VIDEO: Two Houston Fire Department firefighters were injured early Saturday morning while trying to put out a fire at an apartment complex in southwest Houston. The firefighters were looking for residents who may have still been inside the burning building in the 5700 block of Glenmont Drive when they fell from the second floor to the first. Officials said due to heavy smoke, the firefighters didn't notice the floor was missing. One firefighter suffered a laceration. The other suffered an ankle injury. Both were taken to a nearby hospital where they are expected to make a full recovery. The fire broke out shortly before 2:30 a.m. Firefighters are not sure how the fire started but said when they arrived on scene they found heavy smoke and flames coming from a unit on the second floor.  

One person died Monday morning in a house fire on Halloran Street in the Como neighborhood in Fort Worth, a fire official said. The name of the victim had not been released pending notification of relatives. The fire was reported just after 7 a.m. in the 3800 block of Halloran Street in west Fort Worth. The blaze damaged mostly contents in the single-story home, a Fort Worth fire official said. The victim was the only one in the residence at the time of the fire, fire department officials said. The adult was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. The cause of the blaze was under investigation. Fire officials did not release any other details.  

The Laredo Fire Department recently said farewell to its fire chief, and now the Zapata County Fire Department will as well. Forty-eight years and many emergency calls later, Zapata County Fire Chief Juan J. Meza will hang up his badge and pass his baton to the next hero. After decades of service, Meza is announcing his retirement. "I've seen it go from 120 calls a year to over 2,000 calls in the present time," he said. "I think it's time to give new young blood time to come in." Meza joined the department on March 12, 1973. In that time, he has worn many hats. In addition to fire chief, he holds the titles of fire marshal and emergency management coordinator, while also being a 2019 inductee into the Texas Division of Emergency Management Hall of fame.  

Paramedics took a person rescued from a storm drain in a southwest Austin neighborhood to a hospital. According to a tweet from Austin-Travis County EMS, paramedics and firefighters received a call Friday afternoon about a "confined space rescue" at 1100 Tetbury Lane, which is between S. First Street and Menchaca Road. The initial information shared on Twitter stated someone was yelling for help. An update shared that paramedics took a person removed from a storm drain to St. David's South Austin Medical Center for minor "medical complaints," which suggests the person should be okay. First responders already cleared the scene, according to tweets.  

The city gathers to honor several local firefighters for their hard work and service to the Laredo Community. On Friday morning, Mayor Pro Tempore Alberto Torres, along with City Manager Robert Eads and Fire Chief Guillermo Heard held a ceremony to recognize nine firefighters as they announce their retirement. The firefighters being recognized are, Former Fire Chief Steve Landin for 30 years of service, Deputy Chief Gustavo Gonzalez for 27 years of service to the department, District Chief Paulo Rodriguez for 28 years with the department, and Captain Arnoldo Puente for 28 years with the department as well. The city is also recognizing Captain Robert Garcia Jr. for 26 years of service, driver Luis E. Cadena for 26 years as well, driver, Oscar Cabello for 30 years of service, assistant driver Pedro Garcia and firefighter Jorge Landin for 25 years with the department.  

Southwest Airlines is providing free flights for North Texas firefighters headed west to combat the 25 California wildfires that have already burned 3 million acres. Two charters flights will transport the 165 firefighters as they deploy or return from the The Golden State. They will depart Dallas Love Field Tuesday September 28, 2020 on a 9 a.m. flight bound for Sacramento, CA. Crews finishing their 14-day assignment in California will return from Sacramento, CA to Dallas Love Field on Tuesday September 28, 2020 landing at 7:55 p.m. Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) resources from throughout Texas have provided assistance in California since August 24, 2020. The Frisco Fire Department provided one wildland firefighting truck and crews as a part of the mission. Crews from Texas are assigned to two incidents (August Complex and Creek Fire) and continue to patrol fire lines and extinguish fire.  

The Atlantic City firefighters union, saying the city has shown "blatant disregard" for the health and safety of its members, has sued the city and state after six firefighters tested positive last week for the coronavirus, potentially exposing 65 firefighters to the pandemic. The union's complaint, filed Friday in Superior Court, alleges that the department's policy of directing firefighters to return to work after they were exposed to infected coworkers, but tested negative themselves for COVID-19, risks spreading the coronavirus among firefighters, their families and the public. It asked the department to require exposed firefighters to self-quarantine for 14 days on paid leave regardless of the outcome of tests. Fire Fighters Local 198 asked for an injunction to force the city to professionally disinfect each station between shifts, and to postpone the training of new hires scheduled for this week.  

Almost half the US is reporting increased numbers of new COVID-19 cases as health experts warn of a potential coronavirus surge in the fall and winter. As of Sunday, the number of new coronavirus cases has increased by at least 10% or more compared to the week before in 21 states, most of them in the West, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. Cases are rising in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington state, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Eighteen states were holding steady. Only 11 -- Arizona, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire -- saw decreases of new cases of more than 10% compared to the week prior.  

PHOTO: Three China Grove firefighters were injured Friday morning after the firetruck they were riding in overturned while responding to an emergency call. The firefighters — George Stewart, Cameron Harwell and Adam Wingler — were all taken to the hospital with minor injuries, said Town Manager Ken Deal. He said at least one of the firefighters was taken to Atrium Health Cabarrus and another to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center. "We're very fortunate nobody was hurt worse," Deal said. The incident occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m. on N.C. 152 and Hope Lane at Interstate 85 and just a few yards from the roundabout at exit 68. It's not clear if the weather played a part in the crash. However, the rain led to other accidents in Rowan County around the same time. Firefighters were thought to be responding to one of those accidents when the fire engine crashed and overturned.  

VIDEO: A Naperville firefighter found a creative way to tell residents ‘Get Your Mask On'. You may have heard Florida Georgia Line's song 'Get Your Shine On', but one Naperville firefighter and paramedic has a different version. Billy Croft wrote 'Get Your Mask On' as a way to promote public safety and bring a little humor to life amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "We all should be advocating for everybody's safety and that's why we're here, particularly to help the community that we serve and this is just part of it," he said. Croft, who moonlights as a country music singer, wrote lyrics including everything from going to the grocery store, "pray to God they have TP" to proper sanitizing techniques, "sanitizer smelling so strong, wash your hands to the bone." Croft hopes to bring awareness to coronavirus best practices with a touch of humor.  

Despite the cancelation of the annual Tunnel to Towers 5K run and walk due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some people still walked through Battery Tunnel on Sunday. Frank Siller, brother of fallen firefighter, Stephen Siller, showed up to honor the memory of those who died on September 11, 2001. "It's different this year, obviously, we should have 30,000 plus people running through the tunnel, coming out here, looking at all the banners and the pictures when you come out," said Siller at a press conference earlier today. "But it's still just as important. MTA and Port Authority personnel walked with the Siller family through the tunnel's catwalk, to do so. On the day of the Sept. 11 attacks, Stephen Siller was assigned to Brooklyn's Squad 1. Upon arrival at the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel, it was closed due to security reasons. Siller put on his gear and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he ultimately died.