Jasper County is grieving the loss of Fire Chief Vandie Smith who died Friday, July 2 from underlying health conditions. Smith has worked for the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department since 1986 and became the first Black fire chief in 2007. Smith was 64 years old when he died. Smith not only paved the way for black firefighters, but he also touched the hearts of an entire community Smith battled a variety of health conditions for years and most recently it was COVID-19. "Doctors told him that they would never be able to fully get it out of his lungs because of the conditions he already had," Vandie Smith III, Fire Chief Vandie Smith's son, said. Those closest to him said regardless of how he was feeling, he was always there for anyone who needed him. "He would show up, do his part, and take care of the business," Joe Morgan, assistant Tri-Community fire chief, said.  

A 10-month-old baby boy died and three people were taken to the hospital after a structure fire in Lufkin. On Friday, around 9:26 p.m. the Angelina County Sheriff's Office received a call about a fire at 690 Lonestar Rd. 10-month-old Arerelio Malpica died and his father Carlos Malpica, 22, was seriously injured. Carlos was flown to LSU Shreveport for severe burns. Israel Lopez, 21 was taken to a local hospital and Arerelio's mother Adrian Silva, 23, was taken to Woodland Heights for difficulty breathing. The cause and origin of the fire is not known at the time, according to Angelina County officials. Fire Marshal Wesley Mask was contacted and is still investigating. A justice of peace ordered autopsy for Arerelio.  

One person died after a fire broke out at a two-story home Sunday night in Dallas, officials said. Fire crews responded at around 9:20 p.m. to reports the roof of a home on the 400 block of North Peak Street in Old East Dallas was on fire. Police were the first crews to arrive on the scene and helped get five people out of the home. A sixth person, however, was still believed to be in the attic, which had been turned into a living space. Firefighters found an unresponsive woman there and pulled her out of the home, officials said. She had been burned and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, but she ultimately died, according to officials. The medical examiner has not yet determined her cause of death and investigators say they are still working to figure out what happened. Crews were able to put out the fire within an hour of their arrival.  

PHOTO: All hands were on deck Saturday night to put out a large house fire caused by fireworks, the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office said. This fire happened sometime before midnight in the 200 block of Inwood Lane. The Highlands Fire Department said with the help of multiple agencies, including the Crosby Fire Department, Channelview Fire Department and Sheldon Fire Department, crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly. No one was injured, but a dog died in the fire, officials confirmed as well as a family member. The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office investigated the cause and determined improper disposal of fireworks started the large blaze inside the home. "In order to protect your home and family, place used fireworks in a bucket of water and store away from the home," HCFMO posted as a reminder on their Facebook page.  

A man was arrested in connection to a fire that destroyed an apartment building in the Medical Center and displaced eight families, according to San Antonio police. Ryan James Simpson, 35, was booked July 2 on charges of arson and stalking, Bexar County court records show. According to an arrest affidavit, the fire's origin was traced back to a patio of one of the units that had two tenants living there. A man living in the unit told police he believed Simpson "may have had something to do with" the fire, as he was angry at him for stealing his guns. Simpson was also accused of texting the man that he had "24 hours before things of his magically start exploding randomly," the affidavit states. Investigators said the tenants' cars caught fire earlier in June, which started the initial investigation.  

It's official! Today, the City of Bryan Fire Department celebrates its 150th anniversary. Established on July 5th, 1871, the local fire department was incorporated by the State of Texas as 'Hook and Ladder Company No. 1'. According to the Bryan Firefighter's Association, back in those days, the department only consisted of one hand-drawn truck with six ladders, a few axes, a pull-down hook and chain... and 12 leather buckets. "Thank you to all those that have paved the wave! Never Forget Lopez, Pickard, Wallace." the association shared via Facebook. Today, the Bryan Fire Department employs over 135 full-time firefighters and staff that operate out of five different fire stations. The department now also has specialized teams trained in building collapse, confined space, high-angle rescue, lost person/wilderness search, trench rescue, and water rescue.  

VIDEO: The explosions of fireworks heard Sunday sent beachgoers scrambling in Ocean City. Ocean City Bomb Squad personnel, ATF, and Maryland State Fire Marshal's Bomb Squad are just a few of the agencies now investigating. What was supposed to be a downtown show with live music and an array of colors filling the sky at Northside Park ended before it even began with Starfire Corporation employees receiving minor injuries. The fireworks unintentionally discharged around 10:30 AM. Multiple beachgoers captured the boom now being echoed nationwide. "At the truck out there, there were huge explosions all around the truck," said one beachgoer. "The police were on the scene. They were trying to clear the boardwalk," said one woman.  

VIDEO: It has been more than 26 years since the Murrah Building bombing. And a retired Guthrie firefighter is just now sharing his story with us in hopes of finding the woman behind this nameplate. As luck would have it, he happened to find two pieces of it on separate days. And he knew one day he'd give it back to the woman if she survived. "I'm proud to have been a Guthrie firefighter," Wesley Whitehorn said. What began as a normal day for Whitehorn would turn out to be one of the most significant of his life. "I was working on my lawnmower early that morning and my house shook like an earthquake," he said. "The Murrah Building bombing was one of the biggest things in my career -- that's happened besides delivering babies," he said. The explosion shook Oklahoma and the nation to the core. "My phone rings. It was the fire department. ‘A bomb went off. Are you going?' I picked up my gear, blood is pumping, lights and sirens all the way.  

VIDEO: Vice President Kamala Harris paid a brief surprise visit to a Brentwood fire station Sunday to thank firefighters for their service to the community. Accompanied by her husband Douglas Emhoff and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, and his wife Betty, Harris visited Los Angeles Fire Department Station 19, near the vice president's Brentwood home. In 2019, Station 19 contributed to the more than 1,000 firefighters who responded to the Getty Fire, which destroyed 10 homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate. The vice president arrived at the station shortly after 11 a.m. with a box of cookies for the firefighters from Deluscious Cookies & Milk, a female-owned small business in Hollywood that ships nationwide and across Canada. During her 13-minute visit, Harris made references to wildfires and drought conditions, according to White House reporters traveling with her. "This fire season is going to be worse than last year," she said.  

VIDEO: The City of Marietta Fire Department swore in their youngest recruit on Friday: a 4-year-old cancer patient from Augusta. Bubba Diedrich was diagnosed with leukemia a year ago. The fire department teamed up with the Make A Wish foundation to make his dream of being a firefighter possible. "I, Bubba, hereby swear that I will have all the fun a 4-year-old can have," the proclamation said. We were there for Bubba's big day on the job. His fellow firefighters helped the Augusta boy get suited up. "He loves the trucks and everything they do," Bubba's father Travis Diedrich said. "All of us at the fire department are really excited and just to see that smile on his face is just unbelievable," Chief Tim Milligan said.  

An Independence Day afternoon fire at Fitzgerald's Hotel, "one of the city's most famous eating places," in 1946 became the center of attention in downtown Glens Falls. "More than a thousand persons were attracted to the scene by the heavy palls of smoke which at times nearly obliterated the building and firemen working on ladders along the facade," The Post-Star reported. "Glen Street was clogged with fire equipment and hoses, making it necessary to reroute heavy holiday traffic." The restaurant was filled with diners when the fire broke out around 2:25 p.m. Several guests and employees, as well owner D. J. Fitzgerald Jr., were in hotel rooms on upper floors. "Two lines of hose were rigged on the aerial truck and began pouring torrents of water into the flaming roof and subsequently eight other lines were laid, flooding the blazing portions from many angles," The Post-Star reported.