The City of Plainview's Fire Captain has died after a single-vehicle crash early Wednesday morning in Hale County. According to the city, James Hart, 37, served the fire department for 16 years. The crash happened just before 12:30 a.m. on U.S. 70, just west of Plainview. According to DPS officials, Hart lost control of his vehicle and overcorrected causing it to rollover. He died at the scene. "We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of City of Plainview Fire Department member Captain James Harrison Hart," City Manager Jeffrey Snyder said. "Our employees are the most valuable part of our organization and to lose an employee is to lose a family member. We ask for continued prayers for his family and city staff as we grieve this loss." The cause of the crash is still under investigation.  

VIDEO: Fire departments assisting in mitigating the wildfire at Camp Bullis are being released from the scene as the containment of the fire improves and the threat level for spreading decreases. Late Tuesday afternoon, officials from Joint Base San Antonio said the Training Area 23 fire was 88% contained with 3,005 acres burned. The fire was originally reported as 70% contained up until after 5 p.m. In a press release, they added the overnight mist and rain early this morning, along with high humidity, have helped mitigate any threat of the fire spreading. Officials concluded fire patrols will continue through the end of the week and into next week, if needed, until the fire is contained. Fifteen miles from Camp Bullis is the Bexar County ESD #4 fire station.  

Coryell, Hill and about 100 other Texas counties will receive their first Texas Division of Emergency Management liaison officer over the next one to two years, division Chief W. Nim Kidd said in Waco at the Texas Fire Chiefs Association Annual Conference on Tuesday. He also said the state fared better under this past February's winter storm than it did under Winter Storm Uri in February 2021. About 300 fire chiefs and other top public safety officials started gathering Monday at the Waco Convention Center for the annual weeklong conference. The theme of this year's conference was building resilience through leadership. "Across the state, our citizens fared better because they prepared for this year's storm based on the experience of Uri," Kidd said. He also said Winter Storm Uri brought temperatures much colder and for longer in 2021 than the most recent winter storm in February.  

Negotiating new pay for the first time in four years, the City of Austin received some major blowback after offering a 14 cent raise for entry-level employees in Austin's emergency medical services department. According to the Austin EMS Association, 26% of its staff are considered low income. In a statement, the city said a pay study found the maximum pay for Austin EMTs and paramedics is higher "than that of comparable agencies when you adjust wages for regional costs." Austin EMS Association said that is not true. Selena Xie, president of the association, said the sticking point in city negotiations is the starting wage of $19.56 per hour. "We have a lot of medics who work here that have not worked here that long, she said. "All of those medics are making these poverty wages." The association asked for that base pay to be increased to $27 per hour – and they believe the city's counteroffer of $19.70 per hour falls short.  

In the past few weeks, there has been elevated fire weather danger across the state. The Texas A&M Forest Service and West Texas volunteer fire departments are working hard to protect our communities. Volunteer fire departments risk their lives helping the community in emergency situations. The work they do is based on their willingness to help others in their free time, without getting something in return. If you live in a rural area, chances are, VFDs will be the ones responding to a fire call. "The process goes just like it does basically in San Angelo, you dial 9-1-1 and it goes to the San Angelo police and fire dispatch, they then dispatch out whichever volunteer fire department that covers that area and we get text messages or alerts on our radios. From there, the volunteers will report to the fire station, get whatever vehicle they need and go from there," Dove Creek Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Sontos Chavez, said.  

Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to prepare additional state resources for mobilization as Texans face critical-to-extreme wildfire weather conditions in the Western half of the state. The Texas State Emergency Operations Center (SOC) is operating at Level II: Escalated Response. According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, a Southern Plains Wildfire Outbreak is possible Tuesday in the Texas Panhandle. This event may impact communities near Canadian, Amarillo, and Childress where extremely dry vegetation will be subjected to above normal temperatures, low humidity, and high winds. A heightened threat of fire danger through Wednesday includes the Panhandle. "Texans are encouraged to remain resilient and heed the guidance of local officials to protect their loved ones, and we thank our emergency responders who are working to protect our communities this Holy Week," said Governor Abbott.  

A hotel under construction in Camarillo was destroyed when a massive fire broke out Tuesday night. Firefighters with the Ventura County Fire Department were called to the hotel located at Ventura Boulevard and Las Posas Road at about 7:15 p.m. When crews arrived, heavy smoke was pouring out from the second and fourth floor, investigators said. At one point, Highway 101 was closed in both directions due to damage caused to nearby power lines. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.  

The fire of a vacant rowhome in southwest Baltimore that took the lives of three Baltimore City firefighters in January has been ruled a homicide. Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler, and Firefighter/EMT Kenny Lacayo lost their lives battling the deadly fire at 205 South Striker Street on January 24. EMT/firefighter John McMaster was injured in the blaze. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives classified the fire as incendiary. "Thoughts of Lt. Butrim, Lt. Sadler, and Firefighter/EMT Lacayo have been present in our minds every step of this investigation, ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby said. "We would like to thank members of the community who contacted ATF and our partners with information, as well as for their outpouring of support for Baltimore City Fire Department and the loved ones of these fallen heroes. The incendiary classification is an important step forward in this case. We will continue to work alongside our partners to ensure a complete and thorough investigation is completed."  

VIDEO: The Bowling Green Fire Department received a unique donation Monday - a fire-engine red corvette from the National Corvette Museum. The corvette will be used this year for school prevention classes, parades, and special events. "Working here going on 125 years, you know, this year and we've had this corvette plant here for quite some time. It just seemed like a seamless team to build here with building our corvette with the last three on the vin number being 911. With them being in our backdoor, us having their logo on our patch, our brand. This was about team," said BG Fire Chief Justin Brooks. Want a chance to own this corvette? The car will be raffled off at the 8th annual Fireman's Ball" sponsored by Serv-pro of Warren County at the Corvette Museum on November 19th.  

Negotiating new pay for the first time in four years, the City of Austin received some major blowback after offering a 14 cent raise for entry-level employees in Austin's emergency medical services department. According to the Austin EMS Association, 26% of its staff are considered low income. In a statement, the city said a pay study found the maximum pay for Austin EMTs and paramedics is higher "than that of comparable agencies when you adjust wages for regional costs." Austin EMS Association said that is not true. Selena Xie, president of the association, said the sticking point in city negotiations is the starting wage of $19.56 per hour. "We have a lot of medics who work here that have not worked here that long, she said. "All of those medics are making these poverty wages." The association asked for that base pay to be increased to $27 per hour – and they believe the city's counteroffer of $19.70 per hour falls short.  

VIDEO: Two young first responders to the Oklahoma City bombing are now leading their departments. It is their mission to make sure new OKC fire and police recruits know what happened that day almost 27 years ago. Both men responded in the hours and days after a bomb went off outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that killed 168 people. "It wasn't just a rescue and recovery, it was an investigation," Oklahoma City Fire Chief Richard Kelley said. Oklahoma City police Chief Wade Gourley was 26 years old and Oklahoma City Fire Chief Richard Kelley was 24 years old. "The whole thing was a crime scene, so everything that came out of there had to be sifted through and looked at for any potential evidence," Gourley said. Kelley worked to rescue and recover victims and spent days moving debris, bucket by bucket.