The Kountze Fire Department is mourning the loss of their beloved assistant fire chief, who died after contracting COVID-19. The fire department announced that Assistant Fire Chief Dean Troup died after battling COVID-19, in a Sunday Facebook post. Troup was the second longest active member of the department, serving for more than 30 years as a paramedic and firefighter. He loved to help people, the department said. Troup never met a stranger, was loved by many. They said his reach went well beyond the fire station, to the entire Kountze community. "The department is less without him, and he will be truly and deeply missed," a Kountze Fire Department official said in the media release. The Kountze Fire Department asks that the Southeast Texas community please be respectful of Troup's family in their time of grief and give them time to process their loss.  

Two firefighters from the Trenton Fire department were sent to the hospital for heat exhaustion and 17 were sent to get fluids as crews from Trenton, Westminster and Randolph battled a house fire in Trenton Sunday. "Our biggest problem was a combination of the heat outside and the fire," said Trenton Fire Chief C.J. Fillingham. The mobile home was located on the 100 block of East Line Road. Fillingham said the center section of the mobile home was "completely engulfed" when his crew arrived. "At that point, I immediately put everyone to a defensive attack once we realized we weren't able to save anything in there," Fillingham said. The fire also killed two dogs that were stuck inside. "For mobile home fires, we go in there, we're all in full bunker gear," Fillingham said. "There's 75 pounds we're adding to each firefighter and it's thermal wear so it doesn't cool you."  

Houston police are searching for a 19-year-old woman accused of setting a man on fire in the Kingwood area. Emma Presler has been charged with murder in connection with the incident that killed 33-year-old Devin Graham. The incident happened on Aug. 6 at about 10 p.m. in the 2000 block of Aspen Glade Drive near Hidden Pines Drive in the Woodland Hills Village neighborhood. Houston firefighters arrived at the scene and found that Graham and 26-year-old Karissa Lindros were able to get out of the home, authorities on the scene said. Graham and Lindros were both taken to the hospital with severe burns. At the hospital, Graham told police that Presler went into the home, poured an unknown substance on him and lit him on fire. Graham died due to his injuries days after the fire. Lindros remains hospitalized and is fighting for her life.  

The Wichita Falls Fire Department extinguished a house fire in the 1100 block of Covington Street on Monday. Firefighters on scene said the residents were not injured, but some pets suffered from smoke inhalation. Of the four dogs in the house, one escaped with the owners, one was rescued and two died. The fire reportedly started in the back corner of the house, and the Red Cross was called to help the residents. Fire department officials said there was about $20,000 in damages to the house and about $5,000 in damages to contents. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.  

The Arlington Fire Department rolled up their sleeves and pulled out some heavy equipment over the weekend to save a dog named Zoey that was trapped in a storm drain. Zoey's owners had reported her missing several days before firefighters jackhammered their way to her. The department's Technical Rescue Team evaluated the most appropriate way to remove Zoey, who was more than 400 feet away from the drain's nearest entrance. Photographs shared by the department show what it took to finally free the 15-year-old dog from the drain in the 4900 block of Kelly Elliott Rd. Crews had to remove concrete and access the pipe to set Zoey free. Much to the joy of many on NextDoor who were following the ordeal in real time, Zoey was removed at 10:42 p.m. and taken to an animal medical center for evaluation.  

Some special guests welcomed Parkdale Elementary School students back to the classroom on Monday morning. Waco firefighters stood outside the doors on Monday offering bracelets, pencils, stickers and fist bumps to welcome kids back to class. "It's the first day of school, it's a big day for our city, big day for our students, teachers, and staff," Lt. Keith Guillory, with the Waco Fire Department, said. "And really we just wanted to come out here and welcome them back." Superintendent Dr. Susan Kincannon said the fire department has a long tradition of coming to schools on the first day. "It's just such a wonderful thing to have traditions like having our fire department and our police department out in our schools helping us out on the first day of school," Dr. Kincannon said. Monday was the first day of school for Waco ISD students.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: At least one person was hospitalized, and multiple properties were damaged as a mansion went up in flames in Upper Saint Clair Monday morning. Emergency crews were called to the home, which was still being built on Scarlett Drive, shortly after 11 a.m. "It sounded like this big thud, it must have been some type of explosion in the garage," said neighbor Bryan Mathews. Within minutes, the structure was fully engulfed. Mathews is among a handful of homeowners who faced property damage as strong winds sent embers flying all across the neighborhood. "The coals were dropping down on people's mulch beds, smoldering," said neighbor Tanner Murray. Officials reported one person being transported to the hospital. Neighbors shared video of one man seen with burns.  

PHOTOS: Every fire department has its own customs and traditions that have been carried on through the years. Some have different colored badges to distinguish officers or different colored turnout gear, but DeFuniak Springs firefighters wear theirs on their helmets. Stickers in the shape of an extrication tool known as the "jaws of life" can be spotted plastered around the black, empty spaces of their helmets. Fire Chief Ross Sheffield said the stickers are awarded to firefighters who have worked hard to safely remove a vehicle from around a person who has been in a collision. The tradition began almost 20 years ago, long before Sheffield took over as chief in 2020, but continues to be a symbol of "honor" at the department.  

A Kentucky lawmaker plans to file a bill that would help the families of first responders who died from COVID-19. Rep. Thomas Huff, a Republican from Shepherdsville, said his proposal is a result of the twin tragedy that occurred at the Zoneton Fire Department. Chief Rob Orkies died in December 2020 after a battle with both cancer and COVID-19. Then in February, acting Chief Gary Key also fell to the virus. But the families were denied Kentucky's death benefit of $80,000 given when first responders die as a result of their jobs. Zoneton's new chief, Kevin Moulton, said he was told by the Kentucky Fire Commission that the families were not eligible because of the way the state law is worded. "In the KRS, it does not state COVID-19 or anything like that," Moulton said.  

VIDEO: Lucas Oil Raceway brought the heat on Saturday as the racetrack hosted the world finals for Beat the Heat, Inc. But behind the wheels of these drag cars weren't professional racecar drivers. Instead, the "heat" burning rubber up and down the raceway were police officers and firefighters from across the nation. Some of the cars used in the racing were even converted police cars. "This is another way to kind of get in touch with the youth, and the community and just kind of show them that hey we're here, we're not just the ones in the police car taking people to jail, you can come out, have fun with us, hang out with us, relax," said Beat the Heat Vice President Gary Fitzgerald. Along with being a community relations bridge and a program to help connect and educate youth, Beat the Heat is a non-profit organization comprised of police officers and firefighters who use racing to draw attention to programs that combat the proble of street racing, drunk driving and distracted driving.  

On September 11, 2001, members of the Islamic extremist group Al Qaeda coordinated four attacks using hijacked commercial airliners in the United States. Two iconic towers fell. The Pentagon sustained major damage. Nearly 3,000 victims lost their lives. Countless more suffered immediate injuries and long-term health issues that are still being felt to this day. The 9/11 attacks changed America, and the world, forever. Here's what it looked like on the ground, from the streets of New York to the Pentagon to a field outside of a Pennsylvania town, from the point of view of people who were there. The first attack: The first tower was struck at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001. Five attackers, armed with box cutters, crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the north face of the north tower of the World Trade Center complex in lower Manhattan.