VIDEO: A large fire erupted in Mansfield early Wednesday after a vehicle struck a natural gas pipeline, briefly forcing residents of nearby homes to evacuate, fire officials say. The Mansfield Fire Department said it happened at about 1 a.m. near an Exxon service station located at the intersection of Texas 360 and U.S. 287. Flames could be seen shooting into the air, making the fire visible from even 20 miles away. The fire appeared to be extinguished shortly after 3:30 a.m. The driver was flown by air ambulance to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas for serious burn injuries, said Jeff Smith, Mansfield Assistant Fire Chief. People living within a 1-mile radius of the incident were asked to evacuate to nearby Annette Perry Elementary School as well as to a nearby hospital parking lot, fire officials said.  

Fort Worth Police arrested a person who allegedly shot at Fort Worth firefighters. The Fort Worth Fire Department said shortly before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, a suspect in a white sedan fired shots at the Bob Bolen Public Safety Complex at505 West Felix. At the time, 30 fire personnel were at the tower for training operations. Five shots were fired at the eight-story building from the vehicle and hit the exterior. No one was injured. Someone in the vehicle then fired three additional rounds into Fire Station 17, which is less than ¾ miles away. Those rounds struck the building but no one was injured. Fort Worth police officers quickly apprehended the suspect nearby and took them into custody. The suspect's identity has not yet been released and neither has a possible motive.  

Cooler and less windy weather was good news for firefighters in Hood and Erath counties fighting the Big L wildfire. The fire is now at least 85% contained. It's blackened more than 10,000 acres in the area about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth. The nearest community is Lipan. People there were initially ordered to evacuate but have since been allowed to return home. Another 50 miles west in Eastland County, firefighters are still battling seven fires now being called the Eastland Complex. At last report, it was 70% contained after charring 54,000 acres of grass and ranch land. Funeral services are Wednesday for the Eastland County sheriff's deputy who died while rescuing people from the wildfires. Deputy Sgt. Barbara Fenley was killed this past Thursday in the community of Romney.  

PHOTO: Many Wacoans remember the 25th Street Theatre, and while it closed down decades ago, a new building is taking its place, and it's one meant to serve the community. On Wednesday, the city of Waco officially opened the new Fire Station 6 and the fire administration building, which houses the community room. The administration building's design has nods to the theatre's architecture and includes the classic neon sign and marquee. The fire station, which replaces the old station on Bosque Boulevard, has been open for about a week. Chief Gregory Summers said the station has new technology, which means they are able to get to fires faster. "We're able to get to most scenes within four minutes," Summers said. "We're able to get at least a compliment of firefighters on the scene within eight minutes 90% of the time. So this facility once again only enhances those capabilities."  

The Celina Fire Department has added three firefighters to its ranks. Brian Stroven, Paul Schurr and Mike Rockne are the newest members of the Celina Fire Department. "We're just so honored to have these three guys," Assistant Fire Chief Eric Everson said at a March 15 Celina City Council meeting. "These three gentlemen represent over 50 years in the fire service that we were able to incorporate into our Celina Fire Department family. We're so blessed to have them." Brian Stroven got his start in fire service in 1989 in Spring Tx as a volunteer junior firefighter. Stroven put himself through fire academy and EMT school outside of Houston after graduation. He continued to volunteer and stay in good standing during and after graduation while working in oilfield and jobs. He received firefighter of the year in 1999.  

A week after an upcoming townhome project on the Eastside burned down, arson investigators are going to look into a vacant house fire on Houston Street. The San Antonio Fire Department responded to reports of a house fire at 2300 E Houston Street around 10:50 p.m., on Monday, March 21, according to preliminary reports from the battalion chief on scene. The owner of the home was called to the scene and told firefighters that he had problems with recent break-ins. The arson investigators says there was no electricity in the house, but there were signs of accelerant lighter fluid on the side of the building. An upcoming townhome project on corner of Center and Swiss streets was completely engulfed in flames and eventually collapsed on March 15. Arson investigators were also called to the scene of that fire.  

Two firefighters are hurt after a massive fire at a Pepsi warehouse in Piscataway, New Jersey. At one point, the blaze was so big, several people in the neighborhood said they heard loud explosions. As CBS2's Elijah Westbrook reported, firefighters worked throughout the night to put out hotspots. One was treated at the hospital for heat exhaustion, and the other for a shoulder injury. However, all 30 employees who worked at the regional plant managed to escape without injury. Chopper 2 was overhead as more than 100 firefighters worked to put out the flames. Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler said he raced to the plant after hearing explosions not far from his home. "I live approximately five minutes away, I heard the explosions," he told CBS2.  

VIDEOS: Multiple fire departments were on the scene of a very large fire at the PepsiCo factory in Piscataway on Tuesday evening. The fire broke out just after 6 p.m. outside the factory on New Brunswick Avenue. The fire sent large plumes of black smoke into the sky, which could be seen for miles. Bright orange flames were also seen on the roof of the building. One witness described the scene as a "tornado of fire." Others reported hearing loud explosions from miles away. Officials say that all PepsiCo employees were safely evacuated. The plant manager says that the staff trains for emergencies like this on a regular basis. No employees were hurt. More than 100 firefighters from Piscataway and surrounding towns came to battle the fire. One volunteer firefighter was taken to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion. Another suffered a shoulder injury. Both are expected to be OK.  

PHOTOS: See Spot run. See Spot fight fires? The New York Fire Department announced that they will begin using robot dogs made by engineering company Boston Dynamics in the department's search-and-rescue missions. Each $75,000 robot dog, known as Spot, will be controlled by a human operator and will be able to collect images and data. The mechanical K-9 unit will also be used to measure the concentration of dangerous gases, gauge structural integrity and descend deep underground after a fire or building collapse. The FDNY has recruited two robot dogs that will be on the scene in the coming weeks, becoming the first fire department in the country to utilize the mechanical helpers. "We have a lot of work ahead of us to get acclimated to the robot dogs," a fire department spokesperson told The Post. The FDNY began employing the use of ground robotics nearly 10 years ago, and created a separate robotics unit in 2020.  

When the siren goes off, Fire Chief Terry Schadt says that's a sign that help's on the way. But those not in the know, or who aren't longtime residents of West Peoria, might instead think a tornado's on the way. To the untrained ear, the siren West Peoria's Fire Department uses to call its volunteer force to the firehouse on Waverly Avenue sounds a lot like the shrill tone that tells people to take cover. So why does West Peoria use the siren? To Schadt, using the siren is a longstanding practice, one he's not inclined to change. Volunteer fire departments used to all have sirens to notify personnel to rush to the station, Schadt said. West Peoria's went into service in 1940. But he says it's more than just a tradition, it also serves a practical purpose. The department has adapted to a more modern era by also sending text messages and pages to volunteers. But the siren is harder to miss.  

Milton firefighters returned Monday to an upgraded Fire Station 41, having spent months being hosted by their Roswell colleagues while needed mold remediation work was completed. Station 41, at the intersection of New Providence Road and Arnold Mill Road/State Route 140, closed last November after an air quality assessment found high levels of black mold spores in its bunk room and elevated levels in its common areas. Very soon after this issue came to light, the City of Roswell welcomed Milton firefighters, equipment, and resources to co-locate with their own crews at Roswell's Fire Station 6. That station at 825 Cox Road is just 1.5 miles from Milton's Station 41, minimizing the response times for incidents in the coverage area.