A massive fire that was upgraded to a second alarm destoyed a home on the north side of town late Thursday evening. San Antonio firefighters responded to the 14000 block of Big Tree Drive near Jones Maltsberger Rd around 11:45 p.m. The fire was upgraded to a second alarm almost immediately in order to protect exposures to other homes. A Battalion Chief tells us that one person was home at the time of the fire, and said he heard noise in the garage area. When he went to investigate the sounds, he saw flames and quickly exited the home. Firefighters evacuated neighbors on both sides of the home as a precaution. One of the homes next door sustained a "singe" to their home. Officials say the home is a total loss, and a car was destroyed as well. Fire investigators are on scene attempting to determine cause. No injuries were reported.  

In Aransas Pass, fire crews were still battling hot spots from a huge brush fire that began on Wednesday. During the worst of the fire, they fought it by land and by air. "We had several aerial resources that did respond to the fire. Kind of going into the mutual aid aspect and calling the aerial resources because homes were potentially threatened," Texas A&M Forestry Service Program Specialist Heather Gonzales said. That threat led to evacuation orders for dozens of nearby residents like Diane Kaster, who was home when the fire started. "It was blazing away, and they said it was time for us to evacuate," Kaster said. Kaster had no problem with the order to evacuate. "They did the right thing getting us all evacuated and they waited to make sure the houses were clear when we came out," Kaster said.  

Firefighters are returning home to Lubbock after assisting with wildfire efforts across Texas, according to a press release. Lubbock Fire Rescue announced August 8 that four firefighters were deployed to Mineral Wells through the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS.) On August 29, LFR said that it was sending another crew to relieve the current crew. According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas remains at a level 4 threat, but the need for LFR's strike team has ceased. "We are incredibly proud of these individuals for answering the call to serve communities across the states," LFR concluded.  

A Beaumont man has been indicted after trying to steal a Beaumont Fire Department fire truck, while naked. On August 23, 2023 around 10 a.m. Beaumont police responded to a call near Elinor Street and 8th Street to assist Beaumont firefighters with a man who was attempting to steal a fire truck, according to a probable cause affidavit. Kenneth Randolph Jr., 32, was intoxicated and lying in the middle of the roadway. When firefighters from Station #10 arrived Randolph stood up and began to remove his clothes. He ran to the driver's side of the fire truck and got in. He began to push buttons on the control panel once inside the truck, according to the affidavit. To prevent Randolph Jr. from pressing the drive button and stealing the fire truck, two firefighters had to pull Randolph Jr. out of the truck.  

A Utah family is grateful to be alive after their houseboat caught fire at Lake Powell. Maddy Tolman said her family was on board for only about 45 minutes when they heard a loud boom. "We heard a big boom! Not knowing what it was, we went to investigate. We found the motor on the houseboat had exploded, and caught on fire," Tolman said. "It was about five-to-10 minutes between the explosion and when the boat was engulfed in flames." Tolman said all 25 family members, including a mother and her 2-month-old baby, jumped in the water to safety. Some were able to grab lifejackets, others were not so lucky. "We had about 25 people on board, including a 2-month-old, two toddlers, an 8-year-old diabetic, and three more elementary-aged kids on board."  

Thousands of people are en route to Colorado Springs for this weekend's annual Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial ceremony. "It's the largest year we've ever had," said Colorado Springs Firefighters Local 5 President, Curt Crumb. This year 572 names will be added to the walls of the memorial. Due to COVID-caused cancellations from previous years, names this year are a combination of 2021 and 2022. 3,800 family members have registered to attend. 2,500 International Association of Fire Fighters members are on their way to be part of the honor guard. "Our goal is to make everybody feel special when they come here. This is obviously a solemn event for them. So it's an event that we cherish, and we honor, but it is a solemn moment and it means somebody lost their life in the line of duty which we never want to see," said Crumb.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A suspect stole a Portland Fire & Rescue boat and commandeered it down the Columbia River early Thursday morning, says the agency. PF&R stated that Rescue Boat 21 was taken from the boathouse by an unauthorized user. Local law enforcement and the Coast Guard pursued it. PF&R said the boat traveled downstream. By 7:20 a.m. it was reported that the suspect had abandoned the boat in Kalama, Washington and fled on foot. The suspect left the boat drifting on the water. The distance between Portland and Kalama would make this a 40-mile-long piracy attempt. A KATU photojournalist on the scene in Kalama captured a law enforcement vessel towing the abandoned PF&R boat back to land.  

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren may stand 7-foot-1 and tower over even some NBA players, but he still isn't tall enough to reach a second-story window on his own. It's a strange way to look at his height, but maybe not so much when you consider what he and some of the other Thunder players spent their Wednesday afternoon doing in the city. In a surprise visit, players from Oklahoma City's roster took some time to visit OKC's Fire Station 14. Present at the event included Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng, Kenrich Williams, Olivier Sarr and Keyontae Johnson — all of which, minus Johnson, are still within the first few years of their NBA careers.  

VIDEO: Boston firefighter Daniel Ranahan had heard about colleagues getting cancer but he was stunned when doctors discovered a tumor in his chest. He was only 30 and had been in the Boston Fire Department for less than a decade. But as he investigated his diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma in October 2020 and sought successful treatment, he learned he and others wore gear that contained the toxic industrial compound PFAS. "You always hear about the dangers. You just never think it's going be you," said Ranahan, who stopped working due to the cancer and is among thousands of firefighters nationwide who sued PFAS manufacturers and companies that make firefighting gear and foam, seeking damages for their exposure. "These guys put this on day in and day out to protect neighborhoods and wherever they are working," he said.