VIDEO: A fire that reached two alarms in northeast Houston is out Wednesday evening hours after sparking at a storage warehouse. Houston Fire Department responded to reports of a warehouse fire at 4847 Blaffer, which is just off the North 610 Loop and right behind a Ford dealership. In a tweet posted just after 8:30 p.m., HFD said the fire, with hundreds of bales of compressed cardboard and trailers burning, has been extinguished. Capt. Sedrick Robinette told ABC13 that about 500 bales, each weighing 1,100 pounds and measuring up to 10 feet long, were on fire. Additionally, 20 trailers, each measuring 53 feet, were burned. Investigators believe the cardboard fueled the fire. The fire department added that more than 100 crew personnel were on the scene, and no air quality issues were reported. No employees at the warehouse were injured.  

PHOTOS: Local first responders helped honor the Dalhart Fire Chief and firefighter killed in a head-on collision on Tuesday night by escorting the bodies on Wednesday. Fire Chief Curtis Brown and firefighter Brendan Torres were on their way back from a call around 8:40 p.m. Tuesday when their SUV was hit by a semi on U.S. 54 northeast of Dalhart. Brown and Torres were both pronounced dead at the scene. The Amarillo Fire Department shared photos on Facebook of responders from the Fritch and Stinnett Volunteer Fire Departments, the Randall County Fire Department, Potter County Fire and Rescue, as well as the Amarillo Police and Fire Departments coordinating efforts to escort the bodies of the fallen firefighters. "Although this is a tragedy, it is heartwarming to see the brotherhood/sisterhood coming together to support each other," said the Amarillo Fire Department.  

VIDEO: The Abilene Fire Department (AFD) responded to a house fire in the Sayles area of Abilene Wednesday afternoon, as large plumes of smoke were visible even from the far south side of town. The fire, in the 400 block of Meander Street, was started around 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, according to a press release from AFD. While crews were en route to the address, AFD said they quickly noticed heavy smoke in the area. Upon arrival, crews noted the single-family home was fully engulfed in flames with heavy smoke, and the crews made a quick and defensive attack because this home had close neighbors. Firefighters managed to protect the neighboring homes and contain the fire to the single house. AFD said the home had multiple occupants and no injuries were reported.  

As dry conditions return to East Texas, firefighters are doing everything they can to keep wildfires in check. The Crockett Fire Department has a new vehicle in its fleet for free from the Department of Defense Firefighter Property Program along with a $20,000 grant for equipment for the truck though the rural volunteer fire department, helping them and saving the citizens of Crockett some money. "We just have to pay for fuel and maintenance, stuff like that," Jason Frizell, Chief of the Crockett Fire Department said. "The city's not out the initial cost of a new truck or the skid unit that comes with it to fight the grass fires." The only condition was the former military truck needed to be painted, and with a donated can of orange paint, the brush truck has gotten a new nickname by the fire crew. "We painted it orange, so we're calling it the pumpkin wagon," Frizell said.  

The Austin City Limits Music Festival starts this Friday, Oct. 7. Crews have worked to get the stages ready, along with all that goes into putting on a festival for thousands of people with more than 100 music groups. Austin first responders have also been preparing. "We will have multiple special response units, or SRUs that we call them. Essentially, it's like a golf cart with a stretcher on the back. We'll have those on the ground, we'll have dedicated transport ambulances," said Austin-Travis County EMS spokesperson Cpt. Cristina Stedman. Stedman said that despite some staffing challenges the department is dealing with, they will have enough paramedics and first responders at the event. "We partner with other public and private agencies to help make sure the festival is fully covered medically speaking, as well as some of our other partner agencies, like the Austin Fire Department," she said.  

In December 2020, a Tompkins High School football player fought for his life in the intensive care unit after a devastating crash. Now, two years later, he is aiming to help others. Samuel "Sam" Mills was ejected from his vehicle on Dec. 26 after losing control and hitting a curb while driving home from his job at Chick-fil-A on Pin Oak Road. According to the Fort Bend Sheriff's Office, Mills' car flipped over at least twice. He was 17 years old at the time. "Whenever I saw a hard thing, I didn't run away from it; I ran towards it," Mills said. Mills' road to recovery wasn't easy in the slightest. He underwent physical therapy and speech therapy. The support of his loving family, the community, and God, he credits, is what helped him get through it. "I learned a lot through my treatments. My verbal communications, my occupational therapy, my physical therapy especially," Mills said.  

PHOTOS: Bay District Schools is reporting an explosion that happened during the lighting of a traditional homecoming bonfire at A. Crawford Mosley High School. BDS officials said they are investigating the cause of the fire and they followed their customary safety protocols. "We know that many people who live close to A. Crawford Mosley High School probably heard a loud and disturbing noise a short time ago. Everyone is safe and no students were in danger at any time. While lighting our traditional Homecoming bonfire, something in the fire caused an explosion. Deputies and firefighters were already on hand, in line with our customary safety protocols, and so they immediately jumped in to ensure the fire remained contained. We are investigating the cause of the explosion because we did not deviate from our usual bonfire lighting procedures."  

VIDEO: For the last year, Suffolk Fire and Rescue has been training a new class of heroes. In that class is a one-of-a-kind recruit. When he graduates from training, there will be no other firefighter like him in Hampton Roads. In three weeks, Chris Heater will become a Suffolk firefighter. "I actually grew up watching Backdraft, so, I don't know... it was just always a calling," Chris said. At 33, Chris is the oldest member of his recruit class. "It makes it a little rougher trying to compete with the young guys." The trainees are put in challenging, and uncomfortable, situations. "We put them in confined spaces. We put them at heights where they have probably never been, 100 feet on a ladder," said Lieutenant Durand Coltrane, who oversees Suffolk Firefighter Recruit Training.  

Ventura County Fire Department's pump pod system now being adopted by other agencies for huge water savings during training. We're at Camarillo Airport, and at first glance, it looks like the scene of a fire. There are four Ventura County Fire trucks, hoses everywhere, and some firefighters pumping water. But, it's actually a training mission for some future fire department engineers, who drive and operate fire trucks. In the past, leaning how to operate trucks meant actually hooking up hoses to hydrants, and shooting out tens of thousands of gallons of water onto the ground. That's not practical during a drought. Ryan Burkett is an engineer with the Ventura County Fire Department, who is overseeing today's training project. He says the department came up with an idea.  

In December 2020, a Tompkins High School football player fought for his life in the intensive care unit after a devastating crash. Now, two years later, he is aiming to help others. Samuel "Sam" Mills was ejected from his vehicle on Dec. 26 after losing control and hitting a curb while driving home from his job at Chick-fil-A on Pin Oak Road. According to the Fort Bend Sheriff's Office, Mills' car flipped over at least twice. He was 17 years old at the time. "Whenever I saw a hard thing, I didn't run away from it; I ran towards it," Mills said. Mills' road to recovery wasn't easy in the slightest. He underwent physical therapy and speech therapy. The support of his loving family, the community, and God, he credits, is what helped him get through it.  

A unique property recently hit the market on the westside of Grand Rapids. The multi-unit property originally housed the Grand Rapids Fire Department Engine No. 8 back in the early 1900s. The home, located at 40 Lexington Ave. NW and listed for $899,999, is MLive's House of the Week.