PHOTO: Investigators in Frisco believe an overnight house fire sparked in a fireplace and quickly had flames shooting through the roof. The fire, at a house in the 4100 block of San Gabriel Avenue, started just after 9:00 p.m. on February 2. Crews say the flames quickly spread from the firebox to the attic and then engulfed the roof. Frisco Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner said, "Flames could be scene from Eldorado Parkway, about a half mile away from the scene." Two people were at the home when the fire broke out and were able to get out safely and call for help. There were no injuries. In all, five fire engines, one ladder truck, and an ambulance were among those responding to the scene. Firefighters say it took a little more than an hour to get the fire under control and that it was completely extinguished just before midnight.  

Firefighters fought a huge fire on the northeast side. The San Antonio Fire Department received the call around 10:30 a.m. for a structure fire near Starcrest Drive and Northeast Loop 410. At least 30 fire units responded to the scene at the Starcrest Village business complex. Huge flames and smoke could be seen in the area. Chief Charles Hood said the mixed-use commercial structure's tile roof made it challenging for firefighters to get the fire out. He said the tiles are heavy and are covering the floor. There were no injuries reported, Chief Hood said. He said firefighters knocked it out quicker than they anticipated. Someone reported a loud bang in one of the apartments at the complex. Chief Hood said they are investigating that as well.  

Presidio City Council on Monday discussed the possibility of sending two broken-down brush trucks formerly used by the Presidio Volunteer Fire Department across the bridge for a second life as fleet vehicles for Bomberos Voluntarios de Ojinaga. Making a cross-border vehicle donation is legally thorny, so the council decided to declare Brush Truck 51 and 52 surplus, and investigate the process needed to send the vehicles to Ojinaga. The proposed donation is meant as a gesture of friendship between the two departments, who have worked closely together for many years. "We're the closest backup for each other," explained Presidio Fire Chief Saul Pardo Jr. Because Ojinaga is much larger than Presidio, it's often Presidio that requests assistance first, but the international relationship is designed to go both ways.  

The Kilgore Fire Department responded to a call of a structure fire Thursday morning. It happened about 6 a.m. in the 3500 block of Stone Road. According to the Kilgore Fire Department. one side of a duplex was on fire. It was vacant although the other side had occupants. They were able to put the fire out before it spread to the other side. There was no electricity on the damaged side but power was cut to the other side which had water and smoke damage. There were no injuries reported. The fire is under investigation by the Gregg County Fire Marshals office. The fire was across the street from KFD Station 3 so response time was quick.  

Austin-Travis County EMS said paramedics rescued a person out of a low water crossing early Thursday morning during freezing temperatures. ATCEMS tweeted at 4:57 a.m. that a vehicle was stuck in the low water crossing on Gregg Lane near Fuchs Grove Road and the patient was on top of the car. Paramedics were able to get the patient off the car to safety and were evaluating the person. The low water crossing, located near Wilbarger Creek, had been closed shortly before the rescue took place. As of 5:20 a.m., around 60 low water crossing around the Austin area were closed due to heavy rain from the storm. Due to the weather, a STAR Flight helicopter had to cancel a dispatch to the scene, ATCEMS said. A second ambulance was called to the scene to potentially treat one of the rescuers for hypothermia.  

As many prepared for the week's wintry weather, first responders were gearing up to head out into the cold, ice, and rain to help those in distress. Belton Fire was already out on a call when FOX 44 News arrived at the fire house and explained that with preparations for weather like what is predicted, they've pulled out the tire chains. "The most important thing for us is traction going over bridges, going up hills whether it maybe something like a bridge or we have to get to a car," Driver and Operator Carter Davis said. "We need to be able to get there as fast can and efficient as we can, no matter what the issue is. So we don't want anything slowing us down." Davis and his team showed us how they wrap the chains around the large engine tires to prevent slipping and sliding on the roadways as they head to calls.  

VIDEO: Officials held another media briefing as they entered the 60th continuous hour of the Weaver Fertilizer Fire. According to officials, a passerby was the first person to call in the fire. Then a flood of dozens of calls followed that minutes later. The evacuation recommendation remained in place as of Thursday morning. Even with the overnight rain, they still call it an active fire with the potential to explode. Wake Forest University has canceled classes for the remainder of the week. People are still strongly discouraged from staying in the area within a one-mile radius of the plant. Battalion Chief Patrick Grubbs said that the rain expected Thursday and Friday will help fight the fire. Smoke is still an issue across a large swath of Winston-Salem.  

A new bill that would require the installation of heat sensors at every federally funded rental home was introduced by New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Wednesday. The legislation, named "Housing Temperature Safety Act of 2022," came weeks after a fire in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx that killed 17 people, including eight children. The fire at Twin Parks was caused by a space heater, according to an investigation conducted by the NYPD and FDNY. The bill would allow federal, state, and local housing administrators to assess heat levels in real-time, which would prevent future fire tragedies, and improve fire safety and housing quality, according to Gillibrand's office. The push already received early support from Mayor Eric Adams, who co-authored a similar city law as Brooklyn borough president with then-Council Member Ritchie Torres, a spokesperson for the senator said. Torres, now a congressman, leads companion legislation in the House of Representatives.  

Law enforcement authorities in three Western Washington counties were searching Wednesday for burglars who have broken into multiple fire stations, stealing valuable and life-saving equipment that could hamper firefighters' effort to save lives and preserve property. Sheriff's investigators in Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties told KOMO News that they all currently have active investigations within their jurisdictions into the thefts of vital fire department tools that has impacted -- or could impact -- the response to thousands of people served by the fire departments. Officials say the thieves have struck within the past two months and six different fire stations have been burglarized. Fire officials are resorting to unprecedented steps to thwart the thefts while some of the volunteer departments said they may have to go without their stolen tools for the time being.  

The house in the small town of Granville, Ohio, that Lea Ann Parsley-Davenport grew up in was located just a couple of blocks from the fire department, close enough to hear the town's emergency sirens sound whenever there was a fire. On those occasions, she would hop on her bike and pedal as fast as she could down to the station. Being only 11 at the time, Parsley-Davenport wasn't allowed to fight fires, but she could watch her two older brothers in action as they prepared to go out on the call. And when they returned, she could help wash down the trucks and hoses. "It was an easy thing to get involved in, and I just loved it," said Parsley-Davenport, a University of Virginia alumna who still lives in Granville. "It was kind of our way of contributing to our community. A lot of people around here do Scouts or Kiwanis or other community organizations that are part of life in a little town. For us, it was being on the fire department and giving back that way."  

"It's premature for any country either to surrender, or to declare victory," said World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus about the fight against Covid yesterday. "This virus is dangerous, and it continues to evolve before our very eyes," said Ghebreyesus in opening remarks at the organization's weekly Covid update. "WHO is currently tracking four sub-lineages of the Omicron variant of concern, including BA.2." Preliminary findings seem to indicate that BA.2 is more transmissible, but not more virulent, than the original Omicron. The Director-General and other WHO officials sought during the briefing to warn countries not to let their guards down, particularly with respect to Omicron. While not designated as such on the WHO web site yet, the WHO Covid-19 technical lead said on Monday that, since BA.2 is Omicron, it is a variant of concern.