VIDEO/PHOTOS: A fire at the old Buc-ee's location in Luling has been extinguished, and firefighters are now conducting cleanup operations, officials report. The Gonzales Inquirer reported Monday that the fire broke out at the original Buc-ee's store, which opened in 2003 and was recently replaced by a larger facility. The blaze was contained to the old store and did not threaten the new Buc-ee's location. "This is NOT the new Buc-ee's store, but the old one that opened in 2003 and just recently was replaced by the new one," the Gonzales Inquirer stated in a Facebook post at 11:14 a.m. Monday. Multiple fire departments responded to the scene to provide assistance. As of the latest update, no injuries have been reported. The Caldwell County Office of Emergency Management has announced that the fire is out and cleanup efforts are underway.  

VIDEO: The Borger Fire Department is launching their brand new ladder truck that includes safety features for firefighters and reaches over 100 feet. "This 2024 Seagrave is updated with all the new safety features for the firefighters. It's a stainless steel cab; these cabs are tanks, so if they were to get in an accident, the firefighters will be more protected than they would in our 2001 ladder," said Chief Mike Galloway, Borger Fire Department. The previous ladder truck was from 2001 and went only 75 feet in the air. The new truck will add 30 feet of height when fighting fires and has the newest technology. "It makes our job a whole lot easier if we have the really good equipment, really good trucks, good training. It all comes together and helps us on scene and helps us get the jobs done," said Lt. Bobby Mendoza, Borger Fire Department.  

PHOTO: A longtime North Texas Tex-Mex restaurant was destroyed in a fire this week, officials said. The La Fiesta restaurant at 700 N. Main St. in downtown Cleburne caught fire sometime around 1 a.m. Monday, when firefighters were dispatched on a report of smoke in the area, according to the Cleburne Fire Department. Crews arrived and found "heavy flames venting through the roof" of the restaurant. Firefighters worked through the night and got the fire put out, but the roof collapsed and the building was destroyed. No one was injured in the fire. Fire officials are still investigating the cause of the fire. The building was a longtime Tex-Mex spot in Cleburne. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the building originally opened in 1973, as the home of Jose's restaurant.  

A large fire erupted at a barn in north suburban Woodstock on Monday, causing an estimated $1 million in damages, fire officials said. According to officials with the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, the fire broke out at around 10:25 a.m. in the 1600 block of South Rose Farm Road. Firefighters arrived at the scene within six minutes and came upon a large barn that had been completely engulfed in flames, officials said. Crews initially had a difficult time accessing parts of the barn due to strong winds and downed power lines, officials said. According to fire crews, efforts to extinguish the flames were complicated by the lack of nearby fire hydrants. Several tankers were required to shuttle water to the scene as the nearest hydrant was more than two miles away, according to the Woodstock Fire Rescue District.  

VIDEO: Seattle firefighters are hoping the launch of new rescue equipment will turn back a troubling rise in water deaths. King County has seen elevated drowning numbers over the past four years, with the number of deaths increasing more than 60% since 2018. Now, Seattle firefighters respond to about 70 water rescues a year, according to recent data from the Seattle Fire Department. As more people head to the shore for the 4th of July and summer heat, Seattle Fire's new water vessels couldn't come at a better time. The watercrafts were gifted to the department from the Seattle Firefighter Foundation. They were unveiled to the public on Monday, and the department tells FOX 13 the watercraft will make response times quicker.  

It took 45 minutes for firefighters to get a 35-year-old man out of a "heavily damaged" car following a car crash on Saturday, officials said. The man's injuries were extensive, with low blood pressure, shock and internal bleeding. Quickly, firefighters and paramedics decided to try a new lifesaving method starting at the crash site: whole blood transfusion. The method had never been done in Massachusetts before, according to the Canton Fire Department. However, in March, the Canton Fire Department and 25 other cities and towns in Massachusetts worked with Boston Medical Center to launch the first pilot program in Massachusetts history for administering whole blood before a patient reaches the hospital, the press release stated. On Saturday, the fire department put it into action.