Fire tore through a property at La Homa and West Mile 4 in rural Mission this past Mother's Day Sunday, leaving a family without a home - and costing a man his business. Back in April - another fire destroyed a nearby home. The fires were used by Hidalgo County officials as a backdrop to discuss two issues they say can be dangerous – illegal dumping and illegal burning. Officials said they deal with illegal burning in rural areas on a daily basis - and they need people to stop. "A wooden fence can catch fire, unfortunately like what happened here, and it just expands from there," Hidalgo County Precinct 3 Constable Larry Gallardo said. "You have grass that burns very quickly, you have brush that burns very quickly, with high wind conditions it travels pretty fast." Gallardo was joined at the meeting by Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez who said these incidents - often brought on by illegal dumping - are happening too often.  

VIDEO: Game wardens are investigating a crash involving two striper fishing boats on Lake Texoma on Wednesday. They said it happened because the driver was looking at his fish finder and didn't even see the other boat in front of them. "From where I was, it was pretty choppy out there," said Locust Volunteer Fire Chief Timothy Thomas. "And with the wind and the rougher waters, it's a lot harder to see than if it was just calm waters." Thomas said around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, they got a call about a woman who fell in the lake by Mill Creek Marina and was in the early stages of hypothermia. She jumped out of the Falcon boat right before it was run over. "So she was extremely wet, extremely cold, it was windy plus the water temperature was cold," Thomas said. According to Texas Game Warden Shane Bailey, the water temperature was 65 degrees.  

If you are having a medical emergency, chances are you will meet them. Our First Responders often serve as a lifeline for those who find themselves needing critical help, typically, at a moment's notice. The new National First Responder Training Complex being built on Saratoga Road near County Road 35 will ensure that more people will have an opportunity to fill those roles with excellence. County Commissioners and City Council members were on hand to hear co-owner and Director of the complex, Rey Rabagos, share his vision for a place that could be used for training for agencies from around the world -- everyone from EMS to firefighters, SWAT teams to the military. "We have so much opportunity here in this area," says Rabagos, "that I think it's just going to put Corpus on the map."  

VIDEO: Showing off a pink fire truck, the Garrison Volunteer Fire Department is making a statement as it rushes off to an emergency. The volunteers worked for months on the old Army vehicle obtained from the Texas Forest Service. They painted it pink for cancer awareness, as well as PTSD, suicide awareness and Wounded Warrior Programs. It's flashy, but it's also a working machine. "We can take it out right now and go fight a brush fire with it or do a high water rescue with all the rains we've been having," said Lt. Dalton Pinkston. "It's an 800 gallon tank. It does have foam capabilities. The members of the fire department all installed it. We had to go up to North Texas to pick the tank up." Visitors are invited to stop by the Garrison station and sign the panels in memory of a loved one or to show your support.  

Doug Hooten, executive director of Harris County Emergency Services District No. 11, updated residents on the district's preparations for its new ambulance service during a keynote speaker series event hosted by the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce May 13. ESD No. 11 Mobile Health Services, the district's new ambulance service, is set to debut on Sept. 4 when the district's contract ends with current service provider, Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services. As previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper, the district hired Hooten, who has more than 40 years of experience in the industry, as its first executive director in early December. Most recently, the district broke ground on its new 43-acre campus May 7, which is located at 18334 Stuebner Airline Road, Spring.  

The Apple Springs Volunteer Fire Department received a $9,700 grant through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program to help purchase a multi-force training door. "We are pleased to have received a training aid grant to help purchase a piece of equipment that is a first for Trinity County," Apple Springs VFD president Gary Mathison said. "It will not only be useful to our department, but we will offer training to surrounding volunteer fire departments." The new training prop increases firefighter knowledge with a hands-on experience. "This new multi-force training door will allow firefighters to effectively assess the situation and apply what they have learned while using this door," Mathison said. "The experience makes a world of difference and allows our department to train on how to use our various tools on left- and right-swing doors because the approach is different depending on which side of the door the hinges are on, and getting in quickly means getting water on the fire faster."  

On Thursday, May 13, Firefighters from across Southern Ocean County responded to a structure fire at an 8 unit apartment building in the Royal Timbers complex. According to the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Officers arrived approx 3pm to Wild Oaks Court where they immediately encountered the fire and began to evacuate and redirect traffic. Several streets were closed to allow emergency vehicles and their crews to assist in getting the fire under control. Volunteer Fire Companies including Tuckerton, West Tuckerton, Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedars, Beach Haven, and Parkertown. Assistance from several First Aid Squads were also on the scene. No serious injuries have been reported, several families have been displaced and many local efforts are underway to help them.  

The state of Michigan is taking blood samples from firefighters as part of a project to study how much exposure they receive to toxic PFAS chemicals. This week, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced the launch of the PFAS in Firefighters of Michigan Surveillance (PFOMS) project, a multi-year $1 million biomonitoring effort to assess firefighter exposure to the "forever chemicals." Firefighters can be exposed to PFAS when handling aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), a type of chemical-based firefighting foam used by airports and municipal departments to battle fires involving gasoline, oil and jet fuel. Recent studies have also shown firefighters can be exposed to PFAS through their gear and by inhaling fire station dust.  

VIDEO: It was not business as usual at Storm Engine Company No. 2 in Derby. One day after the tragedy in New Haven that cost the life of fallen firefighter Ricardo Torres, who ran into a burning building, saving the lives of two people. It would be his final heroic act. Firefighters in Derby shared with News 8 what drives firefighters to do what most people would not — run towards danger? "Somebody has to answer the call when somebody needs help," said Capt. Alex Newendorf, of Storm Engine Company. And, at least at Storm Engine Company, the passion they have to help others is in their DNA — literally. "I think for a lot of us it's just trying to be like your father," said Lt. Buddy Canty. "Most of the guys here — their fathers, and grandfathers and great grandfathers were all firemen." Several of the firefighters in Derby were listening to the transmission call of the fire in New Haven as it was happening. They're concern growing at certain points.  

VIDEOS: This weekend's graduation day marks 25 years since a tragic fire in a UNC fraternity house killed five students. The painful date is etched in local memory: May 12, 1996. It was graduation day – and Mother's Day. A smoldering cigarette sent the Phi Gamma Delta house up in flames, killing five students and injuring three on what should have been a happy day of commencement. "It rocked my soul. It rocked my whole body," said Bonnie Woodruff, who lost her son, Ben, in the Mother's Day fire. Her son's death became a rallying cry for Woodruff, who channeled the pain and loss into activism to save other students from suffering the same fate. She lobbied for all buildings in North Carolina to have fire sprinklers. "There has never been multiple deaths in North America in a building that has been sprinklered," she said.  

Just 30% of Americans are worried about contracting COVID-19, the lowest fear level recorded by Gallup since the survey firm began tracking the pandemic in April 2020, and 69% of Americans said the pandemic was getting "better" in the U.S. as more Americans get vaccinated and states begin reopening parts of the economy. The new Gallup survey concluded that those who were fully or partially vaccinated were more worried about contracting COVID than those who don't plan to get vaccinated. One-third of fully or partially vaccinated Americans fear contracting COVID, while 13% of adults who don't plan to get vaccinated say the same. U.S. adults are slightly less optimistic about the country's pandemic situation than they were in March, when 77% of adults said the country was doing "a lot" or "a little" better.