VIDEO: The Flower Mound Fire Department says a construction crew near the town's namesake caused the fire that threatened homes and damaged 12-acres of land. The Flower Mound caught fire on Tuesday afternoon when a construction crew contracted by the town sparked the fire while cutting rebar with a circular saw in the area. The fire department ruled that the fire was accidental. Fences behind two homes on Warwick Avenue were damaged, as was a deck off the same street. No one was injured. Four fire engines, two ladder trucks, two brush trucks, and two ambulances quickly came to the scene and the fire was put out quickly. "Because we've done this so many times before, it was like calling a familiar play from our playbook," said Flower Mound Fire Chief Paul Henley in a statement.  

VIDEO: Being a first responder can be a dangerous job, and for firefighters, there is an additional health risk; they can be exposed to cancer causing chemicals while fighting fires. "It's scary, but I know what I am getting myself into. It's a risk I am able to take to help my community," STC fire cadet Andrew Cervantes said. Cervantes' passion for helping others is the reason he wants to become a firefighter. Attending the South Texas College Fire Academy includes learning about the possibility of being exposed to cancer causing chemicals. "We are not going into it blind. We know the risks we are taking and the precautions we are taking to become a firefighter," Cervantes said. STC, in collaboration with the Cancer Firefighter Support network, is helping educate the next generation of firefighters on how to minimize their exposure.  

As some firefighters hang up their gear for the final time, others are starting new roles and carrying on a long-lasting legacy. On Sept. 20, the San Angelo Fire Department hosted a celebration honoring four new retirees (two of which were present) and four simultaneous promotions. The event was held at the McNease Convention Center, 501 Rio Concho Dr. and was free to the public. "We always talk about quality of life and how important it is for people who choose to live here in San Angelo to look at us as a city to move to and they talk about our fire department," San Angelo Mayor Brenda Gunter said to attendees. "The professionalism that everyone says that we have as an organization, the leadership that we have ensures that professionalism continues."  

A fire Wednesday morning inside a former credit union appears to be one of the latest in a series involving vacant buildings, according to San Antonio firefighters. The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. inside the building, located on Wurzbach Road near Ingram Road. More than a dozen fire units responded to the call and found flames and smoke coming from the building. A battalion chief on scene told KSAT 12 News they also found a back door open as well as signs that someone had been inside without permission. Fire crews were able to knock down the fire and keep it from spreading beyond the back of the building, where it apparently started. At one point, they struggled with water problems, the battalion chief said. Firefighters had to stretch hoses across the busy intersection to tap into hydrants on the other side of the street.  

The Charlotte Fire Department is working to determine the cause of a structure fire in north Charlotte Thursday morning. The incident occurred just before 4 a.m. on Keswick Avenue right off North Tryon Street. Fire crews said the structure was a two-story house that was under construction. "A fire can spread quickly in an open building before it gets dried in with drywall, so a small amount of fire can spread very quickly with exposed wood," Battalion Chief Blake Redden said.  

VIDEO: Every single member of the Tulsa Fire Department is having their photo taken. It's the first time in almost a decade the department has done this, and it will go in a yearbook. What do you want to be when you grow up can be a difficult question for children to answer, but for Richard Smith, it was obvious. "Actually, a fire truck ran over my dog. Didn't kill her but definitely hurt her, and they knocked on every door 'til they found the owner," Richard said. "I opened up the door at eight years old and looked at those four bigger-than-life firemen, and that's when I decided that's what I wanted to do." And Richard did it. He served as a firefighter for decades, and later in his career, was promoted to captain. He loved having this role, but nothing compared to his other title as a dad to his son, Andy, and his three other kids.  

VIDEO: Being a first responder can be a dangerous job, and for firefighters, there is an additional health risk; they can be exposed to cancer causing chemicals while fighting fires. "It's scary, but I know what I am getting myself into. It's a risk I am able to take to help my community," STC fire cadet Andrew Cervantes said. Cervantes' passion for helping others is the reason he wants to become a firefighter. Attending the South Texas College Fire Academy includes learning about the possibility of being exposed to cancer causing chemicals. "We are not going into it blind. We know the risks we are taking and the precautions we are taking to become a firefighter," Cervantes said. STC, in collaboration with the Cancer Firefighter Support network, is helping educate the next generation of firefighters on how to minimize their exposure.  

The federal agency responsible for promoting the safety of consumer products has employed plenty of tactics over the years, from recalls to regulations to PSAs. Now, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is trying a new — and catchier — approach: It's released an album. We're Safety Now Haven't We packs in six genre-spanning, safety-focused songs (seven if you count the one that also got a Spanglish version). There's an EDM banger about wearing helmets, a K-pop number about firework safety, and even a reggaeton track about smoke alarms. The artists are officially anonymous, but more on that later. The album is specifically targeted at teenagers and young adults, Social Media Specialist Joseph Galbo told NPR's Morning Edition over Zoom.