Responders are battling a growing wildfire in the area of County Road 32 in Jasper County near the Angelina County line. As of 7:13 a.m. on Friday, 3,000 acres have been burned with 50 percent containment according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Residents from the Neches River to State Highway 63 on Farm to Market Road 255 are being evacuated at this time. Traffic control points are in place. Jasper County Judge Mark Allen and the sheriff's office request that all public stay clear of these areas to allow emergency services to adequately respond. Angelina County Office of Emergency Management said that so far one structure has been lost and between 40-50 homes have been evacuated on County Roads 23, 32, 33 and 34.  

VIDEO: The city of Grapevine on Friday will celebrate a history maker. "There will be stories told, hopefully, hopefully, good stories," said Sheli Pugach, the first female firefighter in Grapevine and its first and only female captain. Pugach officially retired on June 30 but the celebration of a life of service and setting the bar happens today. "I started October 1st of 1997, and I was the first female hired in the city of Grapevine and one of the very few females in the North Texas area, specifically in smaller departments," Pugach said. "I was athletic, I liked law enforcement. I liked medicine and so I was trying many different things and I said, 'Ok, I'll, I'll try this.' And, I did it and I liked it. When I went to the fire academy at Collin College, I was class seven and they're in the double digits, like way almost to the triples, I think. So, I was like, "Oh, my gosh, it's fun,' and I'm helping people and felt like I was making a difference."  

VIDEO: After nearly six months of training and sacrifices, the Wichita Falls Fire Department recruits showed their families all the skills they've learned, during family night. This class of recruits started with 10 and lost one during the process but this group will be graduating on September 2. "We just wanted to invite the families of the recruits to come and see what they have learned," Wichita Falls Fire Department Chief, Donald Hughes said. "We fed them some hamburgers and hotdogs and then we let the recruits go through some of the skills that they've learned during the training academy." Recruits went through several drills such as repelling down the side of a building, putting out a simulated vehicle fire, and a propane fire. "It's just great to see what our program produces and this is a nice night for me to come out and see that," Fire Chief Hughes said.  

VIDEO: A fire at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville forced hundreds of inmates to evacuate on Friday morning. Video from the scene shows flames and smoke coming from the prison, also known as the "Walls Unit." The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said the fire started just before 2:30 a.m. Friday. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy fire coming from one of the cell blocks. Multiple agencies from the area, including the Huntsville Fire Department, responded to help battle the flames. The prison is located in downtown Huntsville off 11th Street and Avenue I. Officials said approximately 655 inmates have been evacuated and relocated to a secure location within the facility. No injuries have been reported and everyone is accounted for, TDCJ said.  

Personnel working at Marathon Petroleum Refinery in St. John the Baptist Parish, along with local emergency officials, responded to a chemical spill and fire at a storage tank at the company's Garyville refinery on Friday, Aug. 25. The spill and fire have been contained within the refinery's property, according to the company. Residents within a one-mile radius of the refinery are being ordered to evacuate as a precautionary measure. No injuries were reported. As a precaution, air monitoring has been deployed in the community. No off-site impacts have been detected. All regulatory notifications have been made. An investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the release.  

VIDEO: The Sacramento Fire Department is now officially in charge of the city's homelessness response. Assistant Fire Chief Brian Pedro is leading the newly established Incident Management Team, which follows the same emergency response structure used in disaster situations like wildfires and severe storms. Announcing the change at a State of the City event Wednesday, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg called the new approach an ‘all hands on deck' response to the homeless crisis. Pedro is tasked with bringing together various departments, agencies and outside providers, including the Sacramento Police Department, the city's 311 Customer Service, city and county outreach teams, Hope Cooperative and WellSpace Health.  

The Owensboro Fire Department is sharing some favorite firehouse recipes through their new Facebook cooking show called "Food on Fire." The show gives viewers a look into the kitchens inside the fire stations. OFD Captain Bobby Grant said since the stations are like second homes for the firefighters, they often cook most of their meals there while on the clock. Sometimes, they must leave for a call before eating a freshly prepared meal. "There's been many times where we've cooked a nice meal, and we've got called out to a run, and we come back to a cold dinner, but that's just part of the job. We know that going in, and we just warm it up and eat," he said. The idea for the show came after a conversation between Shaelie Velez, the City of Owensboro's Communications & Marketing Manager, and OFD Fire Chief James Howard.  

PHOTOS: At the 11th annual back-to-school bash in D.C.'s Bellevue neighborhood, groups of students devour hot dogs by the dozens, and kids line up for free haircuts and face paint. An ice cream truck attracts a line that stretches all the way down Atlantic Street SW as city employees try to set up a stage for live music in the scorching August sun. But the weather is the last concern for a group of first responders pacing up and down the block. The battery on the portable stage is malfunctioning. So, they're stuck waiting hours for Department of Parks and Recreation workers to drive in a new Stagemobile, back it into an alleyway, and adjust it to a height that meets safety protocols. But this anxious group of D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department employees and volunteers aren't just concerned about keeping everyone safe.