VIDEO/PHOTOS: Emergency crews brought the flames from a pipeline explosion in Wallis in Fort Bend County under control about an hour after it occurred. The explosion happened at 15400 JoAnn near FM 1952, between Wallis and Orchard. Orchard is about 15 minutes north of Rosenberg. Drought having big impact on crops and farmers in Waller County On the way to the scene in SkyEye, helicopter reporter Tammy Rose said the flames could be seen from 30 miles away. According to the county's office of emergency management, this happened in an isolated area in a field. Energy Transfer owns the pipeline. Fort Bend County Judge KP George said that residents surrounding the area were evacuated as a precaution. No injuries were reported and there was minimal property damage as a result.  

What began as a job for San Antonio firefighters has now become a police investigation. Homicide detectives are combing through the burned out remains of an apartment northwest of downtown where two people died overnight. The incident occurred around 12:20 a.m. in the 900 block of Waverly Place, not far from Culebra Road and North Zarzamora Street. A public information officer with the San Antonio Fire Department said firefighters arrived to find the back apartment fully engulfed in flames. They managed to knock the fire down quickly, but found both a man in his 30s and woman in her late 40s deceased, fire officials said. The cause of the fire is not currently known. SAPD detectives and an arson investigation team are now on scene. The San Antonio Fire Department, the San Antonio Police Department and EMS all answered the call.  

Volunteer fire departments are responding to hundreds of calls every year, and that number is consistently growing. Over the July 4th holiday weekend, crews responded to more than 120 fires across Lubbock County. Idalou Fire Chief Russ Perkins highlights the importance of manpower and resources. "You just don't know what's coming next," Perkins said. What is known, is someone is coming to help. Volunteer firefighters go without hesitation into those unpredictable situations, risking their own safety for others. "You'd be surprised what's out there," Perkins said. "When you run one of those off in a ditch or you run over an old electric motor that's laying out there, and now you're in the middle of it with fire all around you, it can get your attention in a short amount of time."  

A vacant warehouse going under renovations just east of downtown caught fire late Wednesday night, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. The fire was called in around 8:15 p.m. in the 1300 block of East Houston Street, not far from Interstate 37 and North Hackberry Street. Firefighters said when they arrived, they found the fire on the upper floors and saw plenty of smoke upon arrival. Firefighters said they first shot water at the outside of the building, since it's been known to be a potentially hazardous structure. The crews eventually transitioned and went inside, knocking down the fire in roughly 45 minutes, fire officials said. Authorities say construction workers had been working and had finished for the day when the fire happened. No one was inside and no injuries were reported.  

The Gatlin Creek Fire in Hays County is nearly contained at 90%, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service's latest update. The update, which came out Friday at 9:30 a.m., said the fire was around 257 acres large. The brush fire broke out Wednesday and prompted evacuations for 10 households. Crews from all over Hays County helped fight the blaze, as well as Travis County STAR Flight. The fire is located in the 2500 block of Gatlin Creek Road. That's southwest of Dripping Springs near Gatlin-Garrett Cemetery.  

VIDEO: The 11th annual Rodney Holder Memorial Guns & Hoses blood drive concluded Thursday, with more than 400 donors. Hoses, Abilene Fire Department (AFD) received 226 dedicated votes, while guns, Abilene Police Department (APD) received 187. With having the most votes, this year's winners were none other than the hoses. "In the end, we all win. Our community wins, the people that really need it – which are those that are in need of blood – they're going to benefit from this," said AFD Chief Cande Flores. The drive honors the life of fallen Abilene police officer Rodney T. Holder, who died in the line of duty on his motorcycle in 2010. His son, Kyler Holder told KTAB/KRBC seeing everyone coming out to support his father and donate blood is something he looks forward to every year.  

The US Coast Guard's Toledo Marine Safety Unit responded to a massive fire at the Son Rise Marina in Sandusky on Thursday. According to the Coast Guard's Great Lakes division, they responded to a pollution threat caused by the fire. Officials said multiple boats went up in flames. The Coast Guard said it is working with port partners to mitigate environmental impacts and to oversee the removal of the boats. It's unclear what sparked the fire.  

A report of a bomb threat Thursday afternoon at Dodge City Community College is the latest among similar threats made to campuses across the U.S., investigators confirmed. On the all reporting a bomb in the Arts classroom at Dodge City Community College, no suspicious device was located. The Dodge City Police Department said the call said the bomb was located at the back of a classroom and that it would detonate in a little more than one hour. "Police Fire and EMS responded and coordinated with campus security to evacuate the area and sweep the stated location," the Dodge City PD said. This followed college administration and security requesting the area be swept by a police K-9 specialized in detecting explosives.  

VIDEO: What better way to say 'thank you' than with a bottle of bourbon? That's what Old Forester is doing to commemorate the Firefighters who saved Whiskey Row seven years ago. The historic block in Downtown Louisville caught fire on July 7, 2015, and was nearly destroyed. Firefighters managed to safely put out the fire while also preserving the historic façade. As Louisville Fire Chief Gregory Frederick remembers, it was not an easy task. "It was a huge challenge for us," Frederick said. "Not to mention that it was such a large area, it was almost like having two separate fires. One on Washington Street, and one on Main Street." It took several hours for the firefighter to extinguish the blaze. Nearby business the Troll Pub went without damage. "We were extremely lucky," operating partner Ben Barker said.  

First responders must handle various disaster response situations, ranging from simple fire extinguishing drills or minor accidents to huge disasters such as terrorist attacks. While the job of all first responders, including firefighters, police and medics, is to prepare for often dangerous scenarios, there is always a risk of the first responders getting into the same trouble as those they attempt to rescue every day. This is where the robots come into play. The number of catastrophic global disasters continues to increase. Whenever it comes to emergency aid, it logically follows that more assistance is preferable to less. Fire Detectors. Fire is very dangerous and can cause a building to collapse within minutes if not attended to. Unfortunately, firefighters may not always be able to realize fires that have spread up to the ceiling or inside the walls.  

PHOTOS: At 25 years old, Destin firefighter and EMT Holly Heidenreich loves the extreme life. Most recently paddling 80 miles from Bimini, Bahamas to mainland Florida with her bare hands. With her teammate, Megan Scully from Lake Worth, Fla., the women made up the only prone board paddling team for the 2022 Crossing For Cystic Fibrosis challenge. The pair completed the 80 miles in 15 hours, 38 minutes and 41 seconds. Prone paddling is different than paddleboard or kayaking. Heidenreich said the paddler is on their stomach or knees using only their arms to propel them forward. "I went on my knees and it's definitely faster, but it will wear yourself out a bit more," said Heidenreich. "I laid on my stomach for most of it just hoping for the best and kept going"