A woman died in a house fire Friday morning in north Austin, the Austin Fire Department said. AFD tweeted about the deadly fire at 4:13 a.m. and said it was at a home on Little Fatima Lane. That's east of Interstate 35 between Yager and Parmer lanes. Fire officials on scene said a neighbor called the fire in around 3:30 a.m. and crews were at the home five minutes later to find "heavy" fire across the front of the house. Firefighters tried to go through the front door of the home, but ended up going into second-story windows to search for people inside. They found a woman inside and were able to get her out of the house for medics to treat her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation. That was the second fire of the morning AFD responded to. About 15 minutes before the house fire, crews were dispatched to a gas station and convenience store in southeast Austin.  

VIDEO: Firefighters had walked back and forth between their trucks and the pile of cars where passengers were trapped so many times they began to instinctively know where to step, or not to step — a sunroof that wasn't stable or a hood that was too slick. Much their icy walk was done on top of vehicles caught in the 133-car pileup near downtown Fort Worth. "There were only a couple times I remember touching the surface of the road at all," Fort Worth Fire Lt. Brian Call said, recalling his work in the TEXpress toll lanes of I-35W where cars had slid into each other north of downtown. "It was sort of crazy." In an interview with the Star-Telegram Tuesday, Call and Lt. Chris Nelson described the controlled rescue of dozens of motorists trapped in the pileup that killed six and injured more than 60 in the early morning hours of Feb. 11.  

According to a press release, the City of Lufkin may soon be forced to review how emergency medical services are delivered in Angelina County due to "deadbeat" insurance companies. "An insurance company's job is to pay for the medical claims of their people, and they aren't doing it," Assistant City Manager Jason Arnold said. To date, health insurance companies owe the City of Lufkin $1.3 million. Of that total: $891k is 181 days past due; $190k is 365 days past due. "The absence of payments and excessively low, late payment after a lengthy appeals process is jeopardizing the future of EMS in Angelina County," City Manager Bruce Green said. On average, municipalities expect to see roughly 34 percent of what they bill for emergency medical services. The City had been ahead of that curve at roughly 38 percent. Unfortunately, that number has continued to fall and sits at around 33 percent even with a full-time collections staff.  

A lightning strike caused a large fire at a Bryan oil field yesterday. But thanks to team effort and prior training, Brazos County area fire departments were able to contain the blaze. At approximately 7:30 a.m. yesterday morning, an oil tank in east Bryan was stricken by lightning and caught fire, creating an earth-shattering boom and sending physical shock waves through the surrounding Austin's Estates community. "One of the tanks wound up exploding and going out of the containment area," said Gerald Burnett, spokesperson for the Bryan Fire Department. "And then the contents from that tank discharged into the containment area around that tank, and the fire in that area ultimately ignited the other tank." No one was injured in the fire, and none of the surrounding homes or properties were damaged by the flames.  

San Antonio firefighters fought a massive apartment fire early Friday on the far city's West Side that officials say left many residents without a place to call home. The fire was called in around 12 a.m. at the Candleridge Apartments in the 7900 block of West Military Drive, not far from Marbach Road and Highway 151. Firefighters said when they arrived they found heavy flames showing from the first and second floor of the apartment building. The fire tore though four units of the apartment and two other units had to be evacuated due to loss of power, fire officials said. Battalion Chief, Russel Johnson told KSAT the fire became challenging for crews. "The stairs did burn out so we are having to do everything through the windows off the ladders," said Johnson. Investigators say one of the residents appears to have been cooking and then left the apartment.  

VIDEO: The fire that began in Nuevo Laredo on Wednesday made its way across the river into Rio Bravo. At around five in the afternoon, Webb County firefighters were called to help Rio Bravo residents with a brush fire at the end of Espejo-Molina Road. At around 9 p.m., firefighters were able to contain the fire but then windy conditions blew it out of control. "Additional winds picked up and had reignited other areas of the ranch so we had to find avenues to get to the scene and be able to extinguish the fire," said Chief Ricardo Rangel. "We were there until four o'clock in the morning. At that particular point in time, everything was under control and out." Chief Rangel says dry vegetation in the area and high winds made it a dangerous situation.  

Sparky the Fire Dog, the official mascot of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), celebrates his 70th birthday this month, reflecting on a legacy and impact that spans the generations: Kids know and love him, parents grew up with him and grandparents remember his messages of fire safety. "For seven decades, Sparky has worked hard to make communities safer from fire. Since 1951, he has partnered with fire professionals, teachers, civic organizations, corporations and the media to deliver invaluable fire and life safety educational messages to children and adults alike," said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA. Over the years, the iconic fire dog has used a multitude of educational techniques, including books, tip sheets, online resources, videos, apps and NFPA's national public safety campaign, Fire Prevention Week, to share important safety messages like "Stop, drop and roll," "Get out, stay out," "Dial 9-1-1" and "Know two ways out."  

VIDEO: Firefighters had walked back and forth between their trucks and the pile of cars where passengers were trapped so many times they began to instinctively know where to step, or not to step — a sunroof that wasn't stable or a hood that was too slick. Much their icy walk was done on top of vehicles caught in the 133-car pileup near downtown Fort Worth. "There were only a couple times I remember touching the surface of the road at all," Fort Worth Fire Lt. Brian Call said, recalling his work in the TEXpress toll lanes of I-35W where cars had slid into each other north of downtown. "It was sort of crazy." In an interview with the Star-Telegram Tuesday, Call and Lt. Chris Nelson described the controlled rescue of dozens of motorists trapped in the pileup that killed six and injured more than 60 in the early morning hours of Feb. 11.  

The three Powhatan firefighters behind the newly formed Triple Tap Coffee plan to live up to their company's name. When a firefighter hooks three hoses up to a fire hydrant, the goal is to maximize water flow to create high performance hydrant operation, said Jeffrey Wallace, a career lieutenant paramedic with Powhatan County Fire and Rescue. In the same way, when Wallace and his co-workers, Art Tate, career firefighter EMT, and John Menc, career firefighter medic, decided several months ago to start Triple Tap Coffee, they wanted to have the same approach. "That is the best we can do. It is going all the way for us," Wallace said. "If someone triple taps a hydrant, that is the most effort involved. It is not the easy way; it is the complex, hard way." It helps out that there are three of them, too, agreed Menc with a smile. "The double meaning is a constant reminder of the product we want to create," he said.  

PHOTO: Minneapolis Fire Capt. Scott Coffey was on scene at a 2010 house fire when a backdraft explosion blew fellow firefighter Jake LaFerriere across a room, leaving him with severe burns and ending his career. Coffey never forgot the trauma of that day, but he also found inspiration in the way LaFerriere moved forward after his recovery and launched Firefighters for Healing, a nonprofit that supports burn victims and first responders. Now Coffey, an Oak Grove resident, hopes to inspire others to support the organization's mission. This spring, Coffey will attempt to summit Mount Everest to raise money for Firefighters for Healing, and he hopes to hit his $10,000 fundraising goal by Thursday, March 25. All proceeds go to the charity. "Mountain climbing is kind of my passion," Coffey said. "I've gotten really into it the last five or six years. I've been traveling around the world climbing high mountains."  

VIDEO: Many in the Veteran, active-duty military, police officer, firefighter, and other first responder communities struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress. The usual treatment is a 15-minute consultation and a handful of prescriptions, but that's not working! The suicide rate is extremely high, and for many the PTS drugs seem to do more harm than good. Our heroes deserve better and so Director & Producer Michael Gier went on a mission and found successful treatments and programs that help anyone battling PTS get their lives back. Gier created the "Wounded Heroes" documentary to highlight the programs and treatments that anyone suffering from PTSD can use to get their lives.