VIDEO: If you were in a burning building, would you know how to get out? According to the National Fire Protection Association, only one of three American households have actually developed and practiced a fire escape. That's why Corpus Christi firefighters held a demonstration on the Del Mar West campus, to show how to escape a smoke-filled room. "Once that smoke alarm goes off you only have about two minutes to get out," Corpus Christi Fire Marshal Randy Paige said. With so little time, having a plan could save your life. "Draw out your home," Paige said. "Take your kids and show them two ways out of each room and practice it." The first step is to get down low. "Smoke and heat rise so if you're standing up you can have temperatures of a thousand degrees which is not tenable. You'll die in that." Crawl toward your primary exit and check the door with the back of your hand.  

Some Texans tailgaters are being hailed as heroes after saving a man's life prior to last weekend's game. On Sunday, Texans fan Gary Reimers suffered cardiac arrest in a Texans tailgating lot. Medical professionals, including a registered nurse and paramedic, were tailgating nearby when Reimers collapsed. Leslie Bennett, who is a nurse, said her husband told her someone needed help. "There was a gentleman on his side, and he was breathing," Bennett recalled. "He had a pulse." In a matter of moments, the pulse was gone. That's when paramedic Darrell Fales jumped in to help. "It's a team effort," Fales said. "We do this to try to help and save people. You have to realize you can't save all people but when you do, it's a good feeling." By the time Reimers was rushed away in an ambulance, he had a pulse. "I just think it's my job," Bennett explained. "I was in the right place at the right time."  

Lightning from an overnight line of storms is thought to have sparked a fire that gutted a Smith County family's home. Crews from multiple departments were dispatched around 1:20 a.m. Friday to County Road 455, southwest of Mineola. A family of two reported hearing a loud explosion and escaped unharmed as the flames began to spread. A woman who lives there says the home went up in flames after only about three minutes. Lindale Fire Department Assistant Chief Clay Williamson says the mobile home is likely a total loss. In the meantime, the family says they plan to stay with relatives who live next door. Mineola Fire Department, Lindale Fire Department, and Van Fire Department all responded.  

Firefighters are responding to a commercial fire at Miles Gin Supply in Elm Mott. "There are 400 bales of hay involved on the inside of the structure," said an official with the Elm Mott Volunteer Fire Department. Firefighters have been on scene fighting the blaze since around 5 a.m. Friday morning. The Elm Mott, West, Ross and Lacy Lakeview Volunteer Fire Departments are all responding to the fire. The cause is still unknown. No injuries have been reported. Miles Gin Supply is located at 5696 Old Dallas Rd in Elm Mott. The scene is still active at this time.  

VIDEO: Hotspots are still smoldering in a Weslaco warehouse. Flames broke out Thursday afternoon near Mile 12 and Westgate Drive. Investigators believe it all started from illegal burning. An official with the Hidalgo County Fire Marshal's Office told CHANNEL 5 NEWS the recycling business is also not licensed to operate and was cited for both violations. No injuries were reported.  

About 23,000 homes -- involving roughly 100,000 people -- have been told to evacuate in the northern Los Angeles area because of the Saddleridge Fire, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Friday. At least 25 homes, many in the Porter Ranch area, have been damaged, Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said. Moore again pleaded with people to leave if they're told to do so. "I saw people firsthand (in evacuation zones) attempting to fight the fire with garden hoses," far outmatched by the flames, he said. "Those individuals placed not only themselves in imminent peril," but also first responders "because of our need and desire to try to rescue them." Besides burning in northern Los Angeles, the fire also is moving north toward the city of Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Deputy Dave Richardson said. Classes in the Santa Clarita area are being canceled, an official said in a news conference.  

Calling it "just a small token of appreciation," Chicago aldermen on Thursday gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that would provide a property tax break to the spouses of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who die in the line of duty. The measure sponsored by Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson (11th) would allow those spouses to apply for a waiver of the city's portion of their property tax bill for as long as they remain unmarried, and stay in the home where they lived with their wife or husband. The Illinois legislature authorized the tax breaks in a 2012 state law that allows local and county governments to offer a tax abatement to the families of fallen first responders. The tax exemption would apply only to Chicago's share of property tax bills, which usually make up 20% to 25% of the overall amount due.  

A proposed new ordinance aimed at improving safety at Erie day care facilities could be on Erie City Council's agenda by the end of November. City Council President Jim Winarski, at a Thursday evening study session at City Hall, said the panel wants to finalize the ordinance as soon as possible. Council heard from Erie Bureau of Fire Chief Guy Santone and Andy Zimmerman, the city's code enforcement manager, regarding the ordinance just hours after the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' Thursday morning announcement that an Aug. 11 fire in the early morning hours of Aug. 11 that killed five children at Harris Family Day Care, 1248 W. 11th St., was caused by a faulty extension cord. The fire, which has been ruled an accident, prompted the city to pursue new rules regarding city day care facilities.  

A decorated Merced County Cal Fire captain was laid to rest Thursday after a traditional processional through the city of Merced and services at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Capt. Paul Rotondaro died in a traffic crash on Highway 140 near the Gustine airport, according to the California Highway Patrol. Rotondaro had left the Gustine Cal Fire Station 74 and was heading to another station when the head-on collision occurred, Merced County Cal Fire spokesperson Scott McLean said. Rotondaro started his Merced County firefighting career in 2006. He was selected as the 2018 Merced County Firefighter of the Year, according to the Merced County Office of Emergency Services. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who attended Thursday's service, issued a statement honoring Rotondaro, calling him "a man who dedicated his life to protecting his fellow Californians. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife and children, family, friends, and colleagues. His contribution to his community will not be forgotten."  

Major fires, explosions, mine accidents and other North Jersey disasters of the 20th century will be brought back to life through a Morris County Historical Society exhibit at its Morristown museum. The photo-driven exhibit takes a look at 12 fires, mine accidents, explosions, aircraft crashes and disasters from 1910 to 1989. Titled "Up in Smoke: Northern New Jersey's Worst Man-Made Disasters," the exhibit will be on display through April 26, 2020, at Acorn Hall on Morris Avenue in Morristown. With the exhibit open, we combed through old newspapers to look back at six significant 20th-century disasters across Bergen, Passaic and Morris counties. The Kingsland explosion took place during World War I at the munitions factory in Lyndhurst on Jan. 11, 1917. The fire at the sprawling munitions plant in the Meadowlands sent hundreds fleeing from their homes under a rain of 3-inch shells.