The City of Keller and Town of Westlake will soon begin exploring the possibility of merging their fire departments aimed at improving services and expanding regional response capabilities. "This is an incredible opportunity for both communities to come together to create a regional department, Westlake Fire-EMS Chief Richard Whitten said. "There is a growing trend across the nation of fire departments consolidating into single regional departments and I am honored to be a part of this transformation." The move comes 19 years after Keller has provided police service for Westlake — and a string of other efforts: regional 911 dispatch, animal services and detention operations shared through a mix of agreements between both cities along with the cities of Colleyville, Southlake and Roanoke.  

Killeen firefighters braved falling temperatures late Wednesday afternoon to battle a house fire. The fire, which appears to have involved the garage of the home and a car, broke out at around 4 p.m. Wednesday at the corner of Lone Shadow and Modoc drives in Killeen, near Union Grove Middle School. Further details weren't immediately available.  

At least 75 to 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup crash Thursday morning on Interstate 35W in Fort Worth, including several 18-wheelers, officials said. At least five people have been confirmed dead. The total number of injuries remains unknown, Fort Worth police said. The crash happened around 6 a.m. as drivers were dealing with pockets of inclement weather across North Texas, including freezing rain. A number of people remained trapped hours after the crash happened and patients were still emerging from vehicles at the crash scene as of 8:30 a.m., officials said, with an estimated 36 people needing medical transport. Several people were in critical condition. Information and estimates were rapidly changing as crews worked their way through the scene, and the number of patients is "growing by the minute," officials said around 8:30 a.m.  

Interstate 35 northbound in Jarrell was shut down after law enforcement agencies were able to stop the stolen fire engine they were chasing at around 1:25 a.m. This pursuit of the Austin Fire Department vehicle lasted one hour and 37 minutes and spanned around 40 miles. The Texas Department of Public Safety tells KXAN that DPS Troopers stopped the stolen Austin fire truck on northbound I-35 by using spike strips. The department said the vehicle stopped on I-35 near the 275 exit where first responders from DPS, of the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, Georgetown Police Department, and Austin Police Department, were positioned. The Austin Fire Department confirms to KXAN the truck belongs to its department. DPS tells KXAN that officers present on I-35 conducted a felony stop after the fire engine came to a halt and arrested the suspect who they identified as Frank Garcia Jr., 41, of Austin.  

The Amarillo Fire Department reports crews responded to a structure fire in the 500 block of West Colorado around 1:30 p.m. Initial reports said two structures were involved. According to AFD, the first unit arrived on-scene and found a travel trailer and a large shop involved with fire. A total of 10 AFD units responded. Crews extinguished the travel trailer quickly but had to force to entry into the shop to access the fire. Residents said the shop contained large amounts of welding equipment including oxygen and acetylene. AFD said the fire was under control around 2pm. Amarillo Fire Marshal's Office responded to the fire but no update has been released. No injuries were reported and no other homes became involved.  

VIDEO: Firefighters in Grimes County responded to a semi-truck fire Wednesday afternoon on Highway 6 south of Navasota. It happened during the noon hour at the Fuel Maxx store at FM 2. Navasota's Fire Chief Jason Katkoski tells KBTX the driver, who is from the Dallas-area, managed to exit the vehicle before it was engulfed. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported.  

VIDEO: Dozens of people have been displaced by a massive fire at a condo building in Boxboro. As firefighters poured water on the smoldering brick shell on Swanson Road, one longtime resident stood nearby in shock. "I've lived there for 45 years, so there's a lot of memories there," one woman said. It was just after five o'clock when firefighters responding to a call for smoke in the attic were greeted by an inferno. It would soon go to four alarms, drawing troops from several surrounding towns. But Boxboro does not have a municipal water system, meaning no hydrants, forcing them to pull water from nearby ponds when their tanker trucks run dry. The chief said they had bigger problems. "Actually the challenging part was evacuating people, before we even got water, was getting people out of the building," said Boxboro Fire Chief Paul Fillebrown. "Because people didn't want to leave."  

The Cedar Rapids firefighters who were seriously injured over the weekend when a hose line ruptured have been released from the hospital while fire officials investigate what happened. Both firefighters were treated for fractures and were released from the hospital Sunday, Cedar Rapids public safety spokesperson Greg Buelow told The Gazette on Wednesday. They will remain off-duty while they recuperate, Buelow said. The firefighters were injured when called to a kitchen fire at Westdale Court Apartments, 3919 20th Ave. SW, at 1:19 a.m. Sunday, where a 1-and-3/4-inch hose ruptured, causing the hose to strike the firefighters, Buelow said. One firefighter was struck in the head and face and knocked unconscious, and another was struck in the chest and knocked down, according to a news release from the city. Both were outside the apartment building when injured.  

VIDEO: Lauderhill Fire Rescue crews used a drone equipped with infrared technology to help them fight a house fire Wednesday afternoon. "We were able to find the source of the fire in the drone. It was in the attic. It had not penetrated the roof yet," said Captain Jerry Gonzalez. Gonzalez said it was the first time the department used the technology to locate what he called a "hidden fire." The blaze broke out Wednesday around 5 p.m. at 7300 Northwest 44th Court. A worker reportedly noticed the smoke and alerted the homeowners, who were sleeping inside. Everyone got out safely and no injuries were reported. The house in uninhabitable for now, Gonzalez said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The drone technology might have saved the structure from further damage. "That is amazing right now. Just a few years ago it wouldn't have existed, and who knows what other type of damage would have been done to the house just trying to find the source of this fire," Gonzalez said.  

Michigan's Lewis Cass building made headlines last summer when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer renamed it the Elliott-Larsen building. But this week 70 years ago, Michigan's oldest standing state office building was in the news for something else entirely: a massive fire lit by a state employee who hoped it would help him avoid the Korean War. It was lunchtime on Feb. 8, 1951 when firefighters from five different cities began pumping an eventual five million gallons of water through 19,100 feet of hose to try and quell the roaring blaze, which was set in the "M" (presumably for mezzanine) and seventh floors of the building. At that time, the new(ish) building housed many state departments as well as the Library of Michigan. Valuable papers, blueprints and reports were stored there by nearly every department with offices in the state office building.  

The state of Indiana is dedicating tens of thousands of federal dollars to making naloxone, the opioid-involved overdose reversal medication, publicly available every day and around the clock. On February 5, Governor Eric Holcomb announced that the state will be partnering with the harm reduction nonprofit Overdose Lifeline to bring NaloxBoxes—hard acrylic boxes that can be mounted to an exterior wall—to all 92 Indiana counties. Every NaloxBox will contain between six and eight naloxone doses and treatment referrals, and volunteers will monitor the need for refills. Overdose Lifeline will be purchasing 215 units and shipping from the manufacturer for $58,000 through funds from the federally-administered State Opioid Response grant. For Justin Phillips, Overdose Lifeline's executive director, the expansion could be a game-changer. "We know individuals who are actively using will not always feel comfortable reaching out to an organization and if they are comfortable not all safe places are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.