VIDEO: A Fort Worth firefighter was taken to a hospital after battling an early-morning fire Thursday, but he's expected to be OK, officials said. The fire happened at a vacant church building in the 5900 block of Tension Drive in east Fort Worth, near East Rosedale Street and East Loop 820. Firefighters were dispatched to the church around 2 a.m. When they arrived, they saw heavy smoke and fire coming from the roof. Firefighters started battling the fire, and then an outside wall partially collapsed, falling on one of the firefighters standing outside, officials said. The firefighter was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. During the fire, a nearby vacant home also caught fire, stemming from the original fire. Crews around 4:30 a.m. were still working to get the fires under control. Officials did not yet know the cause of the fire.  

Funeral arrangements have been announced for longtime Edinburg Fire Chief Shawn M. Snider, who died late Monday. He was 58. Visitation will take place at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 501 E. Kuhn in Edinburg, from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday. A recitation of the rosary will be held there that evening at 6 p.m. The Revs. Manoj Kumar Nayak and William "Bill" Gural will lead mourners in a funeral Mass at the church the following day, Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. After the service, Snider will be interred at Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery, 1701 E. Richardson Road, with "full firefighter honors to pay tribute to Chief Snider's many years of dedicated service to the department and community," according to a news release from the city of Edinburg. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Chief Snider," Edinburg Deputy Fire Chief Ubaldo "Balde" Perez stated.  

VIDEO: A mother and her four children escaped a home on Houston's eastside after someone dumped gasoline on a car nearby and lit it on fire. "We're still alive," said the mother named Theresa. "That's all I can say. We're still alive. By the grace of God, we're still here." Home surveillance video from a home nearby shows the flames grow outside the home early Sunday morning. "It was like a snake of flames," said Jim Carroll, a neighbor. "You could see the fumes when it got underneath the car [go] boom." A car and trashcan outside the home are burned to a crisp. A line of dead grass now extends from the car to the street. "It's the East End," said Carroll. "Nothing freaks people on the East End, because there is always something going on over here with crime. Porch pirates, arson, criminal trespass, people need to start exercising their right to protect themselves."  

On Tuesdays, former Waco firefighters gather for coffee and conversation. "They're definitely family. Definitely 100 percent. I was young when I came to work. I had just turned 21 and two weeks later and they gave the exam. These guys were like big brothers to me and you watched them and learned from them. You just got to be really good friends," said Joe Cook who spent 40 years with the Waco Fire Department. They've seen the city and the department change through the years. "It was good. I can tell you I've never done a job that I enjoyed more," said Retired Firefighter Otis who served 39 years. "Things have improved. A lot of things have improved about the fire service," said Charlie Wilson who spent 35 years in the department and retired as the training officer.  

A fire ignited at an auto salvage yard in Grapeview Wednesday, according to Chopper 7 video from the scene. Live video from the scene showed several piles of tires on fire, with flames extending to the largest building on the property. According to Washington State Patrol Trooper Katherine Weatherwax, seven 500-gallon drums of oil caught on fire. One person was airlifted to an area hospital for smoke inhalation. Heavy black smoke was seen rising from both sides of the building and flames were spotted throughout. "We had to bring in tenders that shuttle water," said Norma Brock, public information officer for Central Mason Fire & EMS. "So we had to go down the road to wherever they're getting it — I believe at Spencer Lake — they fill the trucks then they shuttle up and take turns running water into our engines and hoses and ladder truck."  

VIDEO: At her school's recent career day, Penelope Montenegro knew immediately what she wanted to be: a firefighter. She came to class dressed like her father, Paul, who works for the Fort Myers Beach Fire District. But some older kids in Penelope's school didn't understand how a girl could be a firefighter. "At different points throughout the day, people snickered," Paul said. "They made comments." But on Wednesday, Penelope got confirmation she can be anything she wanted. Female firefighters from across Southwest Florida showed up at Oasis Elementary South to show support for the third grader. "We are here to show there are amazing things about this job," Jennifer Gordon, a firefighter on Fort Myers Beach, said. "Anyone can be anything they want to be."  

Quincy officials are looking for state lawmakers to approve a request that would allow retired firefighters to come back on board for support duties. The Quincy City Council supports giving the fire chief the power to appoint retirees as "special firefighters" who'd help cover detail assignments. A home rule petition the council filed this week requires approval from the state Legislature for such positions to be created. An increased workload within the fire department has sparked the need for the special firefighters to man detail assignments, particularly at construction sites, said Tom Bowes, president of the Quincy Firefighters Association Local 792. Developers are required to get a fire watch detail when welders and pipefitters are performing work inside a building, and the fire department sometimes has a hard time making sure someone is at the site, Bowes told the Herald on Wednesday.  

VIDEO: National Arson Awareness Week is May 7- May 13. Fire officials are using it as a reminder to educate on the dangers of fire. It comes as youth fire setting continues to be a problem throughout the United States. Juveniles account for more than 50% of all arson arrests in the United States, according to Burn Prevention Network. Statistics show many of the children who set fires lack both parental supervision and fire education. "This has been an ongoing problem," said E.S.C.A.P.E. President Michael McLeieer. "It's not something that's just happened in the last couple of years since COVID. This has been a multi-decades problem, and we often forget about how we handle this problem, so with a multidisciplinary approach with schools, with law enforcement, with court systems, juvenile justice, mental health, we can provide the best opportunities for the family," he said.