VIDEO: South Hays Fire Chief Robert Simonson remembers watching a wildfire climb the hill in rural San Marcos and head toward a neighboring town. He was at the command post. It was dark. And he felt as if Mother Nature was winning. "The difficult thing was it just seemed like we'd get ahead, and the wind would change. We'd get ahead, and the terrain would change," Simonson said. "It just seemed like for the first couple of hours, we were chasing our tails." The Oak Grove Fire in Hays County began on August 5. It destroyed vehicles and at least one home, according to county officials. Thankfully, Simonson said his volunteer fire department was not alone. They had a lot of help. Firefighters from as far as Colorado came in to help contain the fire. According to county officials, Blackhawk helicopters dropped buckets over flareups and hotspots.  

Members of the Austin Fire Department (AFD) are investigating after firefighters battled four fires in southeast Austin over the weekend. According to AFD, the department fought four fires within the 5400 block of Jimmy Clay Drive. AFD called each fire "suspicious" in nature and each fire was ruled to be incendiary, meaning they were likely set intentionally. According to AFD, some firefighters were battling a blaze at the Jimmy Clay Golf Course, while others were simultaneously working to extinguish a fire at an adjacent building where a mattress and a trash fire were burning near a garage. Earlier on Saturday evening, crews also battled a shed fire at the Jimmy Clay Golf Course, where four lawnmowers were damaged. AFD said about an estimated $400,000 in equipment damage was caused in that fire. Each fire remains under investigation.  

PHOTOS: 20 dogs were rescued from a large fire Friday night in Brazoria County, the Pearland Fire Department said. Firefighters were dispatched to Treasure Lane near Old Chocolate Bayou Road after a barn, RV, and outbuilding were engulfed in flames. First responders arrived and rescued 20 dogs from the fire. One of the dogs had minor injuries. There was no permanent water supply in the area, so firefighters requested more water tankers to help. No other houses were affected by the blaze, and no other injuries were reported. The following fire departments assisted: Manvel VFD, Brookside VFD, County Road 143 VFD, Fresno VFD, and Friendswood VFD. It is unknown what led to the fire. This case is still being investigated.  

PHOTO: Woodville Volunteer Fire Department responded to their fourth fire within the last three days on Saturday. On December 30, 2023, firefighters responded to a fire at a home located at 7156 Highway 69 South. The homeowner was able to get out of the house in time but was taken to the hospital, according to Woodville Fire Chief Alan Gartner. Ivanhoe Volunteer Fire Department and Warren Volunteer Fire Department both provided mutual aid to WVFD. The home is a total loss, Gartner told 12News. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The north wind made it difficult for firefighters to contain and put out the fire, according to a WVFD Facebook post.  

There's no evidence of terrorism in the fiery New Year's Day crash that saw the driver of an SUV stashed with gas canisters speed toward pedestrians and collide with a car, killing two people and injuring several more after a concert in Rochester, New York, police said. The suspect, identified as Michael Avery, 35, of the Syracuse area, died Monday night from injuries sustained in the crash, officials said. Rochester Police Chief David M. Smith said in an update Tuesday that Avery's motive is not clear and urged the public to come forward with information. However, authorities have spoken with Avery's family and they believed he "may have been suffering from possible undiagnosed mental health issues," Smith said. "We have not recovered any information that his actions were motivated by any form of political or social biases," he added, noting it is believed Avery acted alone.  

VIDEO: Boston firefighters who were responding to a fire at an apartment building in Mattapan on Saturday heard gunshots as they arrived, according to officials. Deputy Fire Chief Michael Doherty said the department received a call at 11:35 a.m. for a fire at 50 Fairlawn Ave., an apartment building in a complex that is off the Cummins Highway. As firefighters approached the scene, Doherty said they heard some shots being fired. Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox said officers, SWAT units and hostage negotiation units then responded to the scene. "Our officers responded immediately," Cox said. Police secured the building, evacuated residents and, with the use of drones, secured the location where authorities believe the shots were fired from.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: We've been talking about the story all week – how a man survived six days pinned inside his truck underneath Interstate 94 in Northwest Indiana. On Thursday, first responders filled us in on the chaos and conditions they encountered while trying to free Matt Reum from his vehicle. CBS 2's Lauren Victory climbed into the spot in Salt Creek near Portage, Indiana, where Reum was trapped in his truck. It is along the rushing creek, down a ravine, and past several trees – all tricky terrain. Thus, first responders were preparing for the worst when they got the call of the driver who had fallen from the I-94 bridge. Photos supplied by the Portage Fire Department show the conditions first responders were under on Tuesday afternoon as they went to the scene – loose rocks, a steep slope, and darkness quickly approaching.  

VIDEO: Ninety-three years ago, the first North Dakota State Capitol Building burned down. According to the State Historical Society, on Sunday, December 28, 1930, a janitor discovered the fourth floor was on fire. It says even though he called the fire department immediately, the building was still a total loss with only the two lower floors and the north wing not completely destroyed. The cause of the fire, to this day, remains uncertain with the two most likely theories being faulty wiring or spontaneous combustion from vapor build-up from rags doused in turpentine. The State Historical Society explains the fire jump-started the process of building a much-needed new Capitol as the old building was too small and outdated.  

A popular line of portable blenders could pose a danger to customers, and the brand is asking owners to stop using them immediately, because they can catch fire or slash people. BlendJet is voluntary recalling 4.8 million of its BlendJet2 blenders, according to statements from the company and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The blenders have been sold previously by Amazon, Target, Costco and Walmart, according to their respective websites. According to the company, "BlendJet 2's currently for sale are NOT impacted by the recall." In its recall notice the company said, "earlier versions of the BlendJet2 have a risk of the blender overheating or the blender blades breaking off. You should immediately stop using the recalled blender."