Lubbock Fire Rescue said someone died in a house fire early Monday. Firefighters responded to the 2300 block of 47th Street just before 1:30 a.m. The house was "well involved" in fire, LFR said. "Three people occupied the home and were able to escape," LFR said. "One of the residents reentered the home to look for a dog. The resident was unable to escape after reentry." "When firefighters arrived, on the scene, the house was too involved to make entry for search and rescue," LFR. Firefighters later found the resident and the dog together – both lost their lives. The two other residents suffered smoke inhalation and burns. They were both taken by EMS to a local hospital. "Fire marshals are currently investigating the cause," LFR said. "The house was deemed a total loss."  

A dumpster fire put a chemical storage unit at risk at a plant in La Porte Sunday night, according to the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office. Fire officials said there is no chemical leak and no risk to the public right now. The fire was reported around 9 p.m. Sunday at South Coast Terminals. The La Porte Fire Department responded after there were reports of smoke coming from the plant. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they were able to quickly extinguish the fire but noticed thermal damage to the a container holding chemicals. HazMat crews were called to the site to check for leaks and to conduct air monitoring. The fire marshal's office said the chemical is not flammable but is corrosive. Luckily, no one was hurt and no chemicals were released.  

Austin Fire Department's first Hispanic firefighter passed away Friday night, according to the fire department's Facebook page. Fire officials said Joseph Villarreal, otherwise known as "Joe V," started working for the fire department in 1963, making him the first Hispanic firefighter employed by the Austin Fire Department. He served with the Austin Fire Department for 29 years until he retired in 1992. Officials said Joe was recognized as one of the department's trailblazers and was even honored at City Hall by being named Honorary Fire Chief. "Rest in peace, Joe; we'll see you on the top floor," the department said.  

Dallas Fire-Rescue says one of three firefighters critically injured from an apartment explosion on Sept. 29 was discharged from the hospital Friday. Officer Pauline Perez joined Dallas Fire-Rescue in July 2019. On the day of the explosion, she suffered severe burns. Perez spent more than two weeks at Parkland Memorial Hospital's burn unit. On Friday, many of her fellow firefighters and Fire Chief Dominique Artis were outside of the hospital doors waiting for Perez. Captain Christopher Gadomski, another firefighter injured, came downstairs to send her off. They hugged and said a prayer before she went home. According to family, driver engineer Ronald Hall, also badly injured in the explosion at the Highland Hills apartment complex, was in surgery on Friday afternoon.  

Three decades later, the horror of the Luby's massacre is still so visible for those who lived it. That includes Robert Kelley who was a paramedic with the Killeen Fire Department. "I was there, but I did nothing. I've never been able to shake that," said Kelley. In actuality, Kelley did a lot. "Popped out and went running down to the ditch all hunched over because you could still hear gunshots," said Kelley. Kelley was one of the first first responders on scene when reports came in of a mass shooting at Luby's cafeteria. On Oct. 16, 1991, a gunman shot and killed 23 people and wounded 20 others. "He had been shot in the chest. It was fatal. I knew it was. But he looked at me right in the eyes and he raised his hand and said, ‘help me,'" said Kelley. "It almost crushed me because the only thing I could do was put him on a board and send him to the triage area."  

As Gloria Uptain traveled to work in the early morning hours on Thursday, her worst fear came to life — getting swept away by flood waters and possibly drowning. The Guadalupe County resident was one of several travelers who were rescued from the fast-moving waters that shuttered State Highway 123 at FM 477 just south of Seguin. "It was dark, there were no barricades, no warnings," she said. "I have a Ford Focus and by the time I realized I was driving in water, it was too late, my car got swept away. The current was so strong." As her car floated away from the highway, she tried to escape, but the car died and the water pressure kept the doors from opening. She kicked out a window, crawled through it, and attempted to sit on her car and wait to be rescued, but her car started to roll, knocking her off.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A spectacular two-alarm blaze overnight engulfed the city's Old Market Street Wharf, the New Orleans Fire Department said Sunday (Oct. 17). Whipped by strong, gusty winds, the fire at its peak spread up-river the length of nearly four city blocks, from Market Street almost to the current wharf's entrance at Felicity Street. The NOFD dispatched 16 units with 41 firefighters to battle the raging fire for nearly 12 hours and keep it from reaching the current wharf facility. The fire first was reported Saturday night at 11:01 p.m., according to Capt. Edwin Holmes, the NOFD's spokesman. It finally was brought under control at 10:54 a.m. Holmes said the first firefighters arrived on scene at 11:13 p.m. They sounded a second alarm 19 minutes later, requesting more units after realizing the scope of the fast-moving fire.  

Nick Haney ran a Boston Marathon he will never forget. The Gresham firefighter and paramedic finished Monday's race more than seven minutes slower than his goal of under 2 hours and 55 minutes, but he did help save a life along the way. And in a twist, it turns out he knew the runner he saved -- an acquaintance, Meghan Roth, from Minnesota whom he'd met through a mutual friend two years back. "It's just so random and wild," Haney, 35, told The Oregonian/OregonLive. "What are the odds? Out of 15,000-plus running, and she went down? And I would be one of the people who came to help?" Haney and Roth have since talked a few times and texted back and forth. "Neither one of us has fully been able to wrap our heads around it," Haney said.  

PHOTOS: First responders were able to rescue hundreds of Coors beers on Friday following a beer truck crash. Thankfully, no one was injured in the crash involving a truck filled with adult beverages made from Rocky Mountain spring water! Summit Fire and EMS is reporting the driver of the truck lost their braking capacity while coming down an icy I-70 from the Eisenhower Tunnel Friday morning. The truck hit a Jeep before rolling on its side along Blue River Parkway in Silverthorne at about 10:30 in the morning. The southbound lanes of Blue River were closed for a period of time as crews worked to get the surviving beers moved out of the truck. "They might need some for themselves after their shift, as they have been hopping since yesterday morning with major crashes on what one longtime veteran engineer termed some of the iciest roads in his career," Summit Fire and EMS posted to social media.  

The world could soon be armed with another tool to fight the coronavirus pandemic: a twice-daily pill that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among people infected with the coronavirus. The drug, molnupiravir, offers another tool alongside vaccines for countries to manage the coronavirus pandemic. Here's what you need to know about it: Molnupiravir is an antiviral pill by pharmaceutical giant Merck that aims to prevent mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 from becoming severe cases that result in hospitalization or death. People who have COVID-19 take the drug twice a day for five days, starting within five days of the onset of symptoms. It was shown in an international clinical trial of 775 high-risk, unvaccinated people to cut the risk of hospitalization and death in half (the participants had at least one risk factor for severe COVID-19, such as obesity or advanced age).