Lubbock Fire Rescue responded to a fire in the 4600 block of 52nd Street around 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night. According to LFR, the fire was possibly arson. The fire started in a dumpster and spread to Lubbock Lakeway Apartments. There had been no injuries reported as of 10:20 p.m. The Fire Marshal's Office was investigating the fire, according to LFR. The apartment fire wasn't the only fire to take place Tuesday afternoon. Lubbock Fire Rescue said the first fire of the night occurred at 35th street near Elgin Ave. Fire officials said someone set fire to a mattress just before 9 p.m. The fire occurred in an alleyway. The second fire happened at 54th St., just a few blocks from the apartment fire. LFR said a boat had been set on fire between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday. Homeowners were able to put the fire out before crews arrived.  

Local law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services and other government agencies and selected private sector partners will participate in an area wide terrorism drill on beginning at approximately 9 a.m. and lasting until noon. There will be several events taking place throughout Southeast Texas at the same time and multiple agencies are involved. Organizers said emergency services would not be compromised during these events. The drill is intended to validate the regional plan for any possible terrorist attack, Groves Fire Chief Lance Billeaud said. Operation Golden Triangle is sponsored by the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission and will take place in Jefferson, Hardin and Orange Counties. This exercise provides participants with an opportunity to assess capabilities, plans, policies and procedures. It focuses on decision-making, coordination and integration with other organizations during a Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack.  

New training equipment for the fire-science program at South Texas College is boosting the hands-on learning experience for future firefighters – helping thousands of first responders in the area. "They can learn tactics, strategies, how to attack the fire, based on wind conditions and things in the environment," STC Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence Director Joe Moroles said. These different scenarios play a critical role in the training of several cadets such as Collin Dowling. The more hands on you can be, the more experienced you'll be out in the field," Dowling said. According to Moroles - there are only 16 other pieces of training equipment similar to the ones used by the center throughout the entire state. The closest one to the Rio Grande Valley is more than 250 miles away.  

The National Weather Service said Tuesday that an EF2 tornado capable of producing winds up to 120 mph was to blame for frantic and chaotic moments WFAA witnessed on I-35E Monday night in Forreston. Around 9 p.m., the tornado danced across the highway and flipped over three semi-trucks. It also pushed the dividing median into northbound lanes. Three drivers of those trucks were stuck in their cabs and needed to be rescued. Forreston is a small town with a population of less than 500. It has a volunteer fire department, but that's not enough to manage a spectacular crash that ended up shutting down the highway. Calls for mutual aid started to go out, and a lot of first responders showed up. One agency was the Red Oak Fire Department.  

From fighting fires to battling cancer, a local fire chief who already beat cancer twice is battling it again for the third time. Only now, he is in desperate need for a new kidney. Jerry "JJ" Price's family is asking for prayers as he recovers from major surgery. Friends and family say Price is one of the most selfless people you'll ever meet. "He left the hospital the other day he was on his way home and stopped and responded to a wreck," Crystal Riera, his stepdaughter said. "He was off duty but that's his job. That's him. That's what he does," Price is the Assistant Fire Chief of Elm Mott Fire and Rescue. He also works at Robert's Truck and Equipment, but he'll have to step away from both for the time being. "It was kind of a kick in the side, but I was hoping that we got at all the last time. And well, here we are again," Price said.  

Center Point firefighters want an emergency services district to help fund their operations and will have a petition on hand Friday at their station to help get the matter on the November ballot. "With the day we live in now, things cost more," said Fire Chief Charles Holt. "We have 34 members that we have to keep up with gear and trucks, and Center Point's fixing to get two brand new subdivisions with about 400 more rooftops." The fire department wants to have a petition in favor of an emergency services district, which would be funded by a property tax that would collect about $60 on property valued $100,000. By comparison, school tax is $973 and county tax is $474 for a $100,000 property. "So I think $60 a year for fire protection ain't bad," Holt said. The firefighters have invited property-owner voters who would be served by their proposed district to come by between 5 and 7 p.m. Friday to sign the petition at their fire station, 548 W. Kelly, Center Point.  

VIDEO: Service along multiple Long Island Rail Road lines was suspended Thursday morning between Hicksville and Mineola after a fire ripped through a large Westbury recycling facility overnight. Nassau County Traffic Management and the LIRR confirmed fire department activity on Grand Boulevard between Monitor Street to Broadway just before 9 p.m. Wednesday, with drivers told to expect delays. The massive five-alarm blaze was still burning early Thursday at the 500,000 square-foot plant as firefighters tried to put out all the flames. Westbury Fire Department Chief Kenneth Gass Jr. said the blaze is something that cannot be remedied in a day as far as full extinguishment. Portions of the building have collapsed and parts of the roof have collapsed, according to the fire chief. "The entire building is compromised," he said. Officials confirmed Thursday morning there appeared to be no injuries.  

Clark County Fire District 6 officials say it's the deadliest job in America: towing disabled cars off the side of the freeway. In just the past few months, three tow truck drivers were in serious crashes in southwest Washington. "I think people have been cooped up for so long that they really want to get out and get going and we've noticed it," said David Schmitke, the public information officer and public education coordinator for CCFD6. On Wednesday, people from AAA Washington, WSP, WSDOT, and local towing companies came together to shoot a public service announcement to remind drivers of the law: to slow down and move over. "For me, if people don't do it, we don't get to go home. We've had too many operators hit, a couple struck and killed lately in our local area," said Jake Beals with Triple J Towing. "We want to go home to our families, too. If you don't slow down and move over, there needs to be penalties. And it's not the lives of us that needs to be penalized."  

Governor Ron DeSantis announced one-time pandemic bonuses for about 174,000 first responders in Florida Wednesday. DeSantis says the $1,000 bonuses will be given to law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and firefighters. "Supporting our law enforcement and first responders has been a top priority for my administration, and it has never been more important than over the last year. As a state, we are grateful for their continued service to our communities," said Governor Ron DeSantis. "This one-time bonus is a small token of appreciation, but we can never go far enough to express our gratitude for their selflessness." "When the coronavirus came to Florida, our first responders worked overtime to protect our communities and get people the care they so desperately needed," said Florida Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis.  

The State Fire Marshal closed 53 cases of arson in 2020, and the office is working to make that number go down. The United States Fire Administration says that over 210,000 fires every year are classified as arson. Those cases also result in 375 civilian deaths, 1,300 civilian injuries, and $1 billion in property damage. Firefighters go through particular training to deal with arson cases. Sometimes fires are set to mask other crimes, according to John High from the University of Illinois Fire Institute. He helps train firefighters to spot other hazards that can come with dealing with arson. The Illinois State Fire Marshal is encouraging departments to revisit their plans for dealing with Arson. "Arson is a serious crime and I encourage communities and fire departments to work together to help raise awareness to prevent these fires that are costing people their lives and needlessly putting firefighters in dangerous situations. If you see something, say something," said Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez.  

With demand for coronavirus vaccines declining in parts of the country, the Biden administration announced a change in strategy this week, adopting a more targeted approach for reaching America's not-yet-vaccinated population. Despite the nation's relatively smooth and speedy rollout, there's still a lot of work to do—and a fair amount of doubt, per the week's reports on herd immunity, that it'll get done. As of May 5, 148.6 million Americans, or 44.7% of the total population, had received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, up from 142.7 million a week ago, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That relatively small change is dwarfed by the increase in the number of fully vaccinated individuals in the past week: 107.3 million Americans, which includes 70.1% of seniors, 41.3% of adults, and 32.3% of the total population have been fully vaccinated, up from 98 million last week.