A 2-alarm fire has destroyed a long-standing restaurant in Leon Springs overnight, the San Antonio Fire Department said. The fire was called in around 12:45 a.m. at The Grill at Leon Springs restaurant, which is located not far from Interstate 10 and Boerne Stage Road. Firefighters said when they arrived, the fire was already through the roof and a chimney had collapsed. Fire officials said part of the roof eventually fell and that firefighters had to fight the fire from the outside. The main body of the fire took about half an hour to put out, as the fire also threatened to spread to a Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q next door, firefighters said. Authorities say there is a small walkway between the two restaurants. Firefighters were able to keep the barbecue restaurant safe while containing the fire to just the one building. The cause of the fire, however, is not currently known.  

Temple Fire & Rescue put out a structure fire in the area of 3000 Pegasus Drive at Pactiv Inc., according to fire officials. Officials responded to reports shortly after 4 p.m. Crews arrived to heavy smoke coming from a storage silo on site, officials said. Fire officials said on-site technicians guided firefighters, who were then able to locate and extinguish the flames inside, keeping the damage to a minimum. All employees in the immediate area were evacuated. No injuries were reported. Temple Fire & Rescue responded with seven fire fighting apparatus and 25 crew members. The Temple Police Department and Temple EMS were also on scene. The cause is still under investigation, officials said.  

Lubbock Firefighters are investigating a fire that damaged a home in North Lubbock Wednesday afternoon. The fire in the 900 block of Adrian St. was reported just before 3:30 p.m. Fire Marshals are on the scene speaking with neighbors. There is no word if anyone was home at the time of the fire or if anyone was injured. The fire remains under investigation. Lubbock Fire Rescue issued the following release regarding the fire Wednesday afternoon: On 5-12-21 at 3:18pm, LFR responded to a report of a structure fire in the 900 block of Adrian St. a passerby called 911 to report a house on fire. LFR units extinguished and contained the fire to this property. There were no injuries reported. 3 adults were displaced and the Red Cross is assisting. Fire Marshals are investigating the cause.  

Experts warn that February's winter freeze left behind a lot of dead and dried out plants that could go up in smoke during the hotter summer months, increasing the risk for wildfire in the western parts of Travis County. "Our winter storm definitely left extra dead vegetation on the ground," said Lt. Adam Griggs of Lake Travis Fire Rescue. "There are areas we mitigated last summer that are peppered with dead trees that are drying out now. It does lend itself to a higher intensity fire because there's more fuel to burn." The last major fire in western Travis County was the Steiner Ranch fire in 2011, which destroyed 23 homes. County Commissioner Ann Howard noted that blaze occurred after a deep freeze earlier in the year left extra fuel for flames in the area. Griggs said western Travis County faces particular risks for wildfire because it's an area of "wildland-urban interface," where a lot of homes and other buildings are mixed with natural wooded spaces.  

The South Brazos County Fire Department is moving forward with plans to grow their department after a special sales tax election this month. Voter turnout was one of the lowest ever in Brazos county elections history with just 222 people casting a ballot. But those who showed up overwhelming said yes to a sales tax increase in Emergency Services District #1. This part of the county is growing and calls for service are on the rise. The fire department already covers 100-square-miles of the growing county and have four fire stations. In the future, volunteer firefighters will now have some extra help. "Well we were really happy that the voters supported us on the sales tax," said Chief Chet Barker, of the South Brazos County Fire Department. Barker says the election results will help them bring some paid positions to the fire department.  

A 16-year-old boy was injured after a fire broke out overnight at a Belton home, the Belton Fire Department said. Fire crews were called out to the home on the 800 block of W. 1st Avenue around 3:22 a.m. When they arrived, they found the home engulfed in flames. The teen and another person were inside the home when it started. The teen was transported to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center with third-degree burns to his face and hands. They didn't release his condition. Upon investigating, crews discovered the fire started in the back of the home.  

VIDEO: A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter crashed at an airport in Oklahoma City during a training flight Wednesday afternoon. Emergency responders, including the Oklahoma City Fire Department, were called to the 1700 block of North Cimarron Road in the area of the Clarence E. Page Municipal Airport. Two pilots – a teacher and a student – were aboard the helicopter. Customs and Border Protection officials released a statement Wednesday evening about the crash, saying the helicopter ignited in flames after crashing. However, when Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson spoke with KFOR soon after the crash, he said the pilots told him that the helicopter ignited in flames prior to crashing. "Our understanding is it went to the ground with them still in it, with it still on fire, and they got out on their own," said Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson of the Fire Department.  

Two Los Angeles County firefighters could be fired and a third suspended after some first responders took and shared graphic photos from the site of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter and seven others, court documents say. The court documents were filed Monday as part of widow Vanessa Bryant's federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County that alleges invasion of privacy. The filings propose that a Nov. 16 trial be postponed five months to April 27, 2022, because of a large amount of material that attorneys need to review. Kobe Bryant and the others were killed Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter they were aboard crashed west of Los Angeles. Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the wreck that killed the Los Angeles Lakers basketball star.  

Cory Roebuck, a volunteer firefighter with the Western Taney County Fire Protection District, is helping the families of first responders killed in the line of duty. A ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday at the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce launched the Taney County 100 Club. Roebuck said he nearly died eight years ago when he was left hanging from a tree while responding to flash flooding. While waiting to be rescued, he said he started thinking about what would his family do if he didn't make it. "When I was clinging to a tree in the middle of the night all I could think about was my family, who's going to tell my wife, who's going to raise my family?," Cory Roebuck said. He said from that point on it was so important to him that his family have a plan of action if a tragedy ever occurred.  

VIDEO: Firefighters put their lives on the line every day. While we know the tremendous job they do to protect the community, sometimes they go above and beyond to save priceless items that would have been lost. That's what happened Monday in Bangor. "I had the clothes I was wearing, and I had my phone in my pocket," said Jonathan Tenney. A massive fire Monday destroyed two apartment buildings including Jonathan's home of two years. "Lego's apparently are fireproof," said his dad, Jeff Tenney, about Jonathan's Lego collection scattered throughout the ashes in his apartment on Wednesday. "Kind of embarrassing story, but a stuffed rabbit that I've had since three years old, I thought that might have been gone. He's fine," said Jonathan about his childhood stuffed animal, Ben.  

VIDEO: According to Gas Buddy about 7% of gas stations in Alabama are out of fuel. Others are running low - or only have limited options. As more and more gas stations continue to face a gas shortage, first responders are trying to make plans to keep their vehicles fueled. Decatur Fire Chief Tracy Thornton said he's starting to see more gas stations with bags over the pumps to indicate they're running low or completely out of fuel. He said it's prompted him to look at different alternatives of how to keep their trucks filled up in case the shortage gets worse. "Our biggest concern is like anybody, it's running out of fuel," Thornton said. Thornton said he's been keeping a close eye on the Colonial Pipeline shutdown and how it's impacting gas stations in the city all week long. He said plans are already in place to conserve the fuel they have so the trucks stay filled up.