Robstown fire chief Javier Zapata tells 3News that five firefighters out of the thirteen who serve with the Robstown fire department have all tested positive for COVID-19 and are under quarantine right now. Zapata says he's not sure of the source of the outbreak but he's hoping to have all firefighters back on the job by October 11 after they have completed their quarantine. Zapata added that the entire fire department engine station has been thoroughly disinfected and that they continue to wear a mask and all other appropriate PPE. The chief explained that while his department is now short on manpower other surrounding fire departments have agreed to pitch in and help whenever needed.  

Waco firefighters had to partially disassemble a forklift to rescue the operator who was trapped when it overturned Monday afternoon. Firefighters were called to a location near Bering Avenue and Mann Street in east Waco at 3:42 p.m. Wednesday on a report of a forklift falling on top of someone. When rescuers arrived they found the man pinned under the device, seriously injured. Ambulance personnel were providing care for the victim while firefighters began the lengthy process of getting him free. The written report on the incident credits a mechanic on scene who advised them on the best way to remove the assembly that was holding the victim down. The report indicated they worked 22 minutes to get him free.  

Recovery efforts are underway Tuesday morning to find the bodies of three construction workers who were killed when 13 floors of concrete stairs collapsed. The accident happened during construction on the new headquarters for Marathon Oil in west Houston. Assistant Fire Chief Ruy Lozano of the Houston Fire Department said parts of the stairwell remain in place but are not properly secured, which poses a danger to first responders. So, firefighters and engineers are taking their time to assess the stability of the stairwell. However, Lozano said his team already has a plan of attack. They're going to cut holes through the structures concrete roof. Then a crane is going to remove unstable concrete planks through the roof.  

At 4:33 p.m. on Sunday, October 4, 2020, units of the Mexia Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to a fire alarm call at a residence located at 504 West Palestine Street in Mexia. Upon arrival, fire units observed that a residential structure was fully involved in fire and began suppression and attack of the blaze. Approximately 80% of the structure was damaged as a result of the fire. There were no injuries reported at the scene and no persons were inside the structure at the time of the fire. A Mexia Police Department investigator and the Mexia Fire Marshal were able to interview witnesses on the scene and quickly determined that the fire had been deliberately set. The Fire Marshal and Police Department investigator opened an arson investigation.  

Downtown Arp received a face-lift to the tune of $2.1 million, as Smith County Emergency Services District 2 and the Arp Volunteer Fire Department announced Tuesday the completion of the new Fire Station No. 1 in Arp. The station will house crewmembers from Smith County ESD 2 Fire Department and the Arp VFD. Crews officially began the move-in process on Sept. 21. The new building was funded by Smith County ESD 2. "We are a tax district, so ultimately, the citizens funded this building," said Assistant Fire Chief J.D. Smith. On Oct. 4, the station began fully operating with a 24-hour staff. This addition, according to fire officials, will help the department reach those in need in the Arp, Troup, Jackson Heights and eastern Chapel Hill areas faster than they were previously able.  

Elise Roberts, the Public Information Specialist for the Abilene Fire Department, said recently they have had problems with people driving over fire hoses when crews are putting out fires. "We have been seeing a lot of fires in apartment complexes lately and so people are trying to get out of the small area and they are trying to get out of the complexes and they just drive over it," Roberts said. She said when people drive over fire hoses it can cut off the water supply, damage the fire engine, and put firefighters in danger. "If you think about it you could have firefighters in a building with fire all around them and they are putting the fire out with water and then all of a sudden their water supply gets cut off," said Roberts.  

Police arrested five people from Switzerland County Monday on numerous theft-related charges after a six-month Indiana State Police investigation into theft from the Patriot Volunteer Fire Department that allegedly included a secret meeting and filing fake state paperwork to take over department accounts. State police said the investigation began in March, after they were notified that a group of people was attempting "to fraudulently gain control of the equipment and assets of the fire department," which had closed in 2017. Investigators said on March 16, 37-year-old Christopher See filed fraudulent paperwork with the state to take control of the fire department. Then See, along with Christopher Miller, 32, Caitlyn Staat, 19, Jacob Parker, 35, and Lewis Fritter, 42, held a meeting without giving proper public notice and without telling the remaining members of the Patriot Volunteer Fire Department.  

The Mattoon City Council and the firefighters union may temporarily reduce the emergency medical technician (EMT) certification requirements for new firefighters to expedite hiring. The council will consider approving a memorandum of understanding with Mattoon Firefighters Local 691 during the council meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The council also will consider allocating more than $90,000 in midtown tax increment financing fund grants for exterior improvements to three buildings in this business district. Regarding the memorandum, this proposed document will temporarily reduce the minimum certification requirement for newly hired firefighters from EMT-paramedic to EMT-basic. The union has called for the city to bring staffing back up to 30 firefighters as required by the current contract, which was set to expire in 2018 but is still in place until a new contract is reached.  

In May, doctors announced they were seeing a new and rare coronavirus complication in children. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta warns, it's appearing in adults, too. Called MIS-C, which stands for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, the complication manifests roughly two to four weeks after a coronavirus infection. Experts suspect that children who develop this syndrome were exposed to the virus and that their bodies mounted an exaggerated immune response, the AJC's Helena Oliviero wrote. Symptoms are similar to toxic shock and Kawasaki disease: fever, rashes, swollen glands and, in severe cases, heart inflammation. Since June, several case reports have described a similar syndrome in adults. The CDC's review describes 27 patients who had cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, dermatologic and neurologic symptoms without severe respiratory illness and who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.  

VIDEO: Crews are at the old Royal Coach building in Hastings Wednesday morning battling a massive fire. Due to the fire, thousands in the Hastings area are without power. According to Lt. Lani Forbes with the Freeport Fire Department, Barry County Central Dispatch alerted authorities around 3:30 a.m. that an odor and smoke were coming from the building, located on N. Hanover Street and the former E.W. Bliss Landfill near Bliss Riverfront Park. When law enforcement arrived on scene, they found flames, Lt. Forbes explained on the scene. The Hastings Fire Department is on scene, but additional help from Freeport, Woodland, and Thornapple townships were called to the fire as well. "We could see the glow, as we were coming out of Freeport," Forbes explained. "It's a very large, intense fire."