VIDEO: Fire crews are working to put out a brush fire near a subdivision in east Bexar County early Friday morning. It began burning around 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Sunflower Path and Lake Horizon near Kirby. Fire officials say the fire is located behind the neighborhood and so far, no homes have been damaged and no evacuations have been ordered. Fire crews are "backburning," meaning they are intentionally setting fires to starve the main brush fire of its fuel and prevent it from spreading even more. Both the San Antonio Fire Department and Kirby Fire Department are working to contain the fire. The extreme heat recently is playing a role. According to the National Weather Service, Bexar County will be under a Red Flag Warning Friday starting at noon.  

VIDEO: A plane known all over the world for its fighting abilities has now made its way to Abilene. It will be at Abilene Aero, ready to respond to fire calls across the state. Coulson Aviation, the company that owns the aircraft, works year-round fighting fires in Texas, across the nation, and all over the world. Texas A&M Forest Service Public Information Officer Stuart Morris said hot and dry conditions have taken a toll on green landscapes, turning it into the perfect fuel for wildfires. "Once our fuels or vegetation starts to reach that critical threshold, it's very common for fires to, you know, very easy for them to start and become very resistant to control," shared Morris. While crews tackle the flames from the ground, the arrival of the C-130Q Hercules lifts a little bit of weight off their shoulders.  

Two firefighters who were injured while battling a wildfire in San Jacinto County Wednesday have been released from the hospital. The two firefighters were hospitalized after receiving first and second-degree burns. The Forest Service said around 5 p.m. Wednesday, fire behavior intensified in an area where personnel were constructing containment lines. When this happened, the two firefighters were injured. The Texas A&M Forest Service said the two were released from the hospital Thursday morning. "Texas A&M Forest Service will conduct an Internal Fire Review to assess the incident, providing personnel an opportunity to learn & make improvements to mitigate risks/improve safety moving forward," the agency said. The fire, which has been named the "Snowhill Fire" is west of Lake Livingston.  

VIDEO: Sixteen years ago, two firefighters' lives were forever changed as they responded to a house fire in Smith County. Noonday Firefighters Austin Cheek and Captain Kevin Williams were on-duty to assist in a fire. Just as both firefighters entered the house to extinguish hotspots, a flashover happened. According to the Noonday Fire Department, Williams and Cheek were the first Smith County volunteer firefighters to die while on duty. On Facebook, the NFD honored the fallen firefighters with a post: "Noonday Fire Department will never forget the sacrifice Captain Kevin Williams and Firefighter Austin Cheek made this day 16 years ago." In a 2016 interview, Cheek's brother Aaron said he remembered his older brother as God-fearing, someone who never met an enemy and loved being a firefighter.  

An explosion at a Buena, New Jersey home has left two people dead, two injured and another two missing on Thursday, authorities said. A 1-year-old girl was airlifted to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in critical condition. A 16-year-old was also taken there in stable condition. A 2-year-old boy, 3-year-old girl, 52-year-old man and 73-year-old were also in the home at the time of the explosion. Police say two of them were killed and two others are still missing. Police had not identified any of the victims as of Friday morning. Dozens of investigators from multiple agencies responded to the scene Thursday evening as they brought in heavy equipment to search through the debris and try to figure out what caused this explosion.  

VIDEO: Dale Cieslinski, 60, is accused of throwing a brick at a Seattle Fire Department ambulance Tuesday afternoon in Wallingford. "You are a danger to commit another violent crime, so I'm going to set bail at the amount of $75,000," said the judge during Cieslinski's first appearance in court. The crew inside the ambulance was uninjured, though the response time to the call they were on was delayed – obviously, that's a problem. "I'm extremely concerned that this rising level of violence against firefighters has not been addressed appropriately," said Kenny Stuart, president of IAFF Local 27 and an active Seattle firefighter. Stuart has long been sounding the alarm as he reports an increase in violence towards the men and women he represents. In May, Stuart reported 50 attacks on firefighters over a six-month span between 2022 and 2023.  

On July 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee considered its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill. The bill proposes cutting the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program (popularly known as the FIRE grant program) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program. In FY 2023, the AFG and SAFER grant programs received $360 million for each program. President Biden proposed $370 million for each program in FY 2024. The House Appropriations Committee reported its version of the FY 2024 DHS Appropriations bill (H.R. 4367) with $360 million for each program. The Senate Appropriations Committee's bill only would allocate $338 million for each program.  

AT&T is giving schools access to a new security alert system through FirstNet, the company's dedicated telecommunications network for first responders. The school safety system will be available this fall and entail a FirstNet-certified mobile app, wearable panic button and online portal designed by the telecommunications company Intrado, according to a news release Tuesday. Intended for wear by school administrators, teachers, bus drivers, coaches, club advisers or other staff members, the panic button delivers a haptic vibration when notifying 911 dispatchers and other school personnel. The news release said the subscription-based service also has a secure two-way faculty chat function, and will integrate with school information systems that account for all students in emergency situations.  

Hyundai Motor and Kia have recalled more than 91,000 recently released U.S. vehicles because of a potential fire hazard in their newer models. The electrical components of the vehicles' oil pump assemblies may overheat, increasing the risk of a fire, according to a recall notice posted Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Kia and Hyundai advised customers to park affected vehicles "outside and away from structures" until recall repairs are complete. The recall covers Hyundai's 2023-2024 Palisade, 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra, and Kona vehicles. Kia has recalled its 2023 Soul and Sportage cars, in addition to its 2023-2024 Seltos vehicles. The companies plan to notify owners of recalled car models of any potential defects by late September.