A Grimes County Sheriff's Office deputy and Navasota firefighter were injured at the scene of a fatal crash when an allegedly intoxicated driver slammed into the back of the deputy's patrol vehicle at a high rate of speed. Emergency personnel had responded to State Highway 6, just south of Navasota, Texas, for a one-vehicle fatal crash early Sunday morning. While the Texas Department of Public Safety was investigating the fatal crash, Grimes County Sheriff's Office deputy Swank Backhus was stationed behind the crash to warn and slow down motorists. Navasota firefighter David Kearny was posted nearby assisting with traffic control. "A vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed failed to yield to the emergency lights and struck the back of the patrol vehicle, ejecting Deputy Backhus, and pushing his patrol vehicle forward striking firefighter Kearney," read a statement from the Grimes County Sheriff's Office.  

Firefighter/Paramedic Khyla Bellamy, of the Frisco Fire Department, has been honored with the Rotary Club of Frisco's 1st Responders "Service Above Self" award. Service Above Self. To Rotarians, this is a motto to live by, a release by the Rotary Club stated. But to the men and women serving Frisco in our police and fire departments, it is a way of life. This award is to recognize Frisco's 1st Responders that best demonstrate "Service Above Self." Each quarter, the Rotary Club of Frisco alternates awarding a deserving member of the Frisco Fire Department and Frisco Police Department. The recipient is identified by the command staff of the respective department, and other than having demonstrated "service above self" the qualifications and selection are determined by that department.  

A Mansfield teenager found his neighbor's home on fire Monday night and called 911 before taking matters into his own hands. Gabriel Vivoni, 17, ran inside the house, which was on fire and emerged with an 11-year-old boy who fell asleep in front of the television. "The boy was like, ‘Yo, what's going on?' And I was like, ‘Hey man, there's a fire in your house right now. We gotta get out of here!'" Gabriel Vivoni said. Vivoni was returning home from swimming practice when he and others reported the fire around 9:20 p.m. in the 4300 block of Gleneagles Drive. Flames spread rapidly in the two-story home, forcing firefighters into a defensive position. Vivoni thought the bright orange glow he saw might have been someone welding in the garage, he said.  

Flames broke out at a popular thai food restaurant during the early morning hours on Tuesday. The Corpus Christi Fire Department was called to the BKK thai kitchen and bar in the Lamar Park Shopping Center to investigate reports of smoke. The call came in around 3:00 a.m. Tuesday of smoke pouring from the business. When firefighters got to the scene, they saw the smoke and had to track down the flames. The fire was contained to a storage room in the back of the restaurant. Fire officials say a ceiling sprinkler system helped to contain the fire to the area and ultimately helped firefighters put out the flames. A fire investigator was called to the scene to try and determine a cause. Some neighboring stores did have smoke damage. There is no word when the restaurant will open back up.  

San Antonio fire investigators are trying to determine who started a fire at a North Side building by hurling a Molotov cocktail at a ground-floor office window. Firefighters were called around 12 a.m. Monday to the building in the 7400 block of Blanco Road. They found damage to a window of the ground-floor office and inside the office. A San Antonio Fire Department spokesman said the fire already was out and that firefighters found mostly smoke when they arrived. No one was inside the office, which was closed at the time. An employee later told KSAT 12 News it was home to an engineering firm. It's still unclear if the Molotov cocktail was meant for someone in particular or if the incident was a random act of vandalism. The damage is estimated at about $5,000.  

PHOTO: Thousands of acres damaged by the ongoing Kincade Fire in Northern California's Sonoma County are visible in this new image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite. The image was taken at 11:01 a.m. PST on Nov. 3, 2019. The burned area appears dark gray in ASTER's visible channels. Hotspots, where the fire is still smoldering, appear as yellow dots in ASTER's heat-sensing, thermal infrared channels. After starting on Oct. 23, forcing residents to evacuate, the fire had burned 77,758 acres and destroyed 372 structures by Nov. 3, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It is now over 80% contained. The town of Healdsburg is in the center of the image, which covers an area of about 24 by 25 miles (39 by 40 kilometers).  

A Wild Dunes Resort expansion project is worrying South Carolina Fire Fighter advocates. A new hotel is being built with 153 rooms, as well as meeting and event spaces. The Professional Fire Fighters Association of South Carolina said doesn't believe the Isle of Palms fire department has enough staffing to respond to a building of this size. "They don't even have the right amount of people to respond to a regular structure fire in a home. Let alone a high rise like that," said William Pesature, Vice President of Professional Firefighters Association of South Carolina. Pesature is an advocate for South Carolina firefighters and also spent over eight years as an Isle of Palms firefighter. "Even back when I started there in 2009, they didn't have the right amount of people on a vehicle," said Pesature. He believes the number of people in their fire trucks right now, will not cut it.  

At just 11 years old, Zechariah Cartledge runs a mile for every first responder who loses their life in the line of service. Since January, he's run 283 miles. "All I think about during the runs is the fallen heroes, the fallen officers, the fallen firefighters, their families. That's my mission for the run," he said. Inspired by New York's Tunnel to Towers 5K, which honors the fallen 9/11 first responders, Cartledge started his tribute when he was 8. Near his home in Seminole County, Florida, Sheriff Dennis Lemma said the runs come at a critical time for law enforcement. "I think it's important that our communities at all age groups know the sacrifices that are being made," Lemma said.  

At 8:40 a.m. Sept. 10, 2018, Cedar Falls dispatched four fire-response units — including a rescue truck with special "confined space" equipment — to the University of Northern Iowa, where a massive amount of steam was spewing from the campus Commons. But "due to staffing," only two of the four units rushed to the scene, arriving five minutes later. The truck with confined-space equipment didn't go initially, showing up 30 minutes after the first call after being re-dispatched. A ladder truck also dispatched never came. As the initial crew of seven firefighters crafted a plan to retrieve a UNI worker they understood to be inside the campus' compromised steam system, they assumed roles and assigned posts — including one that called on a captain to take on a different job — again, "due to staffing."  

York City firefighters have a new tool to teach children about the dangers of fires, how to prevent them and ways to escape a burning home. The city's fire safety house is a haulable trailer that's been turned into a mobile classroom, with bleachers for kids to sit on, mock rooms including a kitchen, bedroom and living area, a window so children can practice climbing to safety and more, according to Lisa Altland. "It's equipped with smoke detectors, a smoke machine and a phone for (mock) calling 911," she said. "The door actually heats up to show children what to do if they're caught in a fire." Altland, the wife of retired York City Assistant Fire Chief Greg Altland, said she started raising money for the fire safety house about three years ago.