A fire that caused heavy damage to a vacant West Side home early Tuesday morning is part of a disturbing and dangerous trend, according to San Antonio firefighters. The trend involves houses and buildings that somehow have gone up in flames even though they had no working utilities. In some cases, they've threatened or damaged other people's properties and potentially put fire crews in danger. In the latest case, San Antonio police officers who happened to be in the area first noticed the fire in a home located in the 700 block of S. San Augustine. They called for fire crews shortly after 4 a.m. "Our first engine crews, they reported a fully involved structure. We could actually see it from a ways off," said Battalion Chief David Prado with SAFD. Firefighters quickly knocked down the fire, but not before it caused major damage to the house.  

VIDEO: This week marks the 49th annual National EMS Week. It's a week to honor EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our communities. EMS responders are normally the first helping hands on the scene in any emergency. Being the first one to arrive on the scene comes with some challenges, first responders have the essential skills to help in life-threatening situations for them every second counts, to provide critical care. Cory Clanton knows this all too well from first-hand experience, he has been in the field for more than three decades. Clanton worked in the Longview Fire Department as a paramedic, retired, and came back. Now, he is the Division Chief of Training and Emergency Medical Service in Smith County.  

PHOTOS: A man who had been pinned in the air against a tree in a lift was rescued Sunday afternoon. Tool Fire Rescue said the lift equipment had failed and they believe it had lost a pin when the victim fell backwards into the bucket. "Thank the lord for the tree behind him to pin the bucket as it held him up till we were able to get him down," according to Tool Fire Rescue. Gun Barrel City and Trinidad Fire Departments assisted, and Gun Barrel City safely made the rescue. "We all worked as a team to keep him calm as Lt. Mike went up to get him down," Tool Fire Rescue said. "A team effort between the three departments." No one was hurt and everyone returned home safely, according to officials. Tool Fire Rescue thanked Gun Barrel City and Trinidad for their assistance.  

PHOTOS: First responders were working to battle a large house fire in Anne Arundel County on Monday. Firefighters were called to 100 block of Wallace Manor Road in Edgewater, officials said. Everyone inside made it out safely, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. Residents were asked to avoid the area. As of 2 p.m., the fire had been contained, officials said. A possible cause for the fire remains unclear.  

President Joe Biden yesterday nominated telecom attorney Anna Gomez to be the fifth FCC commissioner and renominated current commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr to serve additional five-year terms on the FCC. "I thank President Biden for this honor," Gomez tweeted yesterday. "I am humbled and grateful. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Chairwoman [Jessica] Rosenworcel and my fellow commissioners to bring the benefits of modern communications to all." If the nominations of Gomez, Starks and Carr are confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the FCC would have five commissioners—three Democrats and two Republicans—for the first time during the Biden administration. The FCC has been deadlocked 2-2 along party lines as Gigi Sohn, Biden's previous FCC nominee, failed to secure Senate confirmation during two different sessions of Congress.  

"Odd Hours, No Pay, Cool Hat." That's a new film that honors volunteer firefighters. It premiered over the weekend at Deere and Company world headquarters in Moline. The goal is to encourage more people to volunteer. Jacob Smith is a "product dissolve specialist" at John Deere in Silvis. He also volunteers for the Hillsdale and Coal Valley fire departments. And Jacobs is featured in the film. "If I don't answer the call, who's going to do it? So when someone calls 911 they don't care who comes, they just expect that somebody is coming and I guess that should be me." His fire department is also feeling the effects of the firefighter shortage. Smith says an important part of his mission is to attract more volunteers. "We don't have a lot of people knocking on the doors to volunteer."  

VIDEO: EMS national week is May 21 through May 27, and it is an opportunity to celebrate emergency medical services staff and the work they do in our communities. In Denver alone, paramedics at Denver Health respond to more than 120,000 calls every year. But it would not be possible to do without proper training. One local educator and paramedic for the EMS program has found a way to make learning very realistic in a cost-effective way. For more than 20 years, Christy Allen has been helping train EMT students at Denver Health Paramedics - EMS education school. "I like to teach people how to save lives," said Allen. Ten years ago, Allen was asked to find a cost-effective way to make this experience of teaching students realistic, while also saving the school some money.  

VIDEO: Arlington County Fire and EMS addressed an image showing an explosion near the Pentagon Monday, tweeting that there was no credibility to the picture. The photo was posted on Twitter and circulated across social media platforms. Some news outlets, including Russia Today, were among the organizations and people who shared the image, which appeared to show a large cloud of smoke rising near a building. A more thorough examination of the image calls into question its authenticity. Arlington Fire said there was no explosion or incident taking place at or near the Pentagon. DC News Now's Max Marcilla reached out to public information officer Nathaniel Himer with Fairfax Fire and EMS who said he recognized the incident as false almost immediately.