PHOTOS: Ten years ago Wednesday, Big Tex burned. And there was no saving him. A reported electrical fire sent the State Fair of Texas icon up in flames, nearly incinerating him into a heap of ashes. Only a fried skeleton of the famed cowboy and his waving hands were left in the end. And if you don't think Big Tex means a lot to some people, just go back and look at our coverage (above) from the day it happened. The scene at the fair was akin to a funeral. WFAA's David Schechter, reporting from the fairgrounds, described fairgoers "gravitating" toward what was left of Big Tex, taking photographs and video "almost in a sense of loss and mourning, strange as it may seem." "It's become quite a spectacle, and, really, for Texas, a bit of a national tragedy if you can call it that," Schechter reported.  

West Texas is far and wide. We have a lot of cities that are far apart which makes it difficult to get the proper medical care in every situation. That is where helicopters come in. "Every minute is valuable and a lot of times going by air is the most efficient, we shave more than twice the time off of what it takes of the ground to get that patient to appropriate care," said Joseph Morgan with AeroCare. Which is why first responders in Reeves County took the time Wednesday to train how to take care of patients that need the flight of life. "It's very important for police, sheriff's office, fire and EMS to be able to land a helicopter in a trauma or a cardiac patient to the level of care they need," said Jerry Bullard, Emergency Management Coordinator for Reeves County. Smaller towns like Pecos, Alpine, Balmorhea and more rely on these flights for medical care.  

Police and firefighters soon will add new vehicles to their fleets. The Texas City Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the purchase of 15 vehicles for just more than $1.1 million. The purchase will add 13 new vehicles to the police force and two to firefighters. The Texas City Commission's 2022-2023 fiscal year budget delegated nearly $679,000 for the purchase of 13 vehicles. The Texas City Fire Department will receive vehicles, including a Type 1 Medic Unit, purchased through the Houston-Galveston Area Council's Buy Program from Frazer/Sterling McCall in the amount of $232,000 to replace a 1993 International/E-One EMS transport capable rescue unit, according to a document submitted to the commission by Chief David Zacherl of the Texas City Fire Department.  

PHOTOS: A large commercial fire is burning southeast of Chickasha. McIntyre Law Chopper4 was over the structure early Wednesday afternoon. Pilot Mason Dunn says flames are shooting as high as 200 feet into the air. He also reports the blaze is burning very hot and is catching other items outside the building on fire. Police have told KFOR hand sanitizer is on the pallets which are on fire. Officials with the DEQ confirm the property is leased by Bordwine Development. In August, Borderwine was connected to another massive fire in Chickasha involving hand sanitizer being stored on pallets. That massive fire was at the old Chickasha Manufacturing building. A nearby home was threatened by the flames but it appears to be saved.  

After a three year hiring freeze, the Madison Fire Department is accepting applications for full-time firefighters and EMTs, no longer requiring applicants to have U.S. Citizenship. According to a news release by the City of Madison Fire Department, "in spirit of inclusion and accessibility," this year's process will incorporate new approaches throughout the hiring process to minimize barriers that previously limited people from applying, like time constraints, and also adapting to a "changing economic and technological landscape since the Covid-19 pandemic." In fact, the three year hiring break was a Covid-19 specific issue, with recruiting and hiring typically happening every two years. Candidates with any legal permission to work in the country are now eligible to apply regardless of citizenship status, and those who move on to the exam portion will be able to to take a video-based multiple choice test online in place of the in-person test previously administered during traditional business hours.  

The Mansfield Fire Department posted an educational video last week to its website that teaches youths how to react in fire emergencies. In honor of fire prevention week, Mansfield firefighter David Kepleskey created a rap song and video in his firehouse featuring fellow firefighters Rick Landry, Jared Morse and Captain Will Cornell. The idea to create the song and video came from previous experience, Kepleskey said. Having been a teacher before he began his firefighter career, he said he used videos to teach in his classroom. "I would make some rap videos for my students at the beginning of the year to talk about my classroom expectations for the year," Kepleskey said. "Those kind of took off in the school I was teaching at, so when I became a firefighter, I took that previous hobby and brought it to fire prevention."  

Ten years ago Wednesday, Big Tex burned. And there was no saving him. A reported electrical fire sent the State Fair of Texas icon up in flames, nearly incinerating him into a heap of ashes. Only a fried skeleton of the famed cowboy and his waving hands were left in the end. And if you don't think Big Tex means a lot to some people, just go back and look at our coverage from the day it happened. The scene at the fair was akin to a funeral. WFAA's David Schechter, reporting from the fairgrounds, described fairgoers "gravitating" toward what was left of Big Tex, taking photographs and video "almost in a sense of loss and mourning, strange as it may seem." "It's became quite a spectacle, and, really, for Texas, a bit of a national tragedy if you can call it that," Schechter reported.  

VIDEO: It's the gameplay with a play on words in the title: Cascadia 9.0 Researchers at Lewis & Clark College are taking interactive measures to make sure people know what to do in case of an earthquake emergency. In doing so, they've created a video game to pay homage to the notorious fault, the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and its potential to produce a magnitude-9.0 earthquake. The research team demonstrated how to start and play the interactive role-playing game, on the Lewis & Clark campus Tuesday in Southwest Portland. "At some point, an earthquake happens and I have to crouch and get under the table: drop, cover and hold on," they said as the pixelated character ducked down. Dr. Liz Safran is the geological science associate professor who led the Lewis & Clark team behind the game that is not necessarily targeting young kids.