VIDEO/PHOTO: An overnight apartment fire forced 120 residents out of their homes according to the Irving Fire Department. Firefighters were called to the Bentwood Apartments in the 800 block of S. Nursey Road around 1:15 a.m. Tuesday. The Irving Fire Department says dozens of fire trucks were sent to the scene. "When fires get into the void spaces inside of buildings it makes it difficult, but the reason we went defensive is becasue it looked like there was going to be some collapse," said Anthony Kennedy with the Irving Fire Department. The fire was moving so quickly through the two-story complex that firefighters first had to evacuate residents and make sure everyone was out safe. "They started evacuating us, knocking on doors, saying 'hey you need to evacuate the building,'" said resident Erica Castillo.  

At least one person was killed and two firefighters from the Centerville Volunteer Fire Department were injured Monday afternoon in a crash on Interstate 45. According to the Department of Public Safety, emergency crews responded to a crash involving a car and pickup truck around 3:20 p.m. DPS says an 18-wheeler traveling northbound crashed into the car and truck, causing the 18-wheeler to overturn on top of the car, and hitting two Centerville Volunteer firefighters. The driver of the car, 27-year-old Jocelyn Ortega of Dallas, was pronounced dead on the scene, according to investigators. Colton Adams, a 21-year-old firefighter was taken by air ambulance to a hospital in Temple and remains there with serious injuries. We're told he could have his foot or leg amputated.  

Austin's three public safety departments are eyeing moderate budget increases for the coming fiscal year and will also ask city officials to consider funding other priorities, including several dozen new staff positions and millions of dollars for operations and other programs. Representatives with the Austin Fire Department, Austin Police Department and Austin-Travis County EMS presented their fiscal year 2022-23 budget forecasts to the Public Safety Commission on June 6. The three public safety branches made up nearly two-thirds of the city's nearly $1.2 billion general fund spending in fiscal year 2021-22, and are each requesting budget boosts of between $5.2 million and $9.3 million for the coming year.  

Residents from multiple apartments units are being assisted after an early morning fire in the Old East Dallas area. The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department says they got multiple calls about a fire at The Cornerstone Apartments on Gaston Avenue. First responders went to the scene at around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. When they got there, the DFR says the fire was already in its advanced stages. They were able to put it out by about 2:30 a.m. The fire affected 10 apartment units. According to DFR, The American Red Cross has been called in to help the residents that were impacted. According to the DFR, the fire came from unattended cooking in a kitchen on the second floor of the apartment. Multiple sources tell WFAA that one person was taken to a hospital.  

Three people, including a woman who pushed out a window air conditioning unit, safely escaped a fast-moving two-alarm fire that heavily damaged two homes Monday afternoon on the city's West Side. San Antonio fire chief Charles Hood said the initial call for the fire in the 3100 block of Neptune Street was reported around 12:15 for power lines down. Within minutes, authorities received multiple calls to 911 for a car on fire between two houses in a carport. Hood said three people in one of the homes were watching TV in a bedroom when the cable went out. A man went out to his kitchen and discovered it on fire. He and a woman then escaped the home safely. Their granddaughter, who was described by Hood as a young adult, was trapped by smoke and heat in another bedroom when she pushed out the A/C unit to escape through the window.  

The Amarillo Professional Firefighters is creating a charitable foundation that will support the community. The APF said with the Amarillo Professional Firefighters Charitable Foundation, firefighters will be able to help local charities and give back to local organizations. "With the creation of this foundation the Amarillo firefighters will be able to expand our giving and help the community we have sworn to protect." Stated Todd Peden, president of the Amarillo Professional Firefighters. The foundation will be funded from community donations, member donations and proceeds from fundraising. "Amarillo firefighters love our community and are excited to partner with Amarillo citizens to continue our efforts of community giving," Peden said.  

An apartment fire that destroyed a six-unit complex on Beach Avenue in Atlantic Beach early Tuesday morning spread to a home that was just 5 feet away, causing severe damage to that home also, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said. JFRD spokesman Capt. Eric Prosswimmer said thankfully no injuries were reported in the multi-unit apartment fire. Firefighters were called to the area around 1:45 a.m. and arrived within three minutes. Neighbors told News4JAX they were knocking on each other's doors to alert each other to the fire. They were still processing what happened as the sun came up Tuesday. "Some are fairly traumatized by it," neighbor Scott Cairns said. "One of the owners of the houses that burned down said he'd lived there for 40 years and lost everything other than the pants he was wearing when he walked out the door."  

As we prepare for Memorial Weekend 2022 in October we're looking ahead to next year and the start of a new National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) tradition. Beginning in 2023 Memorial Weekend moves to May. A combination of weather uncertainties and the frequent threat of an October federal government shutdown is behind the move of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend from its traditional October date. NFFF Board chairman Troy Markel said, "As with everything NFFF does, the priority is making sure we do right by the families of the firefighters we're honoring." This move does not impact this year's ceremony. The 2022 Memorial Weekend is still scheduled for October 8 and 9. The change means 2023 Memorial Weekend will be May 6 and 7. While the time of year for the Candlelight and Memorial Services changes, our other four decades long traditions will continue.  

PHOTOS: The three-alarm fire at Nox-Crete a week ago took thousands of gallons of water, at least 50 firefighters and a full night of tireless work to get under control. But fire crews had additional help from a high-tech gadget: a remote-control nozzle attached to the top of a 105-foot aerial ladder. Five fire trucks in the Omaha Fire Department fleet are equipped with this technology, which allows firefighters to operate the ladder and hose from the ground. This serves the dual purpose of keeping firefighters safe and allowing them to get the best vantage point. "It helps so that we can actually walk around the truck and look at where the optimal place would be for the nozzle to hit," Battalion Chief Scott Fitzpatrick said. From the hand-held controller, firefighters can extend and retract the ladder, control the direction of the nozzle, turn the water flow on and off and even adjust the water's spray pattern without stepping foot on the rig. In a fire like the one at Nox-Crete, a tool like this can be particularly helpful.  

VIDEO: An alarming number of people died in residential fires across the state this year. That's according to the Wisconsin Fire Inspectors Association. Thirty-three people have died in residential fires, in Wisconsin, so far this year, including a massive fire in Sturgeon Bay and a small house fire in Gillett. It's a number that's sounding an alarm for those who work in the fire service. "Last year, the entire 12 months, we had 40 total. We're almost at last year's mark and we're not even halfway through the year. That's a really big deal," says Adam Dorn, assistant fire chief with Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue. And, in all of those fires, according to Dorn, there were no working smoke detectors. The Wisconsin Fire Inspectors Association is now working on educating people on the importance of smoke detectors on every level of your home and in every sleeping area as well.  

In an expansion of their fleet, the Honolulu Fire Department now has nine new trucks. HFD held a Hawaiian blessing at ‘Iolani Palace for the trucks, each given Hawaiian names. The names are significant because they honor King Kamehameha III, who established HFD in 1851. "The apparatus being blessed are given inoa Hawaii, honoring HFD's rich history, service of our ali'i, Kauikeaouli and Kalakaua — service of those past and present, and to highlight the unique places across Oahu. Each name relates to the area that each apparatus primarily serves. Through oral and written history, research and pule, each apparatus was given a name identifying it as part of our community, station, and HFD ohana."