PHOTOS: Multiple fire departments responded to a house fire in Windcrest early Tuesday morning. The fire was called in around 3 a.m. at a home in the 225 block of Windcrest Drive, not far from Walzem Road and Loop 410. Fire officials said firefighters arrived to find both heavy smoke and flames. Authorities said there were at least four people inside the home, many that sustained burns. A neighbor told KSAT he woke up around 3 a.m. and could see embers from the fire hitting his windows. The neighbor said he evacuated his family and found a woman screaming outside with two small children, begging for help to get her parents out of the burning home. He was able to put the woman and children in his car to keep them warm and then helped the woman's mother out of the house, he said.  

Seconds slipped away as firefighter Mike Abernethy eagerly waited to enter the intersection of Research Boulevard and Burnet Road near Fire Station No. 8 in North Austin. Vehicles blazed by that Thursday afternoon as traffic began to build at the crossroad. Abernethy could only watch and wait in frustration as minutes piled up in their response time. "If we turn on our sirens, it would push traffic into the intersection where they could be hit by oncoming traffic," Abernethy said. "We can't do that. We should be at the emergency within four minutes, but, on a busy day, we could be at this light for at least two minutes." For anyone waiting for firefighters to respond to their emergency, seconds beyond eight minutes can truly be the difference between life or death, according to Austin Fire Division Chief Palmer Buck.  

VIDEO: Flames ripped through an apartment complex in north Harris County on Sunday. The two-alarm fire destroyed several apartment units at an apartment complex on Ella Boulevard near Clear Valley Drive, according to authorities. The fire displaced at least 24 people living in the apartment complex. No one suffered injuries. "We're very fortunate everybody was able to get out," said District Chief Richard Saul with the Little York Fire Department. Firefighters responded to the fire around 1 a.m. on Sunday. Once at the scene, they discovered four top-floor apartment units on fire. The fire later spread to at least 12 units, officials said. It took firefighters between 45 minutes and an hour to reduce the flames, Saul said. At around 7 a.m., investigators cleared the scene. Officials ruled the early morning blaze accidental and attributed it to unattended cooking, the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office said in a tweet.  

VIDEO: Monday evening, Austin firefighters responded to a structure fire in the Clarksville area near downtown. The fire was on Highland Avenue. At one point, it was declared a second alarm fire. The structure was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived on the scene. Austin fire said the structure was being remodeled and wasn't occupied. Structures adjoining suffered minor damage due to the quick actions of firefighters. As of just before 8 a.m., the fire was declared under control and second alarm units were being released. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

A newly released report has found a September plane crash in West Texas occurred when the pilot's crop-duster stalled out after dumping hundreds of gallons of pink water during a couple's gender reveal celebration. One passenger suffered minor injuries when the plane crashed Sept. 7 near the town of Turkey, about 260 miles (420 kilometers) northwest of Dallas. A National Transportation Safety Board report released Thursday says the pilot dumped about 350 gallons (1,325 liters) of pink water from the aircraft, which then stalled and crashed. Gender reveal parties for expecting parents have grown in popularity but mishaps can be deadly. Last month, an Iowa woman was killed when a homemade device that was meant to spray colorful powder into the air instead exploded like a pipe bomb.  

Volunteers honored the life of Greg Garza at a Sunday fundraiser for the fallen San Antonio Fire Department firefighter. The long-time firefighter lost his life in the of duty nearly a month ago. Family, friends, strangers were united as one. Sunday's event was not only to raise money for Garza's family, but to remember a hero. Cooter Browns Assistant Manager Ysrael Guajardo said it was all about the fallen hero. "It is a celebration of life," he said. "We wanted to honor his name." In October, the 17-year veteran of the San Antonio Fire Department was killed in a tragic accident. Garza stumbled off a fire truck and then was hit by a passing vehicle. It was a packed house on Sunday at Cooter Browns Saloon.  

The Madison Fire Department characterized the city's need for another ambulance as "urgent" Monday. "We've asked for the last several budget cycles for an additional ambulance," Chief Steve Davis told 27 News Monday evening. In a post on the fire chief's blog, the Madison Fire Department lays out why city alders should approve the purchase of a ninth ambulance. The new vehicle's home would be Fire Station 14 on Madison's far southeast side near Femrite Drive. Ambulances can reach most addresses in the city in under nine minutes the vast majority of the time. However, around Fire Station 14, the chance of an ambulance arriving that quickly is almost 50/50. "When you're confronting a health crisis like a traumatic injury, stroke or heart attack, this statistic is simply unacceptable," the post says.  

In the heart of bustling Fort Lauderdale, first responders face a host of challenges. One of their biggest obstacles: high-rises. Many new luxury buildings in the city have layered security, and multiple entrances and elevators. Getting access to a patient, or the source of a fire, can take precious minutes. According to the American Heart Association, brain death can begin 4 to 6 minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest, which is why fire departments generally work to have a 6-minute arrival time. Records show Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue has maintained a consistent arrival time from dispatch to scene since 2015, despite the growing number of high-rises downtown. What records don't show is how long it takes first responders to get to the patient once they've arrived at the scene.  

Gov. Andrew Cuomo OK'd legislation allowing Navy SEAL Shaun Donovan to join the city's Fire Department as part of a package of bills he signed Monday commemorating the 100th anniversary of Veterans Day. Donovan was originally rejected from the FDNY because he missed the application deadline by nearly seven months due to his deployment. The new law will allow Donovan and others passed over to become smoke eaters by extending the qualifying period for all active military members seeking public employment in New York City by a year. Other vet friendly bills that Cuomo signed include one creating a study of veteran homeless across the state and another that extends a program that allows vets who did not complete high school to complete their courses and earn diplomas.  

Seconds slipped away as firefighter Mike Abernethy eagerly waited to enter the intersection of Research Boulevard and Burnet Road near Fire Station No. 8 in North Austin. Vehicles blazed by that Thursday afternoon as traffic began to build at the crossroad. Abernethy could only watch and wait in frustration as minutes piled up in their response time. "If we turn on our sirens, it would push traffic into the intersection where they could be hit by oncoming traffic," Abernethy said. "We can't do that. We should be at the emergency within four minutes, but, on a busy day, we could be at this light for at least two minutes." For anyone waiting for firefighters to respond to their emergency, seconds beyond eight minutes can truly be the difference between life or death, according to Austin Fire Division Chief Palmer Buck.  

Something so simple as a bright red sticky square decal stuck on a plastic bag and taped on the inside of a refrigerator door could save lives. As high-tech emergency remedies ranging from ultra-sophisticated hospital equipment to wearable alarm systems proliferate, a basic yet tangible alert program has been launched by women at an Oil City church. It is called the Vial of L.I.F.E. (Lifesaving Information For Emergencies) and consists of a small plastic bag, a single sheet of paper and a bright red square of adhesive paper. It is designed to provide vital lifesaving information to emergency responders, family members and others who are trying to assist an adult or child in danger. The grab-and-go bag has a sticker on the outside and a medical information form inside. The packet is then stuck on the inside of your refrigerator door and a matching red Vial of L.I.F.E. sticker is placed on your front door.