Police say a home explosion that killed a man and rocked a Tomball neighborhood overnight may have been intentionally set, and investigators are looking into whether suicide was involved. The Tomball Fire Department responded to reports of a fire around 11 p.m. Wednesday on Vernon near Arnold. It was initially believed the incident was a gas explosion, but Tomball police later said Thursday morning that public works utility crews conducted an inspection and determined there are no issues with the natural gas system. There is no danger to the public. Video from the scene showed just how powerful the explosion was, completely blowing the roof and walls off of the home, leaving it unrecognizable. Neighbors say they felt the explosion as far as two miles away. "Like, literally, our feet shook from underneath us," recalled Michele Bancroft, who lives two miles away. "We're like, 'What is going on?'"  

VIDEO: First responders worked for over six hours to rescue a 4-year-old boy who fell down a water well in Starr County on Tuesday. After the boy was rescued, Tuesday evening, he was transported to a local hospital. As of Wednesday morning the boy is in stable condition. Officials said the boy fell about nine feet down into a hole and the only way to get him out was to dig a hole adjacent to the original one with shovels and air operated hammers. "The soil got to the point where it turned like a shell rock, so shovels weren't being effective anymore," Mission Assistant Fire Chief Robert Alvarez said. "We had to turn to the pneumatic tools."  

The planned demolition of the now vacated H-E-B building provided a unique opportunity for the Kerrville Fire Department, one KFD officials capitalized on over the weekend, providing valuable training to all shifts of firefighters on operations within a large commercial structure over a three-day period. KFD administration recognized the opportunity when the planned demolition was announced, and under the guidance of Chief Eric Maloney and Kerrville Fire Marshal Jason Lackey, contact was made with H-E-B officials regarding the training. After receiving approval to proceed, KFD administration created an H-E-B task force, headed up by Deputy Chief Steven Boyd and consisting of Lt. Jaran Floyd, Lt. Monty Johnson, Lt. Billy Williams and Driver Casey Goodman. "Our task force leaders were responsible for creating lesson plans and training scenarios for the department," Boyd said.  

While discussion regarding the proposal for Travis County Emergency Services District No. 17 was not included in the agenda for Pflugerville City Council's Dec. 8 meeting, some residents continued their calls for council to include the item for consideration on the May 2021 ballot. The Pflugerville Professional Firefighters Association announced a petition Sept. 11 to include a new emergency services district on the May 2021 ballot, citing funding shortfalls for Travis County ESD No. 2 as well as with population growth within the service area. In a Nov. 13 letter to Pflugerville City Council, the Pflugerville Fire Department, which is overseen by Travis County ESD No. 2, said it may have to discontinue ambulance services and advanced life support if additional funds are not made available.  

A house fire has been reported near Downtown Amarillo/Amarillo College. The Amarillo Fire Department said they responded to a call around 11:13 a.m., to a duplex at Southwest 26th and Tyler Street after a neighbor reported a loud noise. One side of the duplex was occupied by tenants while the other, the side on fire, was empty. The fire, said the Department, was under control by 11:35 a.m., KAMR/KCIT crew and witnesses said they could see black smoke and flames coming from the home. AFD said that no one was inside the unit that was on fire so no injuries were reported. However, unfortunately, a cat inside died due to the fire. AFD said Fire Marshals will be ruling this as an accidental fire caused by gas explosion.  

Multiple residents of the Watersong Villas Townhomes at 14618 Las Flores Drive in North Dallas were displaced after a two-alarm fire. It happened shortly before 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9. When firefighters arrived at the two-story building, smoke and fire was coming from the second floor. Dallas Fire-Rescue said no one was hurt, but an unknown number of units have sustained varying degrees of fire, smoke and water damage. The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents. The cause of the fire is currently undetermined.  

VIDEO: Crews spent hours on the scene of a fire in Gates, after an explosion sent flames and debris into the sky Wednesday night. Firefighters say it happened at 6:11 p.m. on Noel Drive off Lyell Road. More than 100 firefighters ultimately from more than 10 are fire districts responded to the scene. "We are happy to report that despite the extensive damage suffered to the three homes and other properties in the area there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. The homeowner was located safe, not home, nearly three hours into the incident," officials from Gates Fire District said in a late Wednesday press release. No injuries reported, as of this time, was remarkable, considering the damage. "It sounded like a bomb went off," said Richard Pecorella, who lives nearby. "The whole house shook."  

Virtual reality has many applications, from video gaming to treating post-traumatic stress disorder to tours of buildings at Missouri S&T and other institutions. Benjamin Kwasa, assistant professor of engineering management and system engineering, is working with the city fire department in Rolla to use virtual reality in another application – firefighter training. "The closer we can get to the real-life situations that they deal with, the better training tool we can provide," says Kwasa. "That translates to more effective firefighting and more effective emergency response in general and ultimately saves lives and property loss." Kwasa's team began working with Rolla (Mo.) Fire and Rescue in December 2019. The team, which includes undergraduate and graduate students majoring in engineering management, computer science and physics, took photos and video of the city's training facility to build an accurate computer model recreation of the building.  

VIDEO: The Indianapolis Fire Department is warning people not to follow the dangerous lead of a woman who hitched a ride on the back of a fire truck Tuesday. A motorist driving behind the truck took a video of the incident, which IFD posted Wednesday to social media. The woman can be seen in the video standing on the truck's rear bumper ledge and holding onto the side with one arm. IFD spokesperson Rita Reith said the department chose to post the video to emphasize that riding on the back of a fire truck is both illegal and dangerous. "I know people are undoubtedly finding the humor in it, but our intent is to say there's nothing funny," Reith said. "We're not looking for copycats." The IFD firefighters had just finished a call in the industrial park at 2900 N. Shadeland Ave. and were headed to refuel the truck. Crew members believe the woman climbed aboard while they were stopped at a red light at Pendleton Pike and Shadeland Avenue.  

VIDEO: The Cleveland Division of Fire recently helped a local man in trouble. Engine 23 was called to a scene after a man reportedly poured gasoline over himself. Upon arrival, firefighters said the man was holding a lighter and said he was going to light himself on fire. Calling for backup, firefighters, along with Cleveland police worked together to keep the man from harming himself. They entered the building with a hose, kicked in the door where the man was, and stunned him with a stream of water. Cleveland police then reportedly took the man into custody. No injuries or fires were reported during the incident.  

In the coming weeks, thousands of Coloradans will get access to COVID-19 vaccines. Wednesday, state health officials released a 3-phase plan, prioritizing high-exposure health care employees. "We felt like there was a miss there," says Don Lombardi. "They didn't do as much homework as they should have." Lombardi is the fire chief for West Metro Fire Rescue, and a member of the Colorado State Fire Chiefs association, which sent a letter to Gov. Jared Polis criticizing the plan. Under the plan released Wednesday, first responders, including EMS, police and firefighters, will be in the 1B category, below hospital workers and long-term care facility staff and residents. "It's not so much that we want to be put ahead of other health care professionals, but just to be in the same tier as them," says Lombardi. Lombardi argues most COVID patients have contact with first responders long before they ever get to the hospital.