VIDEO: Three Dallas firefighters were injured fighting a fire early Thursday. According to Dallas-Fire Rescue, the occupant of the home has been arrested for starting the fire. Firefighters were called to a house fire in the 2200 block of Mail Avenue near Dallas Love Field just after midnight. Officials said the occupant of the home made it out safely, but when firefighters entered through the front, they were overcome by extreme heat from a flash of flames. "The occupancy flashed over where pretty much anything in the building that was combustible would ignite instantly. Temperatures 1,100 degrees or more," said Justin Ball, Dallas Fire Rescue assistant chief. The conditions forced firefighters to retreat, but one of the firefighters became disoriented. That's when officials said a mayday call was made.  

The Colony Fire Department (TCFD) received a high honor recently as it was named EMS Provider of the Year by Texas Health Resources-Plano. The designation came five years into TCFD's paramedic-only program. This program separated the roles of paramedics and firefighters instead of combining the roles, a practice that is the norm among fire departments throughout Texas and was implemented by TCFD until 2017. "In order to increase our recruitment, we opened up this single-role paramedic [position]," TCFD Chief Scott Thompson said. "In other words, all they have to do is ride the ambulance; they never have to become firefighters. We allow them to do something that they're passionate about, and it's just worked really well."  

The Downsville Volunteer Fire Department announced today the passing of Downsville Active-Duty Firefighter Jeffery Bucher, commonly known as "Backflip". Firefighter Bucher passed away Thursday morning in a vehicle accident in Waco, at the young age of 23. Members of the volunteer fire department and Assistant Chief Andy Bird shared in a Facebook post that Jeffery joined the Department 2.5 years ago with the intentions to leave the world a better place, and that he did. They also said, Jeffery was always smiling and would give the best hugs and pats on the back every-time he saw you. He had no enemies, he knew no strangers! He was a great firefighter and a great asset to the Community! The world needs more people like Jeffery with his heart to volunteer and his compassion to his fire family, his brothers and sisters on DFD!  

When Denton firefighter Gary Weiland, 42, had his left leg amputated in 2018, he worried whether he could still be an example of strength for his children. "Physically, it was really hard to take, and mentally, it was even harder," Weiland said of his amputation. "When I looked at my kids, they looked at me like I was the most pathetic thing they've ever seen." Weiland vowed his children would never look at him like that again. He wanted to prove to them that nothing, not even losing a limb, should stop them from reaching their goals. Tuesday night, Weiland got the chance to prove his resilience when his run on American Ninja Warrior aired on national TV. Weiland took a break from his typical firefighter duties for 10 months after his leg was amputated due to complications from a knee-replacement operation. But he didn't sit idle.  

Four Athens firefighters were recognized Monday night for saving an elderly woman who was trapped in a house fire last month. Firefighter Jonathan Surlet, Fire Driver Jeremy Heddin, and Lt. Jeremy Glover received life-saving awards, while Capt. Chad Burks received a distinguished service award, according to the city of Athens. "These firefighters represent the best traditions of the fire service," Fire Chief Russell Marshall told the Athens City Council Monday night. The fire department responded to a house fire on Charlie Street June 6 and firefighters were told an elderly woman was trapped inside a bedroom between the fire and an exit. Firefighters were met with heavy smoke coming out of the house. Surlet went into the bedroom window with help from Glover and Heddin, and Surlet found the woman.  

VIDEO: A fire has left Triumphant Life Church in Hudson a total loss after pastor Rick Hanes noticed smoke coming from the roof vents shortly after 6:15 Wednesday evening. Hudson Fire Marshal Joe Burton says no one was hurt and his crew was able to respond quickly. "I believe it was the pastor, showed up yesterday evening to open the church for services and when they opened the doors, the church was filled with smoke," said Burton. "They called 911, and then as soon as they did, our guys were already at the station and then they responded fairly quickly." The Hudson fire department's mutual aid agreement allowed crews from all over Angelina County and from apple springs to assist in putting out the fire.  

With a wall of flames blocking the front door, Eli Hessler and his 14-year-old daughter safely fled their burning home at Broad and First streets when a massive fire broke out about 2 p.m. Thursday. Hessler's wife, Steph, and the couple's two other children were not home at the time. Hessler and his family were heartbroken that their three dogs perished in the multiple-alarm blaze that sent up columns of smoke that could be seen six miles away. "I went back in to try to get the dogs out, but they would not come out, and I couldn't stay in there," Hessler said. His daughter, who name was not provided, was watching television on the first floor and happened to look out when she saw the entire front porch engulfed. She ran upstairs to get her father, who was asleep. He works third shift.  

When Denton firefighter Gary Weiland, 42, had his left leg amputated in 2018, he worried whether he could still be an example of strength for his children. "Physically, it was really hard to take, and mentally, it was even harder," Weiland said of his amputation. "When I looked at my kids, they looked at me like I was the most pathetic thing they've ever seen." Weiland vowed his children would never look at him like that again. He wanted to prove to them that nothing, not even losing a limb, should stop them from reaching their goals. Tuesday night, Weiland got the chance to prove his resilience when his run on American Ninja Warrior aired on national TV. Weiland took a break from his typical firefighter duties for 10 months after his leg was amputated due to complications from a knee-replacement operation. But he didn't sit idle. He spent countless hours in the gym to get back to full duty.  

June 5, 2019 is a date that may be etched in the minds of Roswell residents forever. On that day 12 City of Roswell Fire Department firefighters suffered injuries when a warehouse near the Roswell International Air Center exploded. The firefighters were preparing fireworks for the Fourth of July when an aerial shell was ignited with an electric match, read an investigation from the New Mexico Fire Marshal's office, leading to the ignition of other explosives in the building. Two firefighters suffered extensive burn injuries and were transported to a burn unit in Lubbock, Texas. Firefighter Hoby Bonham was released from the burn unit on June 29, 2019, but his colleague firefighter Jeff Stroble died July 21, 2019 from his injuries. It's a painful memory according to City of Roswell spokesperson Todd Wildermuth who said "no one really wants to revisit that." Former Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh said June 5, 2019 reminded him there's a "dark side" to the firefighting profession.  

The Springfield Fire Department and Brockton Police Departments have been released from a nearly half-a-century-old consent decree that prioritizes the hiring of Black and Hispanic candidates in Massachusetts police and fire departments. U.S. District Court Judge Patti. B. Saris released the two departments from the state-mandated decree on Wednesday afternoon, court documents stated. The consent decree was originally installed during the 1970s after several lawsuits alleged that Boston police and fire departments discriminated against Black and Hispanic candidates while hiring incoming officers, according to court documents. The decree, which has been revised over recent years, states that city and town officials must follow hiring ratios intended to prioritize Black and Latino entry-level candidates. These set diverse ratios — or "parity goals" as stated in court records — vary by municipality and are based on population demographics.  

PHOTOS: When emergency dispatchers told Minnesota's Sleepy Eye Fire Department that a man was drowning in corn kernels, the volunteers knew they were facing a farm foe as deadly as a city's towering inferno. "It's just pulling them down like quicksand is what it is," Sleepy Eye Fire Chief Ron Zinniel told Coffee or Die Magazine. The incident began shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 28, along County Road 27 in Prairieville Township. Farmer Robert Nelson, 82, was trying to break apart a clump of kernels stuck in his grain bin so the corn could start flowing again through the auger. That's a device that carries grain into a silo for storage or pulls it out to load in a truck or wagon to take to market. Nelson thought he could jog the obstructed corn loose quickly, so he didn't bother to turn off the auger while he kneeled in the sea of seed. Then the kernels began to sluice swiftly through the machinery again, and he started sinking into a quagmire of corn.