Fire destroyed several homes that were under construction and threatened at least one that was occupied in a McKinney neighborhood Saturday evening. Firefighters are still putting out hot spots in the Wilmeth Ridge development on Marigold Drive, northwest of Lake Forest Drive and Highway 380. Video shared with FOX 4 showed thick black smoke rising from the seven homes that were under construction. Witnesses said the flames spread quickly from one house to another and all were badly damaged or destroyed. The fire did start to spread to a nearby occupied house. Flames reached the attic, but firefighters were able to quickly put them out to spare the home. The fire also damaged the fences of some neighbors. Mary House was set to move into one of the homes that was destroyed within the next month or so. She got a call from a friend to rush to the site.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Austin firefighters are continuing to help battle a now 11,598-acre fire in Mineral Wells, which is west of Fort Worth, Sunday. The Texas A&M Forest Service asked for help from the Austin Fire Department as part of a statewide Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System. Four AFD members and equipment arrived to help with the Dempsey Fire Friday. The fire at that time had crossed the Brazos River and threatened evacuated homes and ranches. Captain Doug Iannelli (Wildfire), Lieutenants Jason Rudloff (Wildfire) and Kier Nixon (Prevention) and Fire Specialist Matt Hempel (Engine 39/B shift) have helped with structure defense, direct attack and hotspot mitigation operations. As of Monday morning, the fire is 27% contained.  

Funerals for two brothers killed in a crash while returning home from fighting a wildfire were held Sunday. Jonathan Coco, 25, and his brother Hunter, 21, were volunteer firefighters for the Maxwell Community Fire Department and were on their way home June 20 from a fire outside Lockhart when another car hit the brush truck they were in. The truck rolled and killed both Hunter and Jonathan while the driver of the other car sustained minor injuries. Lockhart Police said an officer issued a summons to the driver, similar to a citation, for failure to yield the right-of-way. Hundreds of people attended Sunday's services, remembering the brothers for their service and sacrifice. "They were great guys," Martin Ritchey with the Mid-Valley Volunteer Fire Department said. "We're talking about volunteers who would get up in the middle of the night."  

Conroe City Council has secured architectural and engineering services for the design of the city newest fire station. In a unanimous vote, the council approved a $274,000 contract with PGAL. Fire Chief Ken Kreger said while the design committee reviewed nine submittals for the project, the committee chose PGAL which designed Fire Station No. 7 and training facility. He noted PGAL also provide the design work for the city's new police headquarters off Plantation Drive. The new $5 million station will be located at the intersection of Presswood Drive and FM 3038. The new station will serve the northeast side of Conroe. Kreger said the new station will be the same design as Station No. 7. "We are going to use Fire Station No. 7 plans, tweak them and move forward so we gain some ground pretty quick," he said noting the plan was to secure a construction firm following the approval of PGAL.  

Two people were killed in a plane crash that also caused a fire near the Kerrville Municipal Airport, according to Kerr County Sheriff's Office Multiple emergency crews responded to the crash around 7 p.m. on Saturday. The airport is located off Highway 27 near Our Lady of the Hills College Prep. There were a number of agencies involved because it was inside the Kerrville city limits, however, Kerr Sheriff's Office arrived first on the scene. The Kerr Fire Department was also on scene to fight the brush fire on the school grounds. KENS 5 spoke to Justice of the Peace Precinct 2. J.R. Hoyne who confirmed the two people inside were killed. Their identities have not been reported, but Hoyne said it was a man and a woman. The victims' bodies were taken to Travis County for an autopsy.  

A wildfire in the Glendale community is 100 percent contained, and state Highway 94 has been re-opened, according to Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace. "The Glendale fire is 100 percent contained and is continuing to be monitored," Wallace said in a post on his Facebook page. "Hwy 94 is open, but travelers will experience smoke. If there are any negative changes, we will update the public as quick as possible." Wallace said that the Texas A&M Forest Service estimated that a total of 204 acres burned. He added that lightning is the suspected cause of the fire. "Thanks to all the area and surrounding area fire departments that responded quickly and got this fire under control," Wallace said in the Facebook post. The sheriff said Sunday that the fire was mostly contained on one tract of land.  

Fire destroyed several homes that were under construction and threatened at least one that was occupied in a McKinney neighborhood Saturday evening. Firefighters are still putting out hot spots in the Wilmeth Ridge development on Marigold Drive, northwest of Lake Forest Drive and Highway 380. Video shared with FOX 4 showed thick black smoke rising from the seven homes that were under construction. Witnesses said the flames spread quickly from one house to another and all were badly damaged or destroyed. The fire did start to spread to a nearby occupied house. Flames reached the attic, but firefighters were able to quickly put them out to spare the home. The fire also damaged the fences of some neighbors. Mary House was set to move into one of the homes that was destroyed within the next month or so. She got a call from a friend to rush to the site.  

VIDEO: Dayton Firefighters held an open house to unveil a mural celebrating the history of the fire department Sunday afternoon. Those in attendance enjoyed the food and were able to check out vintage and modern firefighter equipment. The star of the show was the mural commissioned by the firefighters union, Local 136. The mural was created by artist Tiffany Clark and shows the history of the fire department which was formed in 1863. "The mural represents a very small part... of the history of Dayton Fire Department ... being able to showcase the history of the Dayton Fire Department is important. It's really a history of the city of Dayton as well," Retired Fire Captain Larry Ables said. Dayton City Commissioner Matt Joseph shared the importance of the mural to the city. "First we have to say that our firefighters are out there every day risking their lives to help save our citizens and this is I think a really fitting tribute to their work," Joseph said.  

PHOTOS: The largest class ever of Boston firefighters, including one woman, graduated on Friday at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The class of 90 recruits come from neighborhoods throughout Boston, and they will be stationed at firehouses around the city. "You can always count on the Boston Fire Department to show up, no matter what the circumstances are — a fire, a medical (call) or just a public service call," said Marc Sanders, a Boston Fire Department spokesman. "If you need help, we will always be there, and they have been training and are ready to answer the call to serve the residents of the city of Boston." The class included recruits who speak a variety of languages in addition to English: four who speak Spanish, three who speak Cantonese, three who speak Haitian Creole, one who speaks Cape Verdean and one who speaks Vietnamese, Sanders said.  

For 25 years, students who have gone through Polk State College's Paramedic Program have received a certification offered by no other paramedic program in the state. Leading this training for its entirety has been Rick Stilp, who was recently honored for his quarter-century of instruction at the College. Stilp started the Hazmat Medic Program in 1984 when he became a charter member of the Orlando Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Team. Tasked with developing the program and training fellow Orlando paramedics, Stilp's Hazmat Medic Program was born. He's been teaching the three-day course across the state for nearly four decades, but for those going through paramedic programs, it is only offered at Polk State. "Right here at Polk State is the only paramedic program in the entire state that has a toxicology portion and for 25 years, it's been the only one," Stilp said.  

VIDEOS/PHOTOS: It's always been a labor of love for longtime Chatham resident Jeff Davis when it came to restoring age-worn pieces of his Chatham childhood and adult life. However, the 72-year-old Davis went above and beyond the call of duty this time to restore/fabricate an iconic Chatham Fourth of July tradition that began in 1953 and was carried on by the late George "Skip" Conlan until his passing in 2019. The Chatham Borough Fire Department Association's 68th Fourth of July Parade will include its closing comedy act, the Independent Hose Company, thanks to more than 1,000 hours of work by Davis to put the 1917 Model T Cabriolet back into action. Davis has been working since November 2021 to rebuild the Independent Hose Company truck in time for this year's parade. The original 1917 Ford Model T Cabriolet was on its last legs and Davis took it apart and put it back together on a 1930 Model A chassis brought in from Delaware.