Officials are piecing together how a total of five 18-wheelers were destroyed by heavy flames Friday night. Details are scarce, as of this writing, but from what we know, it all started around 8:30 p.m. at a yard that houses other big rigs in the 5400 block of Oates Rd. in northeast Houston. Firefighters were called to the scene, where they found several big rigs ablaze. Cell phone footage caught the entire incident on camera as firefighters worked to put out the flames, but we're told a total of five were either damaged or destroyed by the fire. No information was available as to the cause of the fire or if there were any injuries as a result.  

One person was killed in a house fire early this morning in Andrews, according to the Andrews County News. Firefighters arrived at a home near 300 NW 8th St. to battle a house fire. They quickly located the man, 64, who lived alone, and transported him to Permian Regional Medical Center, where he died. The Andrews Police Department has requested the State Fire Marshal's Office help with the investigation.  

VIDEO: A massive grass fire erupted after a palm tree caught flames near Jose Marti Boulevard, north of Ruben Torres Boulevard in Brownsville, Saturday night. Brownsville Fire Chief Jarrett Sheldon said fire rescue crews responded to the call at approximately 8:30 p.m. Firefighters extinguished the fire within half an hour; no nearby buildings sustained any damage, though about half an acre of grass burned. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.  

A 67-year-old man was killed when his car was swept away in high water Saturday night in Ellis County, police say. The incident happened off Interstate Highway 45 in Palmer at about 9:25 p.m., Palmer police said. Police said firefighters arrived at the scene at the north service road and found a vehicle completely submerged in the water. Due to the strength of the current, rescuers were unable to pull the occupant out of the vehicle. Police said authorities had to wait for the water to recede to begin any rescue attempts. The Midlothian Police Department and Red Oak Fire Department assisted in rescue efforts, but the 67-year-old man from Red Oak was located Sunday and pronounced dead. Prior to the water rescue call, at about 8:57 p.m. Saturday, the Palmer Police Department and Ennis Fire Department rescued a man, woman and infant trapped in floodwaters near I-45. Authorities said when crews arrived, the family was on the roof of the vehicle awaiting responders.  

In March 2019, a massive chemical fire broke out after a leak at a chemical tank farm in Deer Park spread to almost a dozen other tanks. A plume of smoke soon loomed over the Houston skyline and lingered there for three days. Residents of Deer Park were forced to shelter in place due to air pollution hazards, the Houston Ship Channel closed for three days, and millions of gallons of hazardous waste spilled on the ground and leaked into the water. That chemical fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company's facility also rekindled a debate at the Legislature about the state's rapidly growing petrochemical industry, much of it in communities along the Texas Gulf Coast. Thousands of such tanks, typically made of steel plates, are in the Houston area alone, and state lawmakers had already become concerned after at least 15 tanks holding crude oil, gasoline and other hydrocarbons ruptured or malfunctioned during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.  

A grant from the Texas A&M Forest Service has allowed the Bowman Community Volunteer Fire Department to receive much needed equipment. The $220,000 cost share grant helped buy this versatile water tender that will be used in a number of different ways. Bowman CVFD will also use the tender in responding to structure, wild-land and vehicle fires. Texas A&M Forest Service Regional Fire Coordinator Regan Reser said since so many applications come in for grants like these, it may take a couple years to get to the top, making this upgrade that much more important. "It's just new technology, it's a better truck, a lot less headaches that they have to worry about," Reser said. "And with what they got, I think they can help their community really good, it was a really good asset that they ordered, and I think it's gonna help them a lot."  

VIDEO: A fire ripped through row houses in Yonkers on one of the hottest days of the year so far, displacing nearly 100 people and injuring more than a dozen firefighters as well as one resident. The blaze appeared to have started Sunday afternoon in the backyard of one home on Maple Street but it quickly spread to four nearby houses, according to fire officials and witnesses. Flames could be seen shooting from the roof and thick, black smoke blanketed the entire neighborhood. At one point, every firefighter in Yonkers was on the scene to put out the fast-moving fire. "I felt the heat. It was sizzling and popping. I ran back inside to make sure everybody was out the door," said Carlos Bonilla. Firefighters say they received a call just after 4 p.m. about furniture that had caught fire at one of the homes. "It was so terrible. Everything was pitch black. You couldn't breathe, eyes started getting watery," Marcos Archindia recalled. He said his brother saw the flames started.  

A 26-year veteran of Polk County Fire Rescue became the first woman to be promoted to the rank of deputy chief, the county announced this week. Jennifer Huff will serve in the planning division, according to a release. "Deputy Chief Huff's promotion is a huge milestone for Polk County Fire Rescue," Fire Chief Robert Weech said in a statement. "In a profession dominated by men, Huff has stood out, broken her own ground and deserves this position – not because of her gender, but by her skill." Huff began her career in 1995 as a volunteer firefighter, the county said. Over the years she "climbed the ranks as an emergency medical technician and paramedic, to firefighter, engineer, lieutenant, battalion chief and now deputy chief," the county said in its release. Also promoted to the rank of deputy chief is Eugene Gorokhov. He will serve in the training division, the county said.  

Honoring EMS workers during the month of May, FOX23 learned how the Tulsa fire chief helped launch the first paramedic firetrucks in Tulsa more than 20 years ago. Tulsa Fire Chief Michael Baker has had a career full of helping people. He worked in the military, then as a paramedic, and then a firefighter, before taking on the role of chief about a year ago. Baker has responded to thousands of emergency calls throughout his career and while those haven't stopped, he says the care available when you call 911 in Tulsa has changed a lot over time. In 2000, he helped launch the first two paramedic fire trucks equipped with almost the same level of supplies you would find on a traditional ambulance and the firefighters trained to use them. "We started with just a handful of paramedics and then now we're to about 120 paramedics on the fire department with 16 fire apparatus that are providing that level of care," Baker says.  

A fire authority allows communities to share resources to provide emergency services and react nimbly to areas that have little or no emergency response capabilities on their own, fire authority leaders around Michigan say. One authority — essentially a new government entity created to manage a service in multiple communities — already exists in Northeast Michigan, in the Rogers City area. And Northeast Michigan could see other partnerships. Alpena and Alpena Township are discussing forming an authority to oversee water and sewer services in those two communities to put an end to a years-long court battle. And those two communities briefly discussed forming a fire authority as the township explores a way to preserve firefighting services in the face of staffing shortages and financial issues.  

VIDEO: In March 2019, a massive chemical fire broke out after a leak at a chemical tank farm in Deer Park spread to almost a dozen other tanks. A plume of smoke soon loomed over the Houston skyline and lingered there for three days. Residents of Deer Park were forced to shelter in place due to air pollution hazards, the Houston Ship Channel closed for three days, and millions of gallons of hazardous waste spilled on the ground and leaked into the water. That chemical fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company's facility also rekindled a debate at the Legislature about the state's rapidly growing petrochemical industry, much of it in communities along the Texas Gulf Coast. Thousands of such tanks, typically made of steel plates, are in the Houston area alone, and state lawmakers had already become concerned after at least 15 tanks holding crude oil, gasoline and other hydrocarbons ruptured or malfunctioned during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.