Ethan Mac Dobelbower, 19, is accused of stealing a fire truck not once, but twice from the Tolar Volunteer Fire Department. Fire Department officials confirmed today Dobelbower first took the truck out for a joyride at 2 a.m. on November 16 and returned it sometime later. Officials said they might have never known Dobelbower had stolen the truck at all had he stopped there. However, Dobelbower decided to try his luck a second time and stole the truck again at 4:30 p.m. the following afternoon. He was caught and arrested shortly after when he fled on foot. According to Hood County Today, Dobelbower was initially suspected of stealing the truck three times, but it was confirmed he only did so twice. Dobelbower has been charged with burglary of a building, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and felony theft.  

Hollywood Park has placed an order and a down payment for a $1.6 million ladder truck for the fire department. Wisconsin-based Pierce Manufacturing, which specializes in building fire trucks, is building a 44-foot-long truck with a 100-foot ladder. City officials said they expect to receive the new vehicle by the end of 2022 to replace the fire department's 20-year-old truck that has a 75-foot ladder. Local leaders are now planning to expand the fire station bay by at least 10 feet to accommodate the new ladder truck. "I think if we all put our heads together, we can get some contractors here, and I would hope that within 18 months we can have something built," Fire Chief John Butrico said in a September budget workshop. Briefing City Council on Nov. 16, Butrico said the truck is being designed and engineered.  

Houston firefighters called a third alarm at a warehouse in the Garden Oaks neighborhood near the North Loop, where a fire reported Friday morning has sent thick smoke into the air. The Houston Fire Department said it is performing extinguishing efforts at 885 Wakefield Drive, which is just off Ella Boulevard. It's not immediately known what type of business caught fire, or what may have caused it. HFD called for hazmat crews to the scene as part of the third alarm. In addition, a precautionary shelter in place order was issued to residents living nearby as HFD investigates what exactly is burning. Assistant Chief Ruy Lozano said solvents may be stored at the warehouse. The precautionary order is within an area bound north at 43rd Street, west at Ella, east at Shepherd Drive, and south at 34th Street.  

Three juveniles between the ages of 14 and 15 are suspected of causing a fire Sunday night that destroyed the old Mineral Wells High School building, officials said Thursday. Minerals Wells Fire Chief Ryan Dunn said the department received a call around 6:40 p.m. from a witness about a fire at the historic building on West Hubbard Street, near downtown. Large flames and "volatile fire conditions" could be seen at the building, which led to additional crews being called in from the Weatherford Fire Department and others from Parker County, according to the fire chief. The fire was under control after a few hours, but the old high school building "was deemed a total loss," Dunn said. Investigators looked into the cause of the fire and determined it to be "suspicious," according to the fire chief.  

An early morning 3-alarm fire at Plaza Square Apartments in the 4000 block of Sul Ross Street displaced 16 residents from 12 units, according to a statement issued by the American Red Cross Thursday morning, November 18, 2021. The Red Cross says they temporarily opened a ‘respite center' at Celebration Church on Sunset Drive while firefighters from the San Angelo Fire Department worked to put out the fire. According to the statement, volunteers with the Red Cross worked with property managers and members of the San Angelo Fire Department to contact residents who were affected by the fire. Volunteers also offered assistance with the immediate needs of displaced residents, such as food, water, accommodations, health and mental health support.  

On a night in Austin where temperatures dropped into the low 40s, firefighters had to put out two fires overnight. One fire broke out at a home at 2704 Westlake Drive in west Austin before 11 p.m. Thursday. According to Austin firefighters, it started in a chimney and extended into the attic. AFD said it started accidentally because the chimney's flue insert had been installed too closely to combustibles. The fire caused $80,000 in damage. Two adults are displaced because the fire knocked out the electricity. Around 5 a.m. firefighters went to a building at 5602 Clay Avenue. That's near Burnet Road and Koenig Lane. The fire started at a commercial building. Someone had been living in a unit of the warehouse. While the cause is still being determined, AFD told KXAN it suspects the fire started with a space heater.  

It took 58 firefighters to battle an early morning blaze Thursday at an outdoor power equipment dealership north of Ocala, according to Marion County Fire Rescue. Officials said a passerby called 911, and crews were dispatched to the fire at 3:54 a.m. in the 7000 block of U.S. Highway 441. The first crews arrived at 4:01 a.m. and found heavy smoke coming from the roof of the burning structure, forcing an entry to find heavy flames in the attic, according to the fire rescue. Officials said they sent additional fire engines and five water tankers to the scene as firefighters gained further entry to the building. Crews evacuated when interior conditions deteriorated and after officials said they shifted to defensive operations, the fire was called under control at 5:20 a.m. The fire is still under investigation and a cause has not yet been determined.  

In April, a Tesla Model S crashed in The Woodlands, Texas, after the speeding driver failed to negotiate a turn and jumped the curb. The car then hit a drainage culvert and a raised maintenance hole before being stopped by a tree, according to an investigation report by the National Transportation Safety Board. At that point, the Tesla promptly burst into flames. Firefighters needed four hours to douse the flames, in part because the battery kept reigniting. When the blaze was finally over, about 30,000 gallons of water had been poured on it—what the department normally uses in a month. Electric vehicle fires aren't common, but they're different enough from fossil-fuel-vehicle fires that firefighters need new approaches. One firm in Europe has developed a shipping container-like box in which a blazing EV can be deposited and blasted with water from all sides. But it requires a dedicated truck, making it a costly addition for a fire department.  

VIDEO: Human sex trafficking might conjure up imaginary stories of women being smuggled from foreign countries, but in fact, it is a crime that occurs in our own backyard. The 11 News I-Team looks at how Baltimore City Fire Department employees are being trained to identify victims when they respond to calls. At Hon's Honey in Curtis Bay, the making of honey-based and other products is a business enterprise. It is also part of the effort to reach and heal women whose lives have seen abuse, poverty and human trafficking. Sex trafficking is more common than one might think. "Oh my gosh, so widespread. It's definitely in between states and Curtis Bay is a hotbed for trafficking because it is an industrial area, it is a bit of a truck stop. So, a lot of trucks go through here that travel to Pennsylvania and Delaware and D.C. and so it is easy to traffic women from this area, to our upper northern states," Amavy Peeples, project manager of The Well, said.  

PHOTOS: An early morning fraternity fire at Nebraska Wesleyan University killed one person and critically injured three others fifteen years ago today. Lincoln firefighters said the blaze at the three-story Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house started about 4 a.m. The 78-year-old house, the second-oldest building on the campus in north-central Lincoln, was owned by the fraternity and was on the National Register of Historic Places. One student, a 19-year-old sophomore from Ord, died from smoke inhalation, and three other fraternity members were critically injured. The blaze occurred on the second night of "activation," or initiation ceremonies, for 16 new fraternity members. Thirty-nine people were in the house when the fire was reported. Firefighters broke down at least three bedroom doors to reach some fraternity members.  

VIDEO: Anyone who has seen a local firefighter or first responder in action may have noticed some of them donning custom-made leather gear, such as suspenders or radio straps with their names or a flag on them. Much of that work is done by a New Jersey firefighter who turned his hobby into a business. "I needed a creative outlet," says Rob Meyer, of Ridgeway Leather Works. Seven years ago, Meyer, a Monroe Township firefighter, decided that he needed a hobby. He started watching YouTube videos on leatherworking so that he could make a dog collar for his beloved Doberman, Jager. He then started making leather belts, suspenders and radio straps to use on his job as a firefighter. "All of a sudden I had friends of friends asking me for something and it turned into a viable business," he says.