A fiery crash on U.S. Highway 75 in Plano brought traffic to a halt Wednesday morning and also produced heavy smoke in the area, as crews were letting fuel burn off. The crash and fire happened around 5:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Highway 75 near Parker Road. The crash involved a tractor-trailer, and two people were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police said the crash happened when a tanker truck lost control and slid along the road until it caught fire. The tanker hit three other vehicles in the process. Crews are expected to have the highway closed for several hours, and it remained closed heading into morning rush hour, as the fire continued to burn and produce heavy smoke. Southbound lanes of U.S. 75 were also being delayed.  

VIDEO: Crews from multiple local agencies are battling a large brush fire that sparked Tuesday afternoon in Bastrop County. The Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management said the fire, which ignited before 1:30 p.m., forced residents to evacuate their homes as a "precautionary measure" and find a safe location. Fire Command lifted the evacuation order at 9:19 p.m. for residences between Harmon Road and Pine Hill Loop. The Austin Fire Department and other Travis County ESDs sent multiple units to assist in the efforts. The Powder Keg Pine fire in Bastrop County remained at 100 acres overnight and is 50% contained, according to officials. The Texas A&M Forest Service said dozers worked to make improvements to the containment line throughout the night. Firefighters are patrolling and mitigating hotspots near the perimeter.  

Dallas Water Utilities is exploring a pilot project in hopes of addressing several issues related to storm water and flood plain management. The city hired a firm specializing in goat vegetation management last week. Goats are excellent foragers and are able to cover a wide area in search of plants and brush. " It's the first time we're trying what we call an environmentally friendly program. We are doing a full assessment of the results hoping to expand it citywide," said Eduardo Valerio, assistant director of storm water operations with Dallas Water Utilities. The goats have been brought in to an area of East Dallas to reduce the vegetation in a creekbed along Apple Valley Way. Cutting down on the brush is not just about managing flooding but also about reducing fire danger.  

Several fire departments battled multiple grass fires across Smith County Tuesday afternoon. According to Smith County Fire Marshal Paul Findley, since the Smith County burn ban has been activated today there have already been 4 grass fires that have been contained. The first fire was reported around 11:55 a.m. near Highway 31 East and County Road 246. The cause of the fire wasn't reported. Another grass fire was reported around 12:10 p.m. at County Road 7474 and FM 2908. The cause of the fire wasn't reported. The third fire was reported around on the 4900 block of County Road 1216 where one acre was burned. The cause of the fire wasn't reported. A fourth fire was reported around 3:30 p.m. near the Middle School in Bullard located on 909 West Main Street. Fire departments quickly extinguished it.  

A fiery crash on U.S. Highway 75 in Plano brought traffic to a halt Wednesday morning and also produced heavy smoke in the area, as crews were letting fuel burn off. The crash and fire happened around 5:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Highway 75 near Parker Road. The crash involved a tractor-trailer, and two people were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police said the crash happened when a tanker truck lost control and slid along the road until it caught fire. The tanker hit three other vehicles in the process. Crews are expected to have the highway closed for several hours, and it remained closed heading into morning rush hour, as the fire continued to burn and produce heavy smoke. Southbound lanes of U.S. 75 were also being delayed.  

VIDEO: New technology is keeping Hendersonville firefighters safe. It's a device called Lunar that has multiple applications, not the least of which is firefighter safety in a "MAYDAY" scenario. "If they are in a position where they are trapped and have to be evacuated, they can sound an alarm on this and it will send a signal to the other Lunar devices on scene," said Assistant Chief George Edwards of the Hendersonville Fire Department. According to the company, even when there is no cellular connection, the device is capable of communicating with other units as well as providing functions like thermal imaging and alerting firefighters when their air packs are going empty. However, the key is firefighter safety. The unit can notify command staff and other firefighters with units by manually sending an alarm that a firefighter is in trouble. The unit also sends a signal if it stops moving for a determined period of time.  

A 45-year-old woman with anxiety called 911 28 times with the exact same narrative. A 60-year-old man with rib pain but without a known medical diagnosis made a "big block of calls" for the same issue repeatedly, as did a woman with repeated falls stemming from shortness of breath. These are just two of the summaries of cases presented at the June 23 meeting of Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire High Utilizers Program team. Over two dozen cases like these are reviewed weekly by Pittsburgh Fire Bureau Lt. Chad Hirosky and a small group of fellow firefighters, sometimes allied with city medics and social workers. Together, they form a team of City of Pittsburgh employees making weekly trips around the city, meeting patients one-on-one and forming relationships with them that last anywhere from several days to many months.  

VIDEO: Gary Benitez was 14 years old when he was nearly killed by a falling tree. The Johnston native tells 12 News the rotted tree fell right on top of him while he was playing Wiffle ball with friends. The teenager was knocked unconscious, and woke up two days later in the hospital. "I thought it was the same day, so I woke up in a panic," Benitez said. "I'm like, ‘Hey I have a soccer game.' I was trying to rip out my IVs." Despite suffering a hairline skull fracture and needing 42 stitches, Benitez made a full recovery. Benitez's brush with death put him on a trajectory to eventually becoming a first responder himself. Back in 2019, Benitez joined the Providence Fire Department. He tells 12 News he became a firefighter so he could save lives, just like the first responders who rushed him to the hospital that fateful day.  

VIDEO: Atlanta police are increasing the reward for information following a string of attacks they allege were targeted toward the department and those involved in the development of the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Facility. On Tuesday, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said they have increased the total reward to $60,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of those involved in this series of arson attacks in Atlanta. "I'm here to talk about what is happening to Atlantans," said Chief Schierbaum. "When a group, a very small group, I want to be clear about that, a very small group is going to use fear and intimidation in criminal acts to stop the investment in the safety of our city," he added. On July 1 at around 2:15 a.m., fire crews responded to a blaze in the parking deck area of the current Atlanta Police Training Academy.