A man is hospitalized and two dogs were killed after a house fire broke out on the North Side Sunday morning. The fire happened around 9 a.m. at a residence on Finale Court and Silhouette Street. San Antonio firefighters arrived at the scene and saw flames inside of the single-story home. Two dogs were killed in the fire and the homeowner was taken to University Hospital for smoke inhalation. Firefighters said they will bury the dogs for the homeowner in his backyard. Damages to the home are estimated at $50,000 and $10,000 in contents lost. Firefighters said they don't suspect foul play in the incident. The fire was deemed accidental and is under investigation.  

Early Sunday morning, shortly after midnight, as officers with the Austin Police Department were monitoring a protest in front of the police headquarters on frontage road, a car crashed into several first responders. The roadway was shut down at the time so people could demonstrate. The wreck occurred three blocks from the protestors. Luckily, most had left the area when the crash took place. This is the third time a vehicle has entered into an area where a protest was taking place. Earlier in the week, a woman was arrested for a DWI after she ignored police barricades and drove her car towards protesters, according to police. She was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated, a third-degree felony. Officers tell FOX 7 Austin they used their patrol cars to block the roadway behind the barricades in order to provide added protection for the protestors. A red, late model, Lincoln sedan sped through the barricades, according to witnesses, and collided into one of the patrol units.  

On February 21, 2020, 53-year-old Vern Smith was shot in a suspected road rage incident. If that shooting had not happened in the Cypress Creek EMS coverage area, he likely would not have survived. Today, Vern and his family met many of the folks involved in his care that night including the 9-1-1 dispatchers at the CCEMS Comm Center, the ambulance crew, the District 51 field supervisor, and CCEMS Army EMS Fellow, Dr. Nicholas Studer. He also met the firefighters who were first on the scene immediately behind Harris County Precinct 4 Constables. Here are a few pictures from the reunion including the presentation of a framed picture signed by members of his team and bearing the patches of all the agencies involved in his care. He was shot through the driver's door of his vehicle with a shotgun, which penetrated his left abdomen, went through his digestive tract, and lodged in his liver.  

The Port Neches Fire Department made a big purchase at Thursday night's city council meeting. Fire Chief Paul Nelson announced the inclusion of a $700,000 Pierce 2,000 gpm (gallons per minute) pumper truck to the department's existing fleet. The truck is replacing the current model bought in 1992. Nelson said the National Fire Protection Association recommends a length of use at 25 years. "Does that mean you can't use it longer? You can," he said. "Volunteer departments sometimes use trucks for 34 years just because they can't afford to buy a $700,000 truck every few years. Provided if you can maintain it and buy parts, they will run for a long time, but NFPA recommends 25 years, so that's what we look at."  

The Athens Fire Department held a christening ceremony for the introduction of Engine #2 that will service the North Athens Fire Station. "This is a monumental day for the City of Athens," said Mayor Monte Montgomery. The new fire truck was manufactured in Wisconsin and features modern technology designed specifically for today's response duties. It carries a 1,500 GPM pump, holds 1,000 gallons of water, and 25 gallons of Class A foam. Friday's ceremony included a blessing from Father Nolan Lowry of St. Edwards Catholic Church and a lesson on firefighting history and tradition by Fire Chief Russell Marshall. The tradition dates back to the 1800s during the early day of fire services. Continuing the practice, the Athens Fire Department used water from the old truck to ‘wet down' the new fire engine before city officials were given towels to dry it. Then everyone gathered around to symbolically push it into the bay where it will be housed.  

An investigation is underway after a mobile home is destroyed by a fire in Smith County. Multiple fire departments responded to the scene in the 16000 block of state highway 31, east of Tyler, around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. According to the Smith County Fire Marshal, the family living inside the home was able to safely escape. Video and pictures from the scene showed flames still shooting through the roof of the home around 12:30 a.m. Winona, Chapel Hill, Jackson Heights and Smith County emergency crews were all helping tame the flames. The Smith County Fire Marshal will lead the investigation into a cause.  

VIDEO: Smoke from a huge fire in downtown Phoenix at a four-story apartment complex under construction could be seen from miles away Sunday night. It was at the intersection of 7th Avenue and Grant Street, near Jefferson Street. According to officials on scene, nearly 40% of the building was complete before the fire erupted. The fire quickly escalated to a 1st alarm blaze, which required hundreds of firefighters. The flames expanded east to toward commercial properties. That's when crews were assigned to protect those surrounding structures. Phoenix Fire Department said that burning construction equipment such as trucks, tractors, forklifts and barrels caused many of the explosions in the fire. Initially, there were reports that the fire started at an APS substation. However, Lily Quezada, a representative with APS media, said that is not the case.  

VIDEO: The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department is asking for continued prayers for its firefighters who were injured in an explosion while battling a fire on a cargo ship docked at Blount Island. On Saturday, the blaze continued to burn, and experts say it could continue for days. Eight firefighters were injured in the blast, which occurred on Thursday. Fire Chief Keith Powers said at least four have significant burns and will be off the job for "a long time." A ninth firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. Five of the eight firefighters who were hospitalized were released on Friday, according to Jacksonville Fire and Rescue. Powers said that crews on Saturday will be doing some surveying to figure out the next plan of attack. The U.S. Coast Guard said because of the tireless efforts to spray water on the ship's exterior, the vessel's hull has remained intact -- keeping it from breaking up and sinking, which is a good thing for safety and potential environmental impacts.  

Coronavirus cases in the United States have been slowly ticking up since the Memorial Day holiday, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. New cases hit a peak of 31,578, based on a seven-day average, on April 10 before steadily falling to an eight-week low of just over 20,600 a day on May 28 — and have been rising ever since. New cases in the U.S. have risen over the last three days in a row with a seven-day average of 21,763 new cases reported Wednesday, the data shows. Research shows that it can take anywhere from five to 12 days for people to show symptoms from the coronavirus, which may explain why U.S. cases are only just now starting to rise after several states reopened beaches and relaxed social distancing rules over Memorial Day, which fell on May 25.  

MTV's True Life series is going to the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. The network announced True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders, a new self-shot special spotlighting millennial volunteer first responders working through the coronavirus pandemic in New York City. True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders will follow Rhanell aka Nurse Barbie, a 31-year-old trauma nurse and Alex aka Ace, a 33-year-old FDNY EMT. Both with day jobs who then serve Throggs Neck Volunteer Ambulance Corp, the Bronx's only volunteer EMT squad. According to MTV, Rhanell and Alex each have layered reasons for risking their lives in order to save others. "I feel like there's more that I could do," Alex says in a trailer for the project.  

Police and firefighters marched with protesters of all ages in Avondale Sunday morning. Protesters marched at 9:30 a.m. from the Avondale Town Center to district four headquarters. The march comes after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN. Organizer and Youth Services Section Police Officer Eddie Hawkins from Avondale, says this is about the community, especially the youth, to come together with police and firefighters to march against officers' misconduct and for the community to have the tough conversations with them. "Sometimes the perception is that it is us against them, the police against the community and a lot of individuals would like for everyone to think that way," Hawkins said. "I was just having a conversation with a co-worker of mine and he kept saying 'we got to make sure they stay here."