VIDEO/PHOTO: A smell of smoke still lingers in the air in Corpus Christi this morning after a large grass fire broke out overnight on S. Padre Island Dr. (SPID) near the Oso Bay Turnaround. Crews with the Corpus Christi Fire Department and Nueces County ESD2 worked to gain control of the blaze just after midnight on the 8400 block of SPID. "Crews are encountering heavy fuels with moderate wind but are making progress!" Nueces County ESD2 posted to their Facebook page. Officials gave an update around 6 a.m. and said that the fire was out. No injuries were reported and no property was lost, officials with ESD2 said. It took crews just over an hour to gain control of the fire. There is no word on the cause.  

PHOTOS: Amarillo College is continuing to make progress on a building for it's first responders academy. The college recently received a building permit to move from primarily demolishing to approval to start construction for the renovated building. The building, located in the Sunset Center, was originally bought by AC in 2019. The project is utilizing funds received from bonds to pay for the project, which costs over $14 million. Amarillo College says its goal is to have first responder students learning and working together in the same place as they would be in a real situation. "So it's gonna be a state of the art facility that will just provide our students with up to date and current training and education in those areas," says Vice President of Business Affairs, Chris Sharp. Some amenities the center will have include fire towers, state of the art simulations and training facilities designed for EMS, Firefighters, and Police officers.  

A lightning strike on or near a home in Mauriceville may have sparked a fire at the home Wednesday morning. Firefighters from Orange County Emergency Services District Four were sent to the fire just after 11:30 a.m. at a home in the 5400 block of Avenue C in Mauriceville. When firefighters arrived they found smoke coming from the roof of the home. Firefighters believe a lightning strike may have caused the fire, which damaged the home's roof and attic, according to ESD Four Chief Matthew Manshack. Thunderstorms have been passing through the region all morning. A mutual aid call was put out and firefighters from Orange County ESD Two and ESD Three helped put out the fire he said. The home sustained smoke and water damage Manshack told 12News. No injuries were reported.  

PHOTOS: Some future guide dogs are now better prepared for emergencies, thanks to the Austin Fire Department. AFD shared photos of an organization called Guide Dogs for the Blind letting dogs in training get up close and personal with the sights, sounds and smells of fire responders and all of their gear. This helps dogs get acclimated in case they're ever in an emergency situation while they're working. Volunteers with the organization get dogs ready for formal training before they're matched with people who need guide dogs. Firefighter Cali Chidester went the extra mile and donned her gear for the dogs, AFD said. "The good news is that our new canine friends weren't deterred; even with her mask on, most of the dogs just wanted hugs and kisses!" AFD said.  

A massive overnight fire in Washington Park destroyed two houses and damaged a third home. No serious injuries are being reported; however, one firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion. It all happened on Portland Place, not far from Route 111 and north of I-64. Authorities told FOX 2 the two homes that were destroyed were both vacant, the third home which is damaged was occupied. Three people were inside of it at the time of the fire. They all escaped without injuries. Washington Park firefighters got the call about 4:15 a.m. The Assistant Chief for the Washington Park Fire Department, Ronnie Harris, told FOX 2 when crews first arrived, the two vacant houses were already fully engulfed and the flames were spreading to the third home.  

VIDEO: Public-safety and utility officials announced Wednesday that the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department will soon have another tool to keep the public safe — an agency-wide set of multi-gas detectors slated to be distributed to the city's emergency-response vehicles. The devices, which can detect natural gas, carbon monoxide and other toxic vapors, were donated by San Diego Gas & Electric and will be delivered to all 52 SDFRD stations this year, officials said during a morning briefing at San Diego Fire Station 45 in Mission Valley. "When our crews arrive on scene, safety and seconds matter," San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell said. "It's important that our firefighters have the tools they need to safely inspect and respond to potential gas incidents." More than 1,000 SDFRD personnel will soon be trained on how to use the detectors, according to the fire department.  

VIDEO: Tucked away at a Buffalo fire station is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' (ATF) National Response Team truck — a mobile unit filled with tools and tech to investigate fires and explosions anywhere in the nation. "When we get on scene, we want to get right to work," said Mark Meeks, ATF special agent in charge from the Albany field office. "We don't want to have to think about where things are. We want to get right into it." The truck is organized exactly the same as all other NRT trucks in the country, so those trained in using it can always find what they need quickly. That could include tape measures, cotton swabs, tarps, shovels, etc. Anything that touched the debris of a scene is replaced after the investigation so it does not contaminate other evidence at a later scene. This truck assisted in the Boston Marathon Bombing and most recently the March 2023 fire on Main Street that claimed the life of Buffalo Firefighter Jason Arno.  

When Arlington firefighters respond to drug overdoses, they could soon start bringing along enough doses of an opioid-reversal drug to leave some behind. This is part of a statewide effort "to prevent fatal overdoses and increase community access" to the nasal spray Narcan, one form of the reversal drug called naloxone. On Saturday, the Arlington County Board is set to approve a memorandum of understanding with the Virginia Dept. of Health to get more state-provided Narcan into the hands of the public. Through the Narcan "Leave Behind" Program, VDH has authorized EMS personnel, firefighters, law enforcement officers, school nurses and others to give Narcan doses to overdose witnesses, as well as to the family and friends of people who use drugs. The infusion of Narcan is part of national, state and local a focus on reducing harm to drug users.