VIDEO: Houston firefighters are investigating what led a Montrose tattoo parlor to go up in flames, leaving one person hospitalized on Thursday. The Houston Fire Department said at about 3:45 p.m., it received reports of the fire in the 1500 block of Westheimer Road near Ridgewood Street. A viewer sent ABC13 a video of the Texas Tattoo Emporium as flames overtook the building. While crews were fighting the fire, officials said that a person was inside the building and didn't want to leave but was eventually convinced to come out. The person was taken to a nearby hospital to get checked for possible smoke inhalation. It is unclear if the person inside was a client or an employee. In an evening update, HFD also said that firefighters heard possible gunshots while putting out the flames.  

VIDEO: Portland Fire Chief Jeff Morris said that a new device dubbed the Emergency Plug will allow his crews to prepare for an expected increase of responding calls when dealing with electric vehicles. "There's about 700,000 vehicles, electric vehicles in the United States. By 2030 they're expecting close to 12 million electric vehicles," he said. Whether its a major accident, vehicle fire or medical emergency, the fire department currently makes close to 300 plus responses on the highway. Portland City Council member Gary Moore was present Thursday when fire crews demonstrated their new tool -- saying that the tool is crucial in today's time. "With more electric cars coming, buying them, this is something that is needed. It allows them to disable the vehicle and makes it safer for everybody involved," he said.  

A vacant home on the city's West Side was damaged by a fire early Thursday morning, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. The fire was called in just after 4 a.m. in the 300 block of Coyol Street, not far from Northwest 36th Street and West Commerce Street. Firefighters said when they arrived, they found flames in the front rooms of the home. They knocked the fire down quickly and without incident. Fire officials say the house was vacant, with no working utilities. No one had been living at the home for several weeks, a battalion chief said. The SAFD said there is very little visible damage from the outside, but that the fire caused $30,000 worth of damage inside. There were no injuries to firefighters. At this time, the cause of the fire is not currently known. A fire investigation team will work to determine the exact cause.  

The City of El Paso is expanding its emergency resources with a new fire station. Firehouse 36 is located on the Hospital of Providence Transmountain campus in west El Paso. The new facility's construction cost the city $7.4 million and the funding came from the $413 million Public Safety Bond that was approved by El Paso voters in November 2019. The construction of firehouse 36 began in February 2022 and is expected to be complete in July, according to the Assistant Director of Capital Improvement for the city, Jerry DeMuro. He said the 12,200 square foot station will be fully equipped with living quarters for about 40 rotating firefighters to live and work during their shifts. "It has three pull-through bays, sleeping quarters for the fire department, the fire department staff, public conference room, exercise room, kitchen, living rooms, watch office, and other support rooms to ensure the health and safety of the firefighters," DeMuro said.  

An ABC Auto parts store's furnace caught fire in Longview Friday morning. Captain Marcus Delaney of Longview Fire Department said the fire occurred in a furnace which "bakes and cleans auto parts." Something inside the furnace ignited while it was in use, according to Delaney. The fire department was able to contain the fire to the cleaning oven, and no structural damage or injuries were reported. Cotton Street was shut down at High Street by the fire department for about an hour in order to stage equipment, and the scene is now cleared  

PHOTO: An 8,000-square-foot garage in west Travis County was declared a total loss after a fire early Thursday morning. The Pedernales Fire Department responded to the scene at 824 Angel Light Drive around 3:11 a.m. Lake Travis Fire Rescue assisted. Crews were able to contain the fire to the garage. The home was not damaged at all. The Travis County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the incident. There is no word yet on the cause. Everyone is asked to avoid the area.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: We have some new video from a house fire in Bedford County on Tuesday night. This GoPro footage shows the fire that happened on Twilight Drive through the eyes of one of the firefighters at the Forest Fire Department. One man was inside the home at the time but got out safely. The home is a total loss and the fire damaged some nearby cars on the property too. Because of the high winds, crews said it took several hours to get the fire under control due to that day. Officials are still working to learn the cause of the fire.  

VIDEO: The death toll in the San Bernardino County mountains after the recent snow storms has climbed to 13 as residents prepare for another storm on the way. Cal Fire San Diego sent 56 personnel to the San Bernardino County mountains to rescue folks trapped inside their homes, and they are especially worried for another round of rain expected Friday night. Cellphone video shows how deep Cal Fire San Diego is digging to get to homeowners in need. "Hope is what keeps us going," said Brent Pascua of Cal Fire San Diego. "They hear about things like this and it just makes them want to work harder. Dig down deeper, because time is of the essence with things like this." Snow has been stacked so high it reached the top of trucks and buildings.  

VIDEO: An average person can see two or three traumatic incidents in their life, while first responders can see more than 180, according to First H.E.L.P., a national organization that works to reduce mental health stigma among first responders. "When it's something that you can personally relate to, it's a lot harder to get over," Jessica Vargas, a dispatcher with the Wood County Sheriff's Office, said. Sara Shaw, an officer with the Oregon Police Department, said her husband and fellow northwest Ohio police officer, Mike, was triggered during a raid when a toy -- the same one owned by their daughter -- went off during a raid. He died by suicide in October 2020. Now, WTOL 11 is sharing the story of former Sylvania firefighter Aaron Frye, who left his job after 23 years.  

After more than 40 years as a broadcaster and journalist, I've found a new career. It doesn't pay very well (OK, nothing) but it's one of the most gratifying things I've done with my life. I'm a volunteer firefighter. I ply my new trade in a tiny, very historic hamlet in the northern Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. As I wrote for Next Avenue three years ago, after I first landed in the region, I'm struck by how desperate rural departments seem to be for members, and further struck by how much these essential services are being carried by gray heads, most younger residents either absent, hamstrung with work and childrearing or just not motivated to this kind of community service. It's true, the fire service is not for the faint of heart (says the guy who visits a cardiologist twice a year). It's alternately mind-numbing, adrenaline-spiking, broiling, freezing, physically and mentally challenging work.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A group of firefighters in East Montgomery County responded to a house fire and got much more than they bargained for. "As soon as we walked in the living room, there were just cages everywhere, and it's dark enough to where you can't see in the cages; so we're just wondering what's in there," said Captain Kyle Foster with East Montgomery FD. On Tuesday morning, Foster and his team responded to a structure fire that is nothing out of the ordinary. But what was inside the home caught these first responders by surprise. "Albino pythons, milk snakes, chicken snakes, alligators. I don't know all the different types of lizards, I just know there were iguanas, bearded dragons, you name it she had it," Foster said.