Firefighters from Canyon and Randall County battled a house fire. Around 12 Noon on Saturday, the Canyon Fire Department responded to a residential structure fire in the 8100 blk. of W. Country Club Road in the Canyon North addition. The first crew on scene saw heavy smoke showing from the attic area. An additional engine and water supply was requested from the Randall County Fire Department. Randall County firefighters used a ladder climb on top of the house to vent the roof. "Outstanding teamwork and coordinated fire attack between all on the incident contained the fire to the attic area," said the Canyon Fire Department. No injuries were reported. Fire crews cleared the scene around 2:45pm.  

PHOTO: Harris County Emergency Services District No. 16 recently celebrated the grand opening of its new administration building. The 33,000-square-foot facility features 23,000 square feet of administration space, 10,000 square feet of maintenance space and a large training/multipurpose room available for community use. Additionally, officials noted the property includes enough space to build a new fire station or replace an old facility should the need arise in the future. As previously reported by Community Impact, the $14 million facility was funded by a loan with an interest rate of less than 2% and will be paid off using sales tax revenue ESD 16 receives.  

Authorities are warning the public about someone impersonating a firefighter and approaching homes either on foot or in a private vehicle. According to a release from the Winnsboro Fire Department, an individual who is not associated with the department has been approaching people claiming to be a first responder. Authorities said that although official volunteers do not have a uniform, they will always arrive in marked WVFD vehicles. A person who appears without a marked vehicle should not be trusted. If you are uncomfortable with someone who has arrived to help you, the department asks that you call them to verify that individual's identity. The Winnsboro Fire Department said they are collecting donations for the Christmas Project, but they will never make requests in person, only by email and social media.  

VIDEO: Two Vidor firefighters attended a state-wide training to learn new techniques that could help save lives. The two Orange County ESD-1 firefighters attended a training with fellow firefighters from around the state in Katy, Texas. Orange County ESD-1 Fire Department Lieutenant Kenneth Luce says as the years have progressed the design of vehicles have changed. "So, you always have to be a step ahead of the changes. And this class brings us to the forefront of the new technology," he said. "A long time ago, when your auto mobiles were constructed they had a solid frame. So, when you hit something it was steel. But now, they have the crumple zone." A crumple zone is a structural safety feature in a vehicle that helps absorb energy during a crash. However, it makes it difficult to use the Jaws of Life to get you out.  

VIDEO: Colorado Springs firefighters are reflecting on the Club Q shooting response, one year later. It was what firefighters described to 11 News as a typical Saturday night in November, that turned very wrong, very quickly. "It was a very cold night, I do remember that. I remember as the event was coming in, there was a lot of chatter coming up on the radio. Both of us got the feeling that this was something real, just the way it was dispatched and the manor it was dispatched," said CSFD Medical Lieutenant Brian Ebmeyer. Firefighters responded to Club Q, near North Academy and North Carefree, within minutes. Ebmeyer was in charge of transport and incident command support, getting victims off the scene and to the hospital as quickly as possible.  

Fentanyl-laced letters were sent to government buildings in six states including Oregon and Washington The suspicious letters sent to vote centers and government buildings in six states this month were undeniably scary, some containing traces of fentanyl or white powder, accompanied by not-so-veiled threats and dubious political symbols. Harkening back to the anthrax attacks that killed five people in 2001, the mailings are prompting elections officials already frustrated with ongoing harassment and threats to reach out to local police, fire and health departments for help stocking up on the overdose reversal medication naloxone. Even if there's little risk from incidental contact with the synthetic opioid, having the antidote on hand isn't a bad idea amid an addiction epidemic that is killing more than 100,000 people in the U.S. every year — and it can provide some assurance for stressed ballot workers, election managers say.  

In time for holiday travel and winter weather, FEMA's Ready Campaign launched the first-ever #WinterReady campaign encouraging people to identify and reduce the risks they face during the winter season. FEMA's #WinterReady Campaign provides easy, low-cost tips to keep you safe including ways to keep homes warm, travel safely, prepare for inclement weather and simple steps to mitigate the risks of home fires which are most prevalent during this time. "Harsh winters are not only a concern for states in the far north -- blizzards, extreme cold and the damage to our critical infrastructure that these conditions can cause today threaten every community, everywhere across our nation," said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas.  

A popular trend online shows people using terracotta clay pot "heaters" in an attempt to save money on heating their homes. The homemade device consists of an upside-down terracotta pot propped up over household candles. The question is: Are clay pot heaters a safe way to heat a room? No, clay pot heaters are not a safe way to heat a room. A clay pot heater may make you feel warmer if you sit close to it, but experts say it won't do much to warm the room as a whole and it's also a serious fire risk. Typically, when you burn a candle, the heat from the candle rises up to the ceiling. "The heat released from chemically burning candle wax will not change with the clay pot being present or not, so it should have no effect on the total energy released," Scott Schiffres, Ph.D., associate mechanical engineering professor at Binghamton University explained.