Several agencies held an unveiling ceremony Friday morning for five EMS and fire stations that are undergoing significant remodeling. Wesley Hopkins, Assistant Chief of Operations with Austin-Travis County EMS, said two are EMS stations and the other three are joint-use stations with the Austin Fire Department. The ceremony was held at EMS Station 13/Fire Station 23. In May 2018, the City Council passed a recommendation identifying the stations slated for renovations: EMS 1, EMS 5, EMS 7/AFD 8, EMS 10/AFD 25, and EMS 13/AFD 23. Council Member Jose "Chito" Vela said the project has encountered some roadblocks, but everyone has done their part in making sure it can move forward. "I want the City of Austin to be a first-class employer, a first-class organization, to attract the best and brightest in the different fields," Vela said.  

An East Texas home was destroyed by a fire that kept firefighters tied up for more than eight hours. Early this morning, crews finally put out the fire in Holly Lake Ranch. Charred wood and ashes are all that remain from a roaring blaze that was in an area that is heavily wooded. "Houses out here are very close together, first duty here was to protect the surrounding structures. This one was fully engulfed when we got here, no way to save it," said chief Bill Bollinger of the Holly Lake VFD. "There was already flames coming up on this northwest side. I threw on some shoes, came out and started throwing water on it," said neighbor David Woodson. In proximity to other homes, a long 8 hour fight was to keep it from spreading. "We were out here till around 1 o'clock in the morning," Bollinger said.  

PHOTOS: Austin Fire Department responded to a fire on Adair Dr. on Sunday evening around 8:25 p.m. The fire was reported to be under control shortly after 8:30 p.m. The fire was accidental and reportedly originated from the propane barbecue pit on the back deck with heavy involvement into the attic. One patient has been treated by Austin Travis County EMS with minor injuries and later released, the family of four will be displaced.  

PHOTOS: Newly released body camera videos show the emergency response to an explosion at a homeless encampment outside Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The explosion and subsequent fire happened on the morning of July 21 after witnesses in the encampment reported finding what they believed were improvised explosive devices around a tent where drug users were smoking fentanyl. KOMO News obtained the videos this week as part of a records request for information about the Seattle police investigation of the incident. Audio of the initial explosion was captured on body cameras of officers who were on an unrelated call in downtown Seattle. When officers arrived at the entrance to the encampment at 7th and James Street, they were met by people fleeing from the fire.  

Russell fire chief Dylan Riedel now owns the motorcycle gas tank that changed his life forever when it exploded and engulfed him in flames this summer. It's "just as a constant reminder that your life can change in an instant, so don't take it for granted," he said. The explosion happened less than 30 seconds after he got out of his fire truck. A football-size hole burst in the side of the gas tank, sending flames across the street. "It's a freak accident … It just so happened I was in the right place at the wrong time and it happened to me," Riedel said. The June fire sent him to the emergency room at Russell Regional Hospital before he was airlifted to Ascension Via Christi St. Francis burn unit in Wichita. He had burns on his head, neck, arms and legs. Most were first and second-degree but doctors think one spot was a third-degree burn. Riedel was back to work without restrictions by mid-July.  

VIDEOS/PHOTOS: Nothing man-made can be added to the Lake Michigan shoreline and outshine the natural beauty of the lakeshore, but Hotel Ottawa arguably came the closest. For its time, the luxury hotel — sandwiched between Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa (then known as Black Lake) — was one of the state's premiere tourist draws, attracting people from all across Michigan and the Midwest. Unfortunately, the hotel met an untimely end. The beautiful building burned to the ground 100 years ago Monday. The story of Hotel Ottawa starts years before crews ever broke ground. According to local historian Valerie van Heest, the hotel was part of a plan to build a cottage and resort park.