VIDEO: Videos and photos are circulating of the historic Mason County Courthouse engulfed in flames. County Judge Jerry Bearden said the building is destroyed. In the overnight hours of Feb. 5, multiple volunteer fire departments including the Brady Fire Department were called to Mason County to respond to "multiple structure fires" including the Mason County Courthouse, the Brady Fire Department said on Facebook. The Mason, Texas, courthouse, located west of Llano, is 111 years old. Judge Bearden said the fire started at 10:15 p.m. Thursday at the courthouse. Multiple units responded and no one was hurt, but Bearden said the building is destroyed. The Hill Country Passport reported that by 1 a.m. Friday, firefighters had the fire mostly contained and were only putting out a few hot spots left in the building.  

In a virtual briefing on Thursday, the Texas Department of State Health Services discussed how it's looking to fill the gaps in vaccine distribution across the state. While the state's largest vaccine hubs have immunized thousands in recent weeks, they're not for everyone, like Lila Bradshaw. "I had spoken to my doctor, and he really recommended that I not go to one of the big sites," 79-year-old Bradshaw said, explaining that she has been taking quarantine very seriously for months and didn't want to go to a hub to risk exposure. The state is now working to figure out how to reach Texans like her. "The new focus on the 75 and older is highlighted focus in the coming weeks in order to help us try to get what we're calling our ‘super seniors' vaccinated really quickly in a timely way," Imelda Garcia, DSHS' associate commissioner said Thursday.  

Harris County Emergency Services District 48 has been selected by the National Fire Protection Association to participate in the second phase of NFPA's community risk reduction program. Community risk reduction is a program operated by some emergency response departments to mitigate dangers for high-risk individuals in the community. "We are thrilled to be participating in this important project," said Jason Tharp, Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction. "Not only will access to the tool give us invaluable information about our community's needs, but it's rewarding to know that using the tool will increase its effectiveness and help other fire departments in the long run." The first phase of the project involved the development of a Community Risk Assessment dashboard that included 50 departments from across the nation getting together to develop the CRA software and interface, according to the NFPA website.  

Two young children, who were rescued from a burning Fort Worth apartment Monday afternoon, remain in critical but stable condition Thursday, the fire department said. Fort Worth fire responded to a garage apartment fire in the 2100 block of S Jennings Avenue just before 4 p.m. Monday. Firefighters said the children's 32-year-old father was out front in the yard when they arrived. He told firefighters his sons – ages 13 months and 4 years – were in a bedroom in the apartment. He was later flown to Parkland Hospital, where his condition is stable. Fort Worth firefighters Joey Gann and Morgan Hix found the two boys inside the home. The boys were first taken to Cook Children's in Fort Worth, then transferred to Parkland Hospital in Dallas. Gann has 17 years of experience with Fort Worth Fire. He said this is only the second time he's ever saved someone in a structure fire.  

Athens Fire Chief Russell Marshall told Athens Kiwanis Club members Tuesday, Feb. 2, the year 2020 brought special precautions due to concerns caused by a deadly virus. "It goes without saying that 2020 was unprecedented with COVID-19," he said. One of the first challenges AFD faced was getting the firefighters needed personal protective equipment when health care workers and other emergency personnel were vying for the same items. "So we spent a couple of weeks on the phone daily calling different manufacturers around the county trying to find PPE that we could get in,"?Marshall said. They also decided to get some of the suits painters wear as a protection from hazardous materials. "We bought up all of the Tyvek suits were could," he said. COVID also affected the way they would respond to certain medical calls.  

The new public protection rating of Class 1 for the Tyler Fire Department is the highest rating a city can receive and will positively affect homeowners' insurance prices and premiums. Tyler's Fire Chief David Coble said planning for the assessment began in 2019, and the city is re-evaluated every 10 years. This year's rating was determined by examining dispatch communication, staffing, training, fire station distribution, water supply, equipment, and building and fire prevention codes, according to Coble. The Tyler Fire Department is now in the top one percent of fire service organizations in the US and is the first in Northeast Texas to achieve a class 1 rating.  

VIDEO: Videos and photos are circulating of the historic Mason County Courthouse engulfed in flames. County Judge Jerry Bearden said the building is destroyed. In the overnight hours of Feb. 5, multiple volunteer fire departments including the Brady Fire Department were called to Mason County to respond to "multiple structure fires" including the Mason County Courthouse, the Brady Fire Department said on Facebook. Judge Bearden said the fire started at 10:15 p.m. Thursday at the courthouse. Multiple units responded and no one was hurt, but Bearden said the building is destroyed. The Hill Country Passport reported that by 1 a.m. Friday, firefighters had the fire mostly contained and were only putting out a few hot spots left in the building.  

I have no doubt we've all done it. We're watching a movie or TV show and they're doing something that we personally know really well. Maybe you're a dancer and this person is supposed to be a prima ballerina and you're thinking, "Nope. No way." Maybe you pitched in college and watch an actor try to throw a fastball and you can't help but laugh. The one that always gets me is when they show newsrooms in TV and movies. I spent several years working in a newsroom day-in and day-out. Whenever I see it on TV I think to myself, "How could they get this so wrong? I mean, just ask someone. Anyone who has worked in news could tell you that a reporter in a small town doesn't have his or her own personal camera person or a field producer! They're likely shooting everything by themselves and writing the story on their smartphone in the back of their Accord that has more McDonald's wrappers on the floor than they'd like to admit." Turns out Hollywood doesn't always get firefighting right either.  

The Spokane Fire Department is finding new ways to connect with families during COVID. They've recently launched a new webpage to teach young kids about fire safety. It's like a virtual classroom, with icons and avatars for kids to click on. Jamie McIntyre, with the Spokane Fire Department, says firefighters really value that one-on-one connection they can have with the community. During COVID, they haven't been able to do that, at least in person. That's where this website comes into play, it's meant for parents or teachers to walk through with kids ages 3 through 6. Jamie says by three years old, kids can start to retain some of these safety measures, so it's important they're able to identify what certain things or noises look like. One family who has been using the site says their 4-year-old has already been catching on.  

A Black Firefighters Association fundraiser in Indianapolis starts with t-shirt sales, but it ends with big dreams of owning the property right next door to their headquarters. Capt. Corey Floyd serves as the recruitment officer for the Indianapolis Fire Department. He is also president of the Black Firefighters Association, which was created back in 1992 to help people of color at IFD fight against injustices and equality. They have members from all over central Indiana, including outside the IFD service area. "We started this last year during the social unrest," Floyd said. Floyd showed 13News the Black History Month t-shirt they are re-ordering after selling out - again. They never expected the shirt to be so popular.  

Frightening coronavirus variants have found footing in the U.S. Experts caution that the worst may still be yet to come. Super Bowl watch parties could be the next superspreader event. This is, without question, not the time to let one's guard down. And yet, the COVID-19 picture in America at this moment in time is vastly improved from what it was just a few weeks ago. COVID cases around the country continue to plummet daily, showing no sustained sign of ticking back up, despite the fact that highly contagious COVID variants, which have caused havoc in Brazil, South Africa, and the U.K. have all been detected in America. According to the ever-reliable COVID-tracking project, daily cases stood at 117,000 on Wednesday, and hospitalizations are at 91,440. While both these numbers are vastly higher than they were at the nadir of the pandemic in America (a very high nadir), the drop in the last few weeks is eye-catching.