VIDEO/PHOTOS: A large brush fire broke out in Desert Haven, Texas, an unincorporated community east of El Paso in Hudspeth County. The Desert Haven fire is under control, fire officials said about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 5. Texas A&M Forest Service is assisting looking for and extinguishing any hotspots. Three unoccupied structures were destroyed by the fire. No injuries were reported. The fire burned 3,550 acres. Multiple fire agencies have responded, including El Paso, Montana Vista, Horizon, Dell City and Desert Haven fire departments. The Texas Department of Safety is also on the scene. No injuries have been reported at this time. There have been no mandatory evacuations, but if the fire is heading in your direction officials recommend you vacate your premises.  

VIDEO: Today marks the six month anniversary of a deadly crash in Dalhart that took two heroes away from the community. On Oct. 4, 2022, Dalhart Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Curtis Brown and Firefighter Brendan Torres were heading back to the station after assisting the city of Stratford with a car crash. That's when they were involved in a crash of their own. Rescue personnel from their own department responded to the head-on collision that was between a semi-truck and a Dalhart Fire Department vehicle. Brown and Torres were pronounced dead at the scene, and their loss is still felt at the fire department. Fire Chief Mario Garcia Jr., who was the assistant fire chief under Brown, says experiencing firsts without the two men has been emotional for the station.  

VIDEO: Extensive training is a crucial task the Weslaco Fire and EMS Department undergo daily. The goal is to improve protocols and responses when the department tackles thousands of calls every year. "We're one of the first agencies that had EMS within the fire department here in the Rio Grande Valley," Weslaco Fire Chief Antonio Lopez said. To keep the historic service provided to the community going, members with the Weslaco Fire/EMS Department focus their skills on their training and review. "Most of our crews are paramedics are EMS instructors as well so that will allow for that special training at the houses on a small group which is the paramedic for the station the lieutenant giving the instruction to maybe 4 or 5 individuals at the station," Chief Lopez said.  

The city of Hughes Springs has been cleaning up, restoring and repairing what a tornado destroyed five months ago. A tornado tore through the city in November, damaging the volunteer fire department and city hall. The VFD started rebuilding on Monday. "Kind of depressing waiting for it to start, and now that it's actually started, now it's anxious," Fire Chief Jay Cates said. Cates said demolition started a few weeks ago. He said the damage is hundreds of thousands of dollars and in order to get the building complete, "a lot of work with the insurance companies and all the damage was done and now they finally got it all lined out how they're going to do it between, the building were using is awfully damaged, the city hall, and the shop in the back, so they did put the fire station on priority."  

PHOTO: A building at a Sherman apartment complex caught fire Wednesday morning. Our KXII Tower Cam caught the flames as they erupted around 10:30 a.m. at the Hilltop Village Apartments on Texoma Parkway. Video shows what appears to be one apartment building involved. Sherman Fire Rescue tells us at least twelve units have been evacuated and two people have been taken to the hospital, the severity of their injuries unknown. It's the same complex where several families lost their belongings and one woman was killed in a 2021 fire.  

VIDEO: Firefighters battled a large blaze in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood that left 12 adults and nine children unable to return home Tuesday afternoon. The fire was reported shortly before 1 p.m. in a home on Cushing Avenue. Flames burst through the roof of the building. "Seeing their faces and trying to figure out what's going to come next. Starting over is not easy," said Geisa Silva, whose mother lives in the building. "It's sad to see everything destroyed. A lot of memories." Heavy smoke made the fire difficult for crews to extinguish. "There were difficult conditions to get in the building," said Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke. "There were holes in the floor, so we couldn't keep them in that long — once the thing got going, we had to pull the firefighters out, so the fire was fought from the outside."  

VIDEO: Belvidere Fire Department Lt. Dan Drall was among the first on scene when the ceiling collapsed on people in a packed metal concert at the Apollo Theatre. Immediately, he said, firefighters jumped into action. "The first five minutes dictates the next five hours of the scene. We've always talked about that. In those first five minutes, these guys just excelled," Drall said. He quickly realized the structure was compromised after a tornado tore off the marquee. He had to make the life-altering decision of sending firefighters into the unstable building that could cave in any moment. "That's the hardest thing an officer has to do, is to command somebody to go inside. This is my brother, this is my sister. This is family. I'm putting them in harm's way," Drall said. It's a decision that, days later, still weighs heavy on him.  

Police, fire and other government agencies across Florida must ground millions of dollars in aerial drones because of a new state rule banning the agencies from using devices made by China-based DJI. The DJI drones are among the most widely used in the world, but the DeSantis administration said they pose a security threat and did not include them on a list of approved drone manufacturers. In addition to a Florida Statute change that went into effect at the beginning of 2023, requiring all government agencies to use drones only from approved manufacturers, another rule went into effect Wednesday. The Unmanned Aerial Systems Minimum Security Requirements rule prohibits government agencies from purchasing or using any drone made by a manufacturer in a "foreign country of concern," which includes China.  

VIDEO: Inside the Atrium Health Dome on Monday, there was a different mission: one that didn't require anyone to put on a helmet and pads. Instead, there was a bigger lesson -- one that is possibly life-saving. "I always grew up wanting to be a football player, wanting to make it to the NFL. This situation has just brought a whole bigger life purpose for me," said Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Hamlin teamed up with the Carolina Panthers and the American Heart Association to bring awareness about the importance of learning CPR. Inside the dome Monday, players, staff members, and PSL owners received the opportunity to learn the valuable skill. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 3 out of 4 cardiac arrests happen in homes so knowing how to perform CPR is critically important. "I just want to keep raising awareness and trying to get as many people that we can CPR certified because you never know when you can be a hero," Hamlin said.