The Amarillo Fire Department said a second fire at a vacant building in downtown put firefighters at risk. Around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, the department responded to a structure fire at SE 2nd Ave and S Pierce Street. That is the old Panhandle Laundry & Dry Cleaning. Crews were initially unable to locate the fire due to heavy smoke and were ordered out of the building. Firefighters later forced open another door and got it put out. The Amarillo Fire Marshal's Office is investigating. "This is the second time the old Panhandle Laundry & Dry Cleaning building has burned, which created multiple hazards for our firefighters inside the structure," said AFD. The department issued a reminder to call police if you see anyone going into abandoned buildings.  

Two people are dead after a horrific crash along a dangerous intersection on the West Side. The deadly accident happened around 1 a.m. Thursday along U.S. Highway 151 and Southwest Loop 410. Police said speed was the biggest reason for the crash. The driver lost control and went down an embankment, hit a utility pole and burst into flames. At some point, the driver hit a white truck, but that vehicle took off. Officers and citizens were able to rescue the victims from the burning vehicle. The female passenger died at the scene. The driver was taken to the hospital where he died a short time later. Police said the area is known for serious and fatal crashes, as drivers may not anticipate the curves at the intersection.  

Two adults and two dogs are safe after a fire in a Harker Heights mobile home park. The Harker Heights Fire Department was dispatched at 2:03 p.m. Wednesday for a reported structure fire at 810 S Amy Lane #18. The department responded along with the Killeen Fire Department. The first units that arrived on scene found moderate smoke and flames appearing from the front side of the structure. The fire was extinguished within three minutes of arrival, and moderate damage was retained to the living room. Two adults were displaced by the fire, and two dogs were rescued. Aid was rendered to the dogs, and they were turned over to animal control. The local American Red Cross is aiding the displaced adults. No injuries were sustained by either the occupants or firefighters on scene.  

San Antonio firefighters are looking for answers after a fire at an abandoned home spread to some neighboring brush early Thursday morning. Firefighters were first called around 5:40 a.m. about smoke seen near Loop 1604, just between Wiseman Boulevard and North Ellison Drive. Firefighters said when they arrived, they found a home that was on fire. They quickly worked to knock down the flames. Fire officials said the house has been abandoned. It's unclear if it had any working utilities. The fire however spread to some surrounding brush, necessitating the need to put out additional flames, authorities said. They said it was a good thing the area also had some decent rain. The cause of the fire is not currently known. A damage estimate to the home was not released.  

Amarillo firefighters rescued a cat, dog and puppies during an early morning fire. Firefighters responded to a house fire just after midnight at 2605 South Van Buren Street. When they arrived, firefighters could see smoke and fire coming from the rear of the home. They stretched a hose down the alley and found the fire was under the carport. The people who live in the home were already outside. Firefighters found a cat, a dog and puppies inside the home and brought them out safely. The cause of the fire is believed to be a broken electrical line.  

When a 79-year-old widow's home became overgrown with bamboo to the extent it had taken over her yard and become a fire hazard, members of the Kerrville Professional Firefighters Association stepped in to solve the problem for her. "I'm not sure if the neighbors had complained because the bamboo was overgrowing, but it's also a fire hazard," KPFA representative Zane Zenner, also a Lieutenant with the Kerrville Fire Department, said. "City code states you cannot have bamboo growing within 50 feet of a structure. Not only is a danger for the property owner, but also to the surrounding property owners." For this reason, Zenner said, KFD Fire Marshal Jason Lackey reached out to the KPFA to see if the local firefighters could help. "We started planning about a month and a half ago," Zenner said.  

Firefighters battled heavy flames Wednesday afternoon in a commercial building on Broadway Street in Lowell. While flying overhead, Sky5 could see flames and smoke spreading through the building and bursting through the roof. The roof collapsed in several areas. "There was initially a mayday with a firefighter, but everybody's been accounted for and they're all right," Chief William Charron with the Lowell Fire Department said. One firefighter was evacuated from the scene for injuries. Dense smoke from the blaze filled several neighborhoods in Lowell. The owner of the building told WCVB's John Atwater that the building was vacant, so no one was inside. An auto body supply store used to operate out of the space, but the owner says that all of the chemicals they used had been removed from the building.  

VIDEOS: An El Paso Firefighter who's not only fighting flames, is also fighting the stereotypes. Jacqueline Manriquez is the focus of this week's Breaking the Bias segment. "At the end of the day, when you bunker up, I don't think you can categorize yourself as a female or a male," Manriquez said. "You're just categorized as a firefighter. If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. Manriquez lives that motto every single day. "I started with the fire department back in 2012, so it's about to hit 10 years," Manriquez. It's been 10 years of hard work, dedication, love for her El Paso community and blood sweat and tears. "I was a regular trainee at my academy, it was a traditional academy, which is a six-month academy. I was the only female back then with about 50 males," Manriquez said.  

New details in the arrest of a Forest Service burn boss during a prescribed burn in Grant County last month are raising the possibility that the sheriff who arrested him could in turn be subject to prosecution. On Oct. 19 a prescribed burn being executed by the U.S. Forest Service, with help from Oregon Department of Forestry and contract crews, escaped the burn area, scorching approximately 18 acres of adjacent private land in Bear Valley, about 7 miles north of Seneca. While that "slopover" fire was actively being brought under control, Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley, responding to a 911 call from the landowners, arrived on the scene and arrested Rick Snodgrass, the federal employee in charge of the operation, on a misdemeanor charge of reckless burning.  

Engine No. 1 is roaring down Livingston Avenue, lights flashing, sirens blaring, horn honking, engines racing, pulses pounding. And in the back seat, Antonio is wearing his custom-made turnout gear, fire helmet and a big smile. After being sworn in as an honorary member of the New Brunswick Fire Department by Mayor Jim Cahill on Wednesday, Nov. 9, he and this four-man crew are simulating what it would be like to dash through the city to the scene of a call. "Are you having a good time, Antonio?" asked firefighter Francis Serge as Engine No. 1 turned onto Jersey Avenue. "Oh, yeah!" replied Antonio, with a laugh and a thumbs-up sign. Antonio spent his 10th birthday with dozens of members of the city's fire department, the mayor, City Council President Suzanne Sicora Ludwig and others in an event organized through the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  

VIDEO: Today, the Richmond Hill subdivision looks like a typical south Indianapolis neighborhood. But longtime Hoosiers will never forget what happened here 10 years ago. An explosion in a home rocked Richmond Hill on Nov. 10, 2012, killing Jennifer and Dion Longworth, who lived next door. There were heroes that night, including a family who heard and felt the blast. Dozens of homes were damaged in the blast. Thirty houses would eventually be torn down. As neighbors began cleaning up and rebuilding, investigators would comb through the debris in Richmond Hill looking for clues. It was not an accident. Police said the blast was intentionally carried out by the ringleader, Mark Leonard. Prosecutors said the plot centered around insurance money. Monserrate Shirley, who lived in the home that blew up, denied any wrongdoing.