A man is dead after a fire Monday morning in northeast Houston, Houston firefighters said. Fire officials said the fire happened in the 7700 block of Pointer and firefighters were called to the scene at 9:08 a.m. Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña told KPRC 2 the man was found dead in the front bedroom by fire crews. His cause of death is unknown at this time. Arson is still investigating the cause and origin of the fire. There were no other rescues or injuries reported. The man who died was the only person in the home. His identity has not been released yet.  

VIDEO: One person is dead after a boat with 53 passengers on board capsized in Lake Conroe late Saturday, authorities said. The incident occurred around 8 p.m. The boat was about 40 minutes into a planned 90-minute cruise when it capsized near Regency Point on Lake Conroe during a strong thunderstorm. Nearby residents who witnessed the incident pulled passengers from the water while waiting for emergency responders to arrive. Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable's Office, Fire and Rescue, EMS, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. One person transported from the scene was later pronounced dead at an area hospital, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The victim was an 80-year-old man from Montgomery County.  

A man was burned on his chest and arms while trying to extinguish a fire on his couch overnight. It happened around 1:45 a.m. on the 100 block of Jean Street on the city's West Side. Firefighters arrived and were able to contain the fire to just the living room couch, according to the battalion chief. The man was taken to SAMMC in stable condition to be treated for his burns. No other injuries were reported. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire.  

Firefighters are on the scene of a fire in the downtown Houston area. A two-alarm fire broke out at apartments on Crawford Street a little after 10 a.m. Monday. The building is located near Minute Maid Park. From SkyEye, firefighters can be seen on the roof of the building. There are no reports of any injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

A storm system that stalled for days over West Texas led to what a National Weather Service meteorologist on Saturday called an "unprecedented" amount of rain in the predominantly dry El Paso area, leaving a woman dead. "We've had reports of 6 inches (of rain) in the past two days, which for us, our average rainfall for a year in El Paso is about 8.5 inches," meteorologist Jason Grzywacz said. "Everything started Thursday … we've just been sitting in the same persistent weather pattern since then." "For us it's an unprecedented type of rainfall to get, this much rain in two days … with more to come," according to Grzywacz. Mandatory evacuations were issued Saturday morning in neighboring La Union, New Mexico, and residents were told that they'll be out of their homes for 48 hours, Grzywacz said.  

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on American soil. Three firefighters from Texarkana, Texas, Zach Flanagan, Eric McCasland, and Dustin Newman, are training to be apart of the 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb in Dallas. They'll be joining hundreds of other active duty firefighters to climb 110 stories in full gear. Fire & EMS Coordinator Marty Lawrence says registration for the event filled up fast. "This is an event that allows fireman to come from all over the country to honor the fallen on 9/11, so it's a big event," Lawrence said. "Everyone of us is humbled and proud to volunteer or go climb in memory of those guys. These guys are lucky enough to have one of the names of the firefighters who died," Flanagan said. Each life lost is carried with each climber as a named photo that hangs over their gear.  

An Oxford Battalion Chief's quick action saved a man's life Saturday afternoon after the lift the man was on caught fire. Oxford firefighters said at 2:50 they responded to a call at Hooligans Harley Davidson on Davis Loop to a man on a lift that had caught fire. The lift had made contact with the power lines and the man was trapped approximately 25 feet off the ground. Fire crews said when they arrived there was no way to get the man from the lift until the power was cut off. OFD personnel made the decision to create a makeshift life safety net out of a tent. As the fire grew the man decided to jump, and that jump saved his life. The man was flown to UAB with a leg injury and smoke inhalation.  

You would think rushing into a burning building to save the lives of people trapped inside would merit a living wage - at a minimum. While firefighters can hit salaries of anywhere from $12 to $50 an hour, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average is about $27 an hour. In the Lowcountry, that average falls to $19.77 an hour or about $41,130 a year. However, those hourly rates can be extremely misleading. The unique nature of the firefighting profession and those who opt into it is underscored by an even more unique schedule. Generally speaking, firefighters work 24-hour shifts, three days a week with overtime built into their 28-day pay periods. The typical office employee is scheduled about 2,080 hours a year, while firefighters working this 24-48 (24 hours on, 48 hours off) shift will end up working nearly 900 hours more a year.  

VIDEO: A home being renovated in New Castle, Lawrence County caught fire Sunday morning. The fire broke out at the N. Mercer Street home around 5:30 a.m. Pittsburgh's Action News 4 was told a family living a few blocks away saw the glow in the sky. They woke up the next-door neighbors of the home that caught fire and got them out of their house. Fire departments sprayed water on the neighbor's home as well to keep it from catching fire. No one was hurt but firefighters say the house is a total loss. City of New Castle Fire Chief Mike Kobbe says the home being renovated did not have its utilities turned on. The cause is now being investigated.  

Vaccine makers are preparing for a next possible phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout: booster doses. The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized third doses of both the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines for certain immunocompromised people: solid organ transplant recipients or "those who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise." The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has signed off on the authorization and now recommends an additional dose of vaccine for these certain people. But these doses will be considered part of the initial vaccination series for people who have not mounted an adequate immune response. A booster dose is something different. It helps refresh a waning immune response, or helps the body fight an evolving pathogen. And many Americans who aren't now eligible for an additional shot are wondering when it will be their turn.