the City Council has renewed the search for the remains of four victims, including three who were never identified. The UpStairs Lounge burned on June 24, 1973, killing 31 men, including two whose mother died with them, and injuring another woman and 14 men. Ferris LeBlanc, 50, a World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and three bodies burned past identification were buried next to each other in the city's unmarked "potter's field." The motion passed Thursday directs the city attorney, property management director and chief administrative officer to provide "all reasonable assistance" toward recovering the remains.  

The Milwaukee Fire Department has opened the door for more people to become firefighters. Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the change is a long time coming. The Milwaukee Fire Department can now hire anyone who is legally hirable, whether they're a United States citizen or not. Chief Lipski said the department can benefit from more diversity, people who are multilingual and anyone who wants to serve their community. "The word opportunity comes to mind for a lot of people," said Lipski. "Let's make sure everybody's welcome at the table." In the land of opportunity, Chief Lipski wants to invite more people in. "If someone is otherwise legally hirable, whether or not they are a U.S. citizen, that's fine with us," said Lipski.  

It's the deadlier than fire, on-the-job danger every firefighter faces - cancer. The CDC has found cancer is now the leading cause of death among firefighters, and the World Health Organization has now defined firefighting as a cancer-causing profession. In May 2021, News 13 debuted its investigative documentary Deadlier than Fire, focusing on the need for presumptive worker's compensation benefits for North Carolina firefighters diagnosed with cancer. Now, News 13 has gotten an exclusive look at an app that helps connect firefighters with potentially lifesaving data through a new cancer-exposure tracking component. "It's more than a career, Mike Marshall said, flipping back through a photo album of his time working for Asheville Fire Department. It's been 17 years since the former captain retired. "It's just a brotherhood, it's a bond," Marshall said.