VIDEO: April 16 is a day still remembered in Texas City – the day of an unimaginable disaster. It happened during prosperous times for the growing oil, shipping and chemical industry in Galveston County in 1947. Texas City was a growing town of 16,000 where many of the residents worked at chemical and petroleum plants that had sprouted up along the ship channel during World War II. In mid-April 1947, a French freighter, the Grand Camp, docked at Texas City to take on a heavy load of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. But as longshoremen loaded the ship on April 16, the smell of smoke filled the air. A small fire had broken out deep inside the Grand Camp. The captain ordered that steam be used to smother the fire, which created a brightly colored smoke that drew people to the dock to watch. Then the unimaginable happened: an explosion so powerful that it was heard 210 miles away in Louisiana.  

Multiple fire agencies across Taylor County showed up to a fight a Bradshaw family's house fire Thursday afternoon. The Taylor County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) told KTAB/KRBC the fire in Bradshaw was contained by agencies from Tuscola, Lawn, Moro and more. The single-story house fire began around 4:00 p.m. Thursday, and firefighters were able to get the flames under control at around 5:00 p.m., though crews worked to continue the embers throughout the evening. KTAB/KRBC spoke with the property owner's family, who shared that no one was living at the home, and no injuries were sustained. The family had been working to restore the house through the past year with the intention of the owner moving in. That family member added that this is not the owner's primary residence, and he does have a place to call home.  

PHOTO: Highway SH359 in Mathis was open once again after being blocked off by emergency personnel early Friday morning. San Patricio County Fire Marshal Scott Marion told 3NEWS no one was injured when the abandoned house went up in flames some time before 5 a.m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Crews from Mathis, Sandia and Tynan responded to the blaze and were able to get the roadway reopened before 8 a.m. San Patricio County Pct. 3 Commissioner Lilly Wilkinson snapped a picture of the flames at 5:21 a.m. The house appeared to be completely engulfed by the fire.  

VIDEO: Three firefighters with the Charlotte Fire Department have been hospitalized following a two-alarm house fire that was intentionally set Thursday morning in north Charlotte. The department responded to a structure fire around 2:45 a.m. on Grimes Street and had to call for more support due to the size of the fire. Firefighters said it took 60 minutes to get the fire under control. A mayday was also transmitted before one firefighter had to be rescued from the home. Three family members and a dog were also able to escape due to working smoke alarms. Overall, three firefighters were ultimately transported to an area hospital due to injuries sustained while battling the fire. Thursday afternoon, the Charlotte Fire Department said investigators "determined the fire was intentionally set."  

New proposed legislation would make it easier to demolish or remediate dangerous vacant buildings in the City of Seattle. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the legislation Thursday morning which he developed in partnership with councilmembers Tammy Morales and Bob Kettle, which would give the Seattle Fire Department the power to order complete demolition or remediation of unsafe vacant buildings. Vacant building fires within the city of Seattle have been on the rise over the last few years. There were 77 vacant building fires in 2021, 91 in 2022, and 130 in 2023, and there have been 30 so far in 2024, according to city data. Vacant building fires require a large number of resources from the Seattle Fire Department and put firefighters' lives at risk, according to Fire Chief Harold Scoggins. Three people died in vacant building fires in 2023.  

VIDEO: April 16 is a day still remembered in Texas City – the day of an unimaginable disaster. It happened during prosperous times for the growing oil, shipping and chemical industry in Galveston County in 1947. Texas City was a growing town of 16,000 where many of the residents worked at chemical and petroleum plants that had sprouted up along the ship channel during World War II. In mid-April 1947, a French freighter, the Grand Camp, docked at Texas City to take on a heavy load of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. But as longshoremen loaded the ship on April 16, the smell of smoke filled the air. A small fire had broken out deep inside the Grand Camp. The captain ordered that steam be used to smother the fire, which created a brightly colored smoke that drew people to the dock to watch. Then the unimaginable happened: an explosion so powerful that it was heard 210 miles away in Louisiana.  

Whether or not Auburn's singing firefighter has a hit to rise up the charts one day, look up in the sky. You might see him soaring another way. "I like to have realistic goals for myself, and one of those is to become a pilot," said Ducote Talmage, who until recently was a contestant on NBC's singing competition "The Voice." The 20-year-old country and Southern rock singer is attending community college in Opelika and plans to attend Auburn University. Between fire training and a journey to Los Angeles for the show, Talmage admits that he's somewhat behind but plans to study aviation management — the business side of aviation. "I'm actually planning on attending flight school in Montgomery in the next couple of months," Talmage said. Most people coming off of a music competition show like this would be looking to release a new project or start their own tour, while the fame fire is still hot. That's not necessarily true for Talmage. In fact, he's not sure he truly considers himself a singer.