VIDEO/PHOTO: A train and an 18-wheeler collided Tuesday in Milam County, sending a ball of flames and thick black smoke into the air. It was a situation that could have been much worse, but the fire did not reach a train car carrying hazardous material. "There was some hazardous materials a little farther back, so by the grace of God we were saved on that one," Milam County Sheriff Chris White said. The crash took place at a railroad crossing on Farm to Market Road 2095 near Cameron at 6:40 a.m. Tuesday. The train crew and truck driver weren't hurt. "BNSF (Railway) showed up pretty quick and disconnected and moved the hazardous cargo out of range of the fire," White said. "The train was carrying in the front compartments coal and gasoline and so that's what caused the huge fire and all the smoke."  

A kitchen fire heavily damaged home Monday in North Waco, but firefighters were able to revive a dog rescued from the house. The fire was reported at around 1:30 p.m. Monday in the 1600 block of North 15th Street. Crews encountered heavy fire, heat and smoke as they battled the flames. The residents had a number of pets including the dog, to which firefighters administered oxygen, and reptiles, some of which may not have survived. Investigators say evidence indicates the damage to the house was caused by a cooking fire that got out of control. The family has a place to stay, officials said.  

Last week's winter storm led to thousands of calls to firefighters in Montgomery County, according to officials. Starting Feb. 14 and lasting for the next five days, county firefighters responded to 3,132 service calls, reflecting a 300 percent increase compared to the same time last year. This included a 24-hour period with emergency calls exceeding the 1,000 mark — five times the county firefighters' daily workload, according to the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office. Response to the fires was further complicated by freezing weather and poor road conditions not usually seen in the area, the fire marshal's office mentioned. Many of the fires were quickly extinguished, but at least 29 homes and businesses were seriously damaged, leading to residents being displaced, the fire marshal's office added.  

Hays County's new Public Safety Building, which houses the Emergency Operations Center, was evacuated due to an electrical fire, flooding and generator failure during last week's freeze, leaving local fire departments to handle dispatching calls the old fashioned way. Fire Departments adapted quickly to taking calls and writing reports in a more, "simplistic way," Captain Christopher Robbins at Wimberley Fire and Rescue said — on paper. Robbins worked a 216-hour shift during the winter storm, which also happened to be his first shift as captain of the operations division. Robbins, alongside both staff and volunteer firefighters, alternated between operations and responding to a slew of calls, including downed power lines, sprinkler systems free flowing into commercial buildings, water main leaks, car accidents and residents who slipped on ice.  

Victoria Police and Fire Fighters spent the weekend delivering bottled water to those in need throughout the city of Victoria. Crossroadstoday.com reports that it was City Manager Jesus Garza who had got a tip about residents at a local apartment complex who could not get enough water he enlisted the help of our local police and first responders. Water was brought to Victoria Station Apartments and to the Victoria Housing Authority. When I got home on Monday afternoon, residents at my apartment complex were trying to fill up jugs and pitchers of water from the outside spouts along with the building as the water was no longer coming out of the sinks inside the units. To help make deliveries to apartments that did not have any water, the city enlisted the help of 13 different agencies that are a regular part of helping the community and non-profits.  

Last week's winter storms saw neighbors stepping up and doing "something good" to help each other get through it. In a neighborhood in Plano, three friends saw a need and took care of it. Michael Storer, 10, grabbed a shovel, got his two buddies and the trio went house to house scraping away snow and ice to make driveways and porches safer. One of the neighbors who benefitted from the kindness was Sam Greif, the city's fire chief. Greif praised the boys who saw something good they could do for others and stepped up to help. Greif spent 16 days in the hospital last month fighting COVID-19. Chief Greif told NBC 5 he's feeling strong enough to return to the office this week.  

VIDEO: Today marks 30 years since one of the worst high-rise fires in Philadelphia history. The deadly fire at One Meridian Plaza took place on February 23, 1991, across from City Hall, where the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton now stands. Firefighters David Holcombe, Phyllis McAllister and James Chappell lost their lives battling that blaze. The cause of the fire was traced to rags soaked in linseed oil left by workers. The fire started at 8:23 p.m. on that Saturday night in 1991. Arriving firefighters were met by flames shooting from the 22nd floor. They were also met by a series of mechanical failures inside the 38-story building. Elevators stopped, backup generators failed and a crucial internal water distribution system called a standpipe actually choked off water pressure. "They had a complete failure of all the fire protection systems and the electricity to the building, which allowed the fire to spread unchecked," said then-Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Roger Ulshafer at the time of the fire.  

VIDEO: Crews with the Shreveport Fire Department were called to put out a fire in the Highland neighborhood on the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 23. The call came in just before 6 a.m. to the 400 block of Jordan Street. That's in the same block of Woody's Home for Veterans. The first crew to get on the scene arrived within three minutes. At the scene, crews found two vacant homes on fire. A second alarm was called. In total, 75 firefighters were called in to fight the blaze. A total of 25 fire units were on hand, including five south Louisiana fire tankers. Crews from St. Tammany Parish, Lafourche Parish, West Feliciana Parish Fire Protection, and Bunkie Fire Department were on the scene to assist, according to Shreveport Fire Department Chief Scott Wolverton. The fire hydrants on the street, which would be normally used to fight the fire, do not currently have enough pressure due to the severe winter weather that passed through the area the week of Feb. 15.  

A Twin Cities company is doing something that hasn't been done anywhere else in the country, and it's all to take better care of our first responders. Emergency Technical Decon (ETD) uses a new cleaning process using liquified carbon dioxide to get rid of toxins from gear that firefighters wear, including boots, leather gloves, jackets and helmets. Jon Wikstrom started thinking about the idea three years ago. He built the lab in a warehouse in Eagan. Last month, he says ETD became the only verified cleaner in the country that uses this process after being certified by a third-party, nationally-recognized laboratory. "We need to do something good with the technology," Wikstrom said. "We knew this firefighter industry needed it." Wikstrom says cancer is the number one cause of death among firefighters. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says chemicals are emitted from even regular household products when they burn – toxins that end up in firefighter gear.  

A new nationwide pilot program is putting doctors inside ambulances virtually. The MetroHealth System has partnered with three EMS agencies that provide emergency care to bring virtual care via video visits with a doctor in the back of an ambulance. The Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) agreement between MetroHealth, the Brecksville Fire Department, Life Care Ambulance and North Central EMS, is designed to offer more focused care for patients who call 911. It could mean a trip to the emergency room or a virtual visit with a MetroHealth emergency physician. MetroHealth officials believe the result will be better care for patients, fewer ambulance trips to the hospital and lower out-of-pocket costs. When a patient calls 911 and an EMS crew responds, typically that patient is taken to a hospital emergency department. Under ET3, the crew on the scene will complete an assessment of the patient to determine the immediate needs and what level of service is needed.  

VIDEO: There is not an expiration date for honoring those lost to tragic events. That is why a local fire department has come together to honor victims of the Marshall County High School Shooting in 2018. The Possum Trot-Sharpe Fire Department dedicated their new truck to Bailey Holt and Preston Cope. It happened behind Sharpe Elementary School Saturday morning. The new truck has both of their pictures and signatures designed onto both sides of the big red truck. Fire Chief Rick Pershing said his team had the idea after buying the truck from South Dakota. "Being able to see a tribute on this truck that services this community especially Sharpe Elementary where both Preston and Bailey went to school, it will be a healing for everybody," said Pershing. "Those that have looked at it so far have agreed." The fire department invited the families of Preston and Bailey to a private viewing of the truck.