A Temple firefighter was transported to Baylor Scott & White after a fire at the Apple Creek Apartments Saturday. Temple Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a structure fire around 4:36pm Saturday at the Apple Creek Apartments located at 4802 S 31st Street. Upon arrival, crews found heavy smoke and flames coming from the south side of Building #3. Firefighters were able to evacuate all residents from the building with a total of 8 apartment units being displaced. There were no injuries reported to any of the occupants at this time. A firefighter was transported to Baylor Scott & White for evaluation, according to Temple Fire spokesman Santos Soto. He is in good condition and expected to be released from the hospital Monday, Soto said on Sunday.  

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Oct. 1 for an almost 9,500-square-foot facility that will house personnel from the Montgomery County Emergency Services District No. 2 Fire Department, the Montgomery County Hospital District Emergency Medical Services and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, according to an Oct. 2 MCHD press release. Located on 3 acres of land at 18294 FM 1097 in Montgomery, the three-in-one facility will serve as a station to the Montgomery Fire Department and Montgomery County Hospital District EMS staff while also providing office space to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. According to MCHD CEO Randy Johnson, operating out of the same facility will help first responders be more efficient. "Having three county agencies working out of the same facility is a win-win for the taxpayers," Johnson said in the press release.  

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released an interim report on the deadly explosion and fire that destroyed the dredger Waymon L. Boyd. Four out of the 18 crewmembers aboard the vessel and nearby assist boats were killed, and six more required treatment for burns. At about 0800 hours on August 21, the cutter-head dredger Waymon L. Boyd is believed to have struck an underwater 16-inch propane pipeline while dredging near the EPIC Corpus Christi Marine Terminal, a midstream facility on the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. After impact, a geyser of gas and water burst up next to the vessel, NTSB said. Shortly thereafter, the gas plume ignited, and the fire destroyed the vessel. Several other vessels were working alongside the Waymon L. Boyd during dredging operations, like work boats, anchor barges, booster barges and a supply barge. A total of 18 workers were on scene aboard these vessels, and four were killed and six injured. No bystanders were harmed.  

An investigation is underway after a large house fire broke out in Kilgore Sunday night. According to Kilgore Police, the incident happened at a house on Stone Road, near Faith Baptist Church. A Facebook post from the department around 8 p.m. showed the house fully engulfed in flames. At that time, police were asking people to stay away from this area. We're told neighbors in the area heard two explosions during the time of the fire. Police said officers, firefighters, and EMS crews responded to the scene. We are working to learn how the incident started and if anyone was injured.  

The body of a woman was found in the rubble of a house off Lake Conroe in Willis after an early Friday morning fire where the roof collapsed on the structure. The woman, whose remains were recovered after firefighters controlled a blaze at the house on the 14000 block of Lakepoint, is thought to be in her 60s, according to the Montgomery County Police Reporter website. At 4:55 a.m., the North Montgomery Fire Department responded to the fire on the two-story home. Firefighters entered the home to search for occupants and the roof and flooring started collapsing as they reached the second floor. The Montgomery, New Waverly, and Conroe fire departments were on scene, according to MCPR. It's the second fatal house fire in the Willis area in recent weeks. A young Willis woman died with severe burns in early August when a fire ripped through a home in the 12600 block of Ridgecrest Drive in the Lake Conroe Hills subdivision.  

After deploying in the middle of September, the five Amarillo fire crew members who headed to the Golden State to assist are back in Amarillo. Capt. Josh Whitney, with the Amarillo Fire Department, said they were assigned to the Sierra Creek Fire, which Capt. Whitney said is California's largest single wildfire to date. "The fire at this time is 300,000 acres and there are a couple of other fires larger than that, but that's because they grew into each other," said Capt. Whitney. Capt. Whitney said they worked to keep the fire within the containment lines. Capt. Whitney said some of the concerns of fighting the fires were dead trees that could fall at any point and wildlife. Capt. Whitney said fighting wildfires in California is much different than fighting fires here on the high plains.  

The roof of a commercial building collapsed in East L.A. after a large fire broke out on Sunday night. A sign that read, "Casa Olympica," the name of a vintage clothing store, was seen in flames. Several other storefronts were also involved. Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said the two-story strip mall is located in the 4700 block of East Whittier Boulevard near Arizona Avenue. It's unclear what was inside the building that caught fire. The fire was reported around 8:20 p.m. More than two dozen fire trucks were in the area battling the three-alarm fire, which crews eventually got under control just before 10 p.m. and announced a knockdown shortly after 10:30 p.m. There's no word yet as to what caused the fire, and officials have not reported any injuries. The extent of the damage also remains unclear at this time.  

PHOTOS: Fire stations across Hampton Roads are honoring fallen firefighters by participating in the nationwide "Light the Night" event as part of National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. The Virginia Beach Fire Department arranged for the red light illumination of the VB Emergency Operations Center (Bldg. 30) on Oct. 2 and King Neptune on the boardwalk at 31st Street on Oct. 3. Both will remain lit through Sunday. "On this 4th day of October, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation honors the memories of 82 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2019 and 21 firefighters who died in previous years. The NFFF launched the nationwide observance ‘Light the Night' inviting fire departments and citizens across the country to show their support with a red light," the department posted to its social media.  

Only three US states are reporting a decline in new COVID-19 cases compared to last week, as the country hit its highest daily rate of new cases in almost two months. As of Saturday night, new cases were down in Texas, Missouri and South Carolina, while 21 states reported a rise in cases and a little more than half held steady compared with the week before. Friday, there were 54,506 new reported cases, according to Johns Hopkins University, the highest single day case number since 64,601 cases were reported on August 14. From September 29 to October 3, there were an average of 46,500 cases per day -- the most cases in a five-day period since August 14-18, JHU data showed. The climbing coronavirus count comes as the President joined the more than 7.3 million people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the US, a sobering reminder of the virus' reach as health experts urge continued vigilance during the fall and winter months.  

PHOTOS: A volunteer firefighter was injured Saturday evening when he swerved to avoid another vehicle and overturned the firetruck in Breezy Point, Queens, FDNY fire officials said. The injured firefighter was taken to Community Hospital in Brooklyn where his injuries were not considered serious. The crash occurred at 5:27 p.m. on Oct. 3 when fire officials said the pumper from the Rockaway Point Volunteer Fire Corps was traveling on Rockaway Point Blvd, when the driver told police from the 100th Precinct that he swerved to avoid another vehicle, causing the truck to flip onto its side at about Beach 215th Street. Now, information is that a spring broke on the truck, causing the overturn. FDNY and police rushed to the scene to find the driver already out of the fire truck. The Rockaway Point Ambulance Corps then took the volunteer to the hospital. A second volunteer was said to be uninjured in the crash. The fire truck, an F550, was heavily damaged in the crash. The roadway was also blocked for about an hour.  

PHOTOS: A dozen hot air balloon pilots were in the air over Battle Creek Saturday to thank those working during the pandemic. The flight was part of a world-wide effort by balloon pilots to honor front-line workers. Called "Lifting Spirits Around the World," the flights were to say to front-line workers "that we are all very grateful and thankful for them," according to Tom Brown, one of the organizers of the Battle Creek flight. The pilots assembled before sunrise Saturday at the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 5500 Armstrong Road, and launched around 8 a.m. into light winds. Brown, of Plainwell, said he and Derrick Jones began planning the event about a month ago. The flights were proposed by Matt Guthrie, president of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The Fiesta, which normally begins the first weekend in October, was cancelled like most balloon festivals and competitions around the world – including the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival – because of COVID-19.