On Saturday morning, the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association tweeted a photo of a collapsed ceiling on ambulance at Fire Station 49. The post accused the City of Houston of years of neglect of the department's fleet and facilities. No one was hurt during the collapse. "Now is the time that this city needs to prioritize not only the fleet [and] facilities, but the health and wellness of the men and women that we are asking to continue to go out there and put themselves on the frontline, not only during this pandemic but on a daily basis," said Marty Lanction, HPFFA President.  

Dozens of first responders from across the state and community members gathered Saturday outside Judson High School to honor a Converse fire captain that died from COVID-19 complications. The service was held outside and heard inside vehicles to make sure coronavirus safety protocols could be followed. Captain Bryant Anderson served with the Converse Fire Department for 16 years and was described as a selfless leader who loved serving his community and his family. "It's about coming together as a true brotherhood in the fire service and as a community to recognize this great man and send him a proper send-off and take care of his wife as well as his family," Converse Fire Chief Luis Valdez said. During the memorial service, Converse Mayor Al Suarez promoted Bryant to First Battalion Chief and issued a proclamation that Aug. 29 would be known as Chief Bryant Anderson Day.  

Heroic firefighters with Payne Springs Fire Rescue (PSFR) helped to save a dog from a house that was engulfed in flames Sunday. According to PSFR, firefighters responded to a house fire on Indian Gap in the Cherokee Shores subdivision at about 1:10 p.m. Upon arrival, firefighters saw smoke coming from the roof vents and pushing out of the eves. Witnesses told firefighters that while all the people inside safely evacuated, there was a dog trapped inside. Firefighters found the dog inside a bedroom that had a door closed and safely removed the dog through a window with no injuries. The bedroom itself received only minor damage. PSFR firefighters, along with firefighters from the Gun Barrel City and Eustace Fire Department, helped to extinguish the flames. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Henderson County Fire Marshal's Office.  

Three Henderson County fire departments battled a house fire in the Cherokee Shores subdivision in Henderson County Sunday afternoon. Adam Robinson, the chief of Payne Springs Fire and Rescue, said they were dispatched out to a fire on Indian Gap in the Cherokee shores subdivision at about 1:10 p.m. Sunday. He added that he was the first firefighter at the scene. When Robinson arrived at the fire scene, smoke was billowing out from all four corners of the house, a single-story, single-family residence. While he was waiting on the fire trucks to arrive, Robinson and some onlookers rescued a small dog, a Chihuahua, from where it had been closed up in one of the house's rooms. He said the dog was unhurt.  

Eleven residents were displaced from the Dakota Place Apartments on Sunday when overnight storms blew off a tarp covering the roof sending rain into the units, officials said. The roof at the apartment complex has been the center of a lawsuit involving Dakota Place owner Charles Mercer and the city of Hurst. Hurst Fire Chief David Palla said the tarp had been covering an ongoing roof repair and it had been blown over to one side letting rain into the upstairs apartments and lower units. Palla said the owner was working to make sure everyone had a place to stay until they could return. "Thankfully it was not a collapse or due to severe weather," he said. Mercer said Sunday that crews were in the middle of replacing the roof, which he said was a two-week process, and that six of the displaced residents have returned.  

Authorities are investigating after an early morning house fire in north Harris County on Saturday. Fire officials said the fire sparked up around 1 a.m. on the 3600 block of Rosemary Lane. When fire crews arrived on the scene, they found a single-story home with heavy fire showing. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the home. A neighbor reported to authorities that the homeowner wasn't home at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported. A cause of the fire is under investigation by the Harris County FIre Marshal's Office.  

VIDEO: On Saturday morning, the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association tweeted a photo of a collapsed ceiling on ambulance at Fire Station 49. The post accused the City of Houston of years of neglect of the department's fleet and facilities. No one was hurt during the collapse. "Now is the time that this city needs to prioritize not only the fleet [and] facilities, but the health and wellness of the men and women that we are asking to continue to go out there and put themselves on the frontline, not only during this pandemic but on a daily basis," said Marty Lanction, HPFFA President. In response, the mayor's office sent FOX 26 the following statement: "We are grateful that no one was hurt and the General Services Department responded immediately to begin making repairs. Mayor Turner and city council have heavily invested in Houston Fire Department personnel training, equipment, and facilities."  

VIDEO: Firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire early Sunday morning at a chemical plant in the Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side, Chicago fire officials said. According to CFD, around 12:33 a.m. crews were dispatched to a building fire at the Imperial Zinc Corporation in the 1000-block of E. 103rd Street. Hazmat teams were called in because of the chemicals inside the plant, CFD said. The fire department tweeted out a photo Sunday morning showing the roof of the building had collapsed. Crews were able to put out the flames a little after 2:00 a.m., CFD said. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.  

A Seminole County employee was killed and three firefighters were injured in a sidewalk collapse in Lake Mary Friday, according to the Seminole County Fire Department. The county environmental services employee was identified as Tomasz Sajkowski, a utilities operations distribution mechanic, by Seminole County spokeswoman Ashley Moore Friday afternoon. Firefighters responded to the 200 block of Chiswell Place at Heathrow Woods about 10:30 a.m. Friday, Seminole County Fire Chief Otto Drozd III said at a press conference. Sajkowski had been working on a water main repair when the sidewalk collapsed. Drozd said officials believe the water main leak created a void under the ground, causing the sidewalk to collapse and trapping Sajkowski. Upon arriving, firefighters decided to use the "Jaws of Life," a hydraulic extraction tool, to try to remove the concrete slabs from him, Drozd said.  

Following two shootings in a little more than two months, an Elizabeth City fire station is on track to get bulletproof walls. Shots were most recently fired July 15 near the station on Harney Street, which is manned 24-hours a day. At least one round went through a wall, into its sleeping and eating areas. "If somebody had been standing at the kitchen stove, they would have been hit," said Elizabeth City Fire Chief Chris Carver. Shots previously entered the building on May 12 and at least two other times going back to 2015, he said. The May 12 bullet just missed the living quarters. The shots appear to be random and not necessarily directed at the fire station. No one has been injured. But firefighters who spend long shifts there working, eating and sleeping are vulnerable — and worried. "We have to make our guys safe," Carver said.  

The Hilton Fire Department is now training to take its rescue efforts to the clouds, with the help of drone technology. Department heads say it's among the first in the area to bring use the drones for certain calls. The idea was the brainchild of fifth-year firefighter David Olney, who is a trained drone pilot himself, he says it was a no-brainer, as the drones could be a real boost for the department, and the community. Right now- they have four firefighters in training, with each person using a training drone, the plan is to purchase a more official drone by the end of the year. Each pilot has to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. "It's really exciting, honestly." Olney said "We're adopting new things that are going to keep them safe." The idea is to take the drones from the fire house, and out in to the field where they can be used for life-saving search and rescue missions among other tasks.