VIDEO: Firefighters from at least one Houston-area fire department have joined in the effort to contain a wildfire burning in central Texas. A crew from the Cy-Fair Fire Department is deploying to the area near Bastrop where a 640-acre fire burned, forcing the evacuation of dozens of homes in the same area where a deadly blaze burned a decade ago. The Cy-Fair crew was requested by the state operations center to deploy what's known as a wildland paramedic unit, which provides advanced life support-level care to firefighters within minutes of any injury or illness, according to a Facebook post from Cy-Fire FD. The fire began as a prescribed burn Tuesday morning by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at Bastrop State Park, according to the state agency, but it ended up growing beyond crews' control.  

VIDEO: The Richmond Fire Department was working a large mulch fire on FM 359 near Highway 90, and smoke could be seen for miles. SkyEye was over the area, which appeared to be burning at a landscaping business near Frank's Nursery on FM 359. Helicopter reporter Tammy Rose said that she could see the smoke from about 20 miles away while SkyEye was arriving. ABC13 is working to find out how the fire started and if there are injuries.  

A structure fire destroyed a home in Alvord Saturday morning, leaving a local firefighter and his family displaced. Shortly before 5 a.m., area fire departments responded to a fire in the 200 block of Woody Street, finding the home engulfed in flames, said Decatur Fire Chief Nate Mara. Heavy wind gusts complicated the containment effort, with embers spreading toward surrounding homes, said Alvord Fire Chief Sam Hahn. "When we arrived on scene, the house was fully involved, and we were seeing 30 to 40 mph winds, with gusts well above that," said Hahn. "Flames were going sideways." The residents, which included a member of Alvord's Fire Department, were able to get out of the home with no injuries. Once the address was announced over the emergency radio, Hahn said responding firefighters knew it was one of their own.  

First responders are investigating the cause of two trailer home fires in Beaumont that sent one woman to the hospital. It happened around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday in the 1100 block of 11th Street, also known as the Circle Trailer Park. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fires after they arrived at the scene. Beaumont Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Wheat said one trailer caught fire and spread to a second trailer. The first trailer where the fire started was completely destroyed. The second has some extensive damages. 12News crew is at the scene. At least four people were impacted by the fire. A woman was being transported to the hospital due to smoke inhalation. Her condition is unknown at this time. Wheat told 12News he believes it was an accidental fire. Investigators are working to determine the cause.  

Firefighters rescued a man trapped inside a vehicle after a major crash on the North Side. The accident happened just after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday on U.S Highway 281 North and E. Bitters Road near San Pedro Square. Police said the man lost control, causing his vehicle to roll over the center median. Once firefighters arrived, they had to use the Jaws of Life to get him out. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Police are still investigating what caused the accident.  

College Station firefighters quickly contained a fire that started at an apartment complex in the 2100 block of Harvey Mitchell Parkway. Battalion Chief Tim Hamff says it was caused by a small electrical appliance. The tenants of two apartments have been displaced from the damage caused by crews trying to quickly locate the fire which was burning in a hidden space, according to officials. Hamff says the apartment complex is working to find a place for these tenants to stay. There were no injuries reported.  

VIDEO: Investigators are looking into whether gas caused the deadly house explosion that killed one woman and injured eight others Tuesday in the Bronx. One home has to be demolished, and at least two others are destroyed. The explosion happened Tuesday morning at a home on Fox Street near Intervale Avenue in Longwood. Exclusive video shows the powerful blast send debris flying into the air, rocking the entire community. Minutes later, police were on the ground, racing toward the danger. Officers rescued 83-year-old Yolanda Jiminez, who was trapped under furniture and rubble. Her family said the chaos couldn't have come at a worse time, since she was home recovering from a recent heart attack.  

Indiana firefighters could get annual blood testing for exposure to synthetic PFAS chemicals through a proposed pilot program, according to a new bill introduced in the state house. First developed in the 1940s, PFAS is a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that have been extensively used in numerous applications including nonstick cookware, water-repellent fabrics, fast food wrappers and firefighting foam. Many of those uses are being phased out, but PFAS are known as "forever chemicals" because they take decades to break down. That means they just build up over time in the environment — including in groundwater, drinking water and the human bloodstream. Scientific studies have linked PFAS exposure to numerous health problems including thyroid disorders, liver damage, testicular and kidney cancer, pregnancy complications and increased cholesterol levels.  

Mooresville Fire-Rescue has new technology to help them arrive at a 911 call faster, when seconds count most. The new tech is called AVL (Auto Vehicle Locator) and it works in conjunction with CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) to ensure the closest firefighters and EMT's get to the call quickly. Mooresville already averages a fire truck arriving at a call within five minutes, 85 percent of the time, but AVL will help improve that number. Previously, the unit responding to a call was selected from five fire stations in their respective districts. However, fire trucks aren't typically just sitting at a fire house, and can roam around town. AVL works with CAD to pick the fire truck that's closest to the call, and Mooresville Fire-Rescue says it's already improved response times by 1-2 minutes.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention breaks the opioid epidemic into three waves. The first wave began with the introduction of OxyContin—the highly addictive painkiller made by Purdue Pharma and introduced in 1996—and an increase in prescribing opioids. Spiked opioid addiction rates quickly followed. A significant rise in heroin overdose deaths marked the second wave in 2010. A third wave followed in 2013 with the sharp jump in overdose deaths connected to synthetic opioids, especially fentanyl, according to the CDC. From 1999 to 2019, close to 500,000 people died due to opioid overdoses.  

The United States has not yet reached a national peak of the omicron variant, the nation's top doctor said, urging caution even as the explosion of cases has started to plateau in some areas. "We shouldn't expect a national peak in the next coming days — the next few weeks will be tough," U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy said Sunday on CNN. Case counts fueled by the highly contagious variant have started to level off in some parts of the country hit early by the latest wave. In the District of Columbia and Maryland, experts said the omicron-fueled surge was showing signs of peaking in recent days, after a winter wave began to slow in other Northeast cities, including New York and Boston. While that's good news, Murthy said, "the challenge is that the entire country is not moving at the same pace. The omicron wave started later in other parts of the country."