Hardin County officials are investigating a deadly house fire in Lumberton that claimed the life of a 74-year-old man, according to Hardin County Sheriff Mark Davis. Lumberton firefighters and deputies with the Hardin County Sheriff's Office reported to the house fire around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday in the 300 block of Creekwood Street. Lumberton firefighters retrieved the man from the burning home and performed CPR on him. The man later died on the way to a Beaumont hospital, the sheriff said. Officials are not releasing the name of the man until the next of kin has been notified. Investigators said the man was the only person inside the home. The home is substantially damaged, but it is not a total loss, according to Davis. It is unclear how the fire began. This investigation is ongoing.  

VIDEO: Crews from the Cy-Fair Fire Department battled a big fire at a recycling plant in northwest Houston Wednesday night. The trash fire broke out in the 6600 block of North Eldridge Parkway causing thick, black smoke over the area. All lanes of North Eldridge Parkway were closed near West Little York , according to the Cy-Fair Fire Department. There were no reports of injuries.  

They are there when we need them most; heart attacks, car crashes, and COVID patients needing to go to the hospital—EMS professionals. Unfortunately, like many other careers, they're feeling the impact of the pandemic. The Acadian Ambulances are packed full and ready for any emergency that might come up. "People are at their very worst when they're calling 911 and they're seeing us come out," Karra Cross, an EMT Basic with Acadian Ambulance said. She's been with them for three years now. For the past decade, Acadian Ambulance Service has had the 911 contract for most of Bexar County. Though, it's getting harder to do that job. "We've seen a lot of people leave the industry, which is unfortunate, and I can understand why they would want to leave," Cross said. "People are worried about getting sick, they're worried about their family."  

The Amarillo Fire Department reported that crews responded to a late-night fire around midnight Wednesday, at a home on the 2400 block of North Wilson Street. Crews reported finding light smoke coming from the home after arriving on-scene just after midnight, and after making entry found two "small fires" burning in separate bedrooms. The Department described that crew extinguished the fires "quickly" and checked the attic for further fires after searching for victims. No injuries were reported, according to the Amarillo Fire Department. While no one appeared to be living in the home, crews reported finding an open back door. While the source of the fire was not found because of the fires having started in two places, the Fire Marshal's Office ruled the fire "incendiary," and did not believe it to have been accidental.  

Austin firefighters and medics responded to a city-owned bridge shelter and rescued a man while his room was on fire Wednesday. Austin-Travis County EMS tweeted at 9:32 a.m., saying firefighters pulled the man from a room where a small fire was burning at the southbound service road for 7400 N. Interstate 35. That's the location of the city's Northbridge temporary shelter, a former hotel it bought in 2020 to turn into permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. The Austin Fire Department said the man, a resident of the shelter, had a "medical issue" inside the room, and the building's sprinklers put the fire out. A city of Austin spokesperson said a mattress accidentally caught fire. AFD said firefighters revived the man and then ATCEMS medics took over care.  

Deep East Texans still shiver when recalling the weeklong Texas outage in February. So, this winter more homes have brand new portable generators. It's the most affordable purchase but there are risks according to Nacogdoches fire marshal Michael Brown. "Carbon monoxide is probably, arguably, the deadliest." State data confirms at least 11 deaths due to carbon monoxide poisoning occurred. Three Nacogdoches County victims died in their sleep by CO poisoning. Electrocution is also a potential hazard. "So what we want to do to avoid those things is to make sure our generators are always at least 15-20 feet from your home, especially from a window or a door," advised Brown. "We want to position that generator downwind if at all possible."  

VIDEO: In the darkness that comes earlier these days, flames lit up the sky for miles long in north suburban Kildeer following a massive fire. According to fire officials, a multi-story home caught fire and is uninhabitable. Officials say the structure may be a total loss. The size of the fire necessitated a mutual aid response from a dozen neighboring communities. Firefighters used a dry hydrant where water is pulled from retention ponds because there are no fire hydrants in the area. Lake Zurich Fire Chief David Pilgrad says that given the flames' intensity, the exterior side of one of the adjacent homes had to be drenched as a precaution. Everyone made it out of the home safely and did not require emergency care or hospitalization. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

PHOTOS/VIDEO: Twelve men made history in 1955 as the first African Americans firefighters in Memphis. They faced and pushed through poor living conditions and discrimination with being forced in segregated quarters at Fire Station 8 at Mississippi and Crump and the institutional racism due to them being second-class citizens Wednesday, the Fire Museum of Memphis opened a new exhibit to honor those men along with current and previous African American firefighters. You will find pictures dating back to 1955 as well as other historical significant items that show the journey to fair hiring processes. "We are so excited to be able to showcase this exhibit at the museum. It's an important part of the history of the city," states Kimberly Crafton, executive director for the museum.  

San Francisco firehouses will light up again for the holidays, formally reviving a station decoration tradition that started in the 1940s, then was brought back last year to add some joy during bleak pandemic times. With less than two weeks' notice in 2020, 17 stations set up elaborate decorations, including a winning house (Station 38 in Pacific Heights) that produced snow. Fire officials hope the contest will be even bigger in 2021 — with more time to prepare and $6,000 in prize money donated to the charities of choice divided between the three winning stations. "Last year we brought this back to provide the community and our members — your firefighters — with a COVID safe event," said San Francisco Fire Lt. Jonathan Baxter. "It was a success (and) we are excited to continue this event to promote community solidarity and pride."  

Overdoses from synthetic opioids like fentanyl are steeply rising in Connecticut and across the country. The 12-month period ending in April 2021 was the deadliest year yet, with U.S. overdose deaths reaching a record high of over 100,000, reports the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This represents a 29% jump from the previous year, with the biggest culprit in more than 75% of deaths being synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. "It seems to me that there is no end in sight to the opioid crisis, and things are not getting better but getting worse. For the last 12 rolling months, overdoses are up about 13-14% in Connecticut and the same is true for fatal overdoses," says Peter Canning, EMS Coordinator for UConn John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington. He helped develop the initial successful pilot program in the City of Hartford that led to the establishment of Connecticut's Statewide Opioid Reporting Directive (SWORD).  

The 788th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department always aims for lofty milestones to make sure it is prepared to safeguard people and infrastructure in an emergency. "We conduct formal training three days a week, and informal training as opportunities arise," said Bryan Weeks, the Fire Department's assistant chief for training. "By the end of the year, we end up logging about 8,500 training sessions, which equals out to between 300 and 400 hours of training." It's Weeks' job to plan these trainings, which are over and above the mandated computer-based model and quarterly base exercises for the entire department. "I create the annual training plan, develop the monthly training schedule and then oversee hands-on practical application with trainings," Weeks said. "If we need to complete any joint training with outside agencies or some type of specialty training where a specialized instructor or specialized equipment is required, I coordinate that to ensure the training is executed."