Cy-Fair firefighters rescued two people from a house fire overnight after a father was desperately trying to save his family, and the entire rescue was caught on helmet camera video. Northwest Harris County neighbors noticed a garage fire at a home in the 21500 block of Wellsford Glen Dr. before 11 p.m. Wednesday and called 911. Firefighters say three adults live in the home, a husband, wife and their adult daughter. Before firefighters arrived, officials say the husband helped escort his wife, who uses a wheelchair, out of the home. He then went back into the burning house to try and get his daughter. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they went inside to rescue the husband and daughter. Officials say by the time they pulled them out of the fire, neither adult had a pulse and they both suffered from smoke inhalation.  

San Antonio police have arrested a man who said he started so many fires in one morning that he lost count, according to an arrest affidavit. Michael Anthony Brown, 34, was charged with criminal trespassing and arson, booking records with the Bexar County jail show. According to an affidavit, a woman said she saw Brown lighting a mattress on fire outside an apartment complex on Tuesday. When police arrived, Brown said he ignited the fire with a torch lighter, which was still in his possession. He said he lit "several other fires" during the morning but had lost count, police said. He told officers that it "could be about five fires." The affidavit states that Brown admitted he "likes to start fires and to watch them," and has been doing so since he was a child.  

Preparations are underway in Allen to distribute a shipment of 2,000 COVID-19 vaccines that is expected to arrive from the state this week. The Allen Fire Department announced on social media that it would partner with the Allen Independent School District to use Eagle Stadium as an appointment-only, drive-thru vaccination site. The Allen Fire Department says the 2,000 doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine will be followed by larger and more frequent vaccine shipments from the Texas Department of State Health Services in the future. The department stressed that the availability of the vaccine is still limited. Once vaccines are delivered and temperature-checked to confirm viability, appointments for qualifying individuals (Phase 1A and Phase 1B) will be offered via email on a first-come, first-served basis to those subscribed to Allen Fire Department's vaccine appointment alerts.  

Several north-side family members are without a home after a fire broke out in theirs on Wednesday afternoon. The flames broke out just before 3 p.m. on Coke Street near Comanche behind Ben Garza Park. According to the Corpus Christi Fire Department battalion chief Frank Solansky, when they arrived at the home, firefighters saw heavy smoke and noticed the outside of the home was on fire. The flames spread to the attic and nearby rooms. No serious injuries were reported. Everyone living inside the home was able to make it out. Fire firefighters managed to also rescue a cat from the home after the fire was extinguished. Volunteers with the Red Cross were called in to help out the family because fire investigators say the home is unlivable.  

At least 200 people were evacuated from their homes and workplaces in Deep Ellum Wednesday afternoon after firefighters discovered a natural gas leak. The Dallas Fire Department's HazMat Team was dispatched to the area shortly after 1 p.m. after receiving a 911 call about a gas odor near the intersection of Willow Street and Exposition Avenue. Once they arrived, they discovered a four-inch gas main near the intersection that was leaking. Around 200 people from 14 different locations in the area were evacuated. The 14 locations included nine homes and five businesses. The gas main has since been capped off and people are being allowed back inside their homes and businesses.  

VIDEO: Crews responded to a fire at an Amarillo home near North Fairmont Street and West Amarillo Boulevard. Today at 1:21 p.m., Amarillo Fire Department responded to a structured fire near North Fairmont. Crews arrived at 1:24 p.m. and found a large amount of fire and smoke. While crews were inside, searching for possible victims and extinguishing fire, the roof began to collapse. Interior crews were forced to evacuate until the fire was brought under control. Crews re-entered the home to search for possible victims. None were found and no injuries were reported. Strong winds were a factor in the spread of fire. Crews were bale to gain control of the fire before nearby residents became involved. Amarillo Fire Marshal's Office responded and was able to determine that a stove was left on, causing the fire. Official cause will be "Accidental".  

Cy-Fair firefighters rescued two people from a house fire overnight after a father was desperately trying to save his family, and the entire rescue was caught on helmet camera video. Northwest Harris County neighbors noticed a garage fire at a home in the 21500 block of Wellsford Glen Dr. before 11 p.m. Wednesday and called 911. Firefighters say three adults live in the home, a husband, wife and their adult daughter. Before firefighters arrived, officials say the husband helped escort his wife, who uses a wheelchair, out of the home. He then went back into the burning house to try and get his daughter. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they went inside to rescue the husband and daughter. Officials say by the time they pulled them out of the fire, neither adult had a pulse and they both suffered from smoke inhalation.  

Oakland, Calif., will begin deactivating some of its fire engines and shuttering stations temporarily on Thursday in a budget-cutting move that drew criticism from firefighters and neighboring communities that contract with the city for fire protection. The fire department will deactivate three engines for six days at a time over the next five months, effectively closing three of the city's 25 stations, each of which operate with one engine. The only station not affected is at Oakland International Airport. The move is expected to save $5 million. Local officials and firefighters criticized the move and threatened to take legal action to prevent the closures. Some firefighters say their work now is more crucial than ever as they are often the first responders during the COVID pandemic. "You have the domino effect that ends up emptying the city of fire engines because they're all covering for each other's calls," said Zac Unger, president of Oakland Firefighters Local 55.  

VIDEO: Bonita Springs Fire Control & Rescue District confirmed Wednesday one of its fire engines flipped over on the way to a kitchen fire. According to the fire district, firefighters were heading to the scene of a kitchen fire at a home in the city when the truck they were in rolled over on Snell Lane. The fire engine took a sharp turn and rolled over into a wooded area along the roadway. Luckily, there were no reported injuries to anyone in the fire truck. Firefighters still made it to the scene and were able to quickly put out the kitchen fire down the street from the crash.  

VIDEO: One final push officially opened the city's newest fire station Wednesday morning. As part of a tradition, Columbus Division of Fire firefighters and paramedics pushed a fire engine inside the garage bay doors of the new Station 16, located at 1465 Oakland Park Dr., which will provide service to North Linden and the surrounding area. City Council approved $9.4 million in July 2019 for construction of the station, which replaces the old station on Weber Road that was built in the 1950s. Battalion Chief Steve Martin said the Weber Road station had been built at a time when Weber Road was on the far north side of Columbus and the city as a whole saw the number of runs that Station 16 now handles by itself. The new station is equipped to house up to 15 people at a time in single-person dormitory rooms, Martin said. Most shifts have about nine people who would be sleeping at the station, but the station allows for growth or students riding along with fire crews to be housed comfortably.  

A lawmaker's proposal to make Utah the first state to train emergency medical technicians specifically for responding to mental health emergencies received early support in a state Senate committee Wednesday. SB53 would allow EMTs and firefighters to be trained to respond to mental health calls. Then, agencies throughout the state could form teams made up of those trained EMTs, who would be dedicated specifically to mental health emergencies. Bill sponsor Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, said he believes Utah will be the first state to implement such a program. "I believe that this will absolutely change the way that we provide service to those experiencing substance use or mental health issues," Thatcher told members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday. Mental health EMT teams would not take on the role of therapists. Instead, they would triage people and help them find the resources they need, Thatcher said.