At a recent meeting of the Zephyr Volunteer Fire Department, Casandra Reiger was elected Fire Chief, the first woman Fire Chief in Brown County. Casandra Reiger is a native of Bangs and a graduate of Bangs High School. She has lived in Zephyr for eight years, and works full-time at Brownwood High School as a para-professional in the Life Skills classroom and in the special education department. Reiger has been a volunteer firefighter in Zephyr for five years, and has held various jobs within the Department. On November 7, she was nominated for the position of Fire Chief and elected. "It's voted on by our members," said Reiger. "Our members put their trust in me to lead them in the Department, and I am humbled by that." Reiger has taken some firefighting training from the Texas A&M TEEX (Texas A&M Engineering Extension) academy.  

A man died in an apartment fire in southwest Houston on Tuesday night, according to fire officials. Houston firefighters were alerted to heavy smoke in the 6500 block of Dunlap Street, off Hillcroft Avenue in the Sharpstown area, around 9 p.m. When they arrived at the scene, firefighters could see a man trapped on a third-floor balcony, trying to get away from the flames. To get the man to safety, firefighters used a ladder truck to get up to the apartment complex's third floor. Officials were able to get him to safety, and the man was taken to the hospital for treatment. As that rescue was going on, another HFD team entered the apartment through the front of the unit. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke and a lot of flames as they searched the apartment.  

For two years, Kendra Marsteller has been Texas State University's certified mental health liaison officer, a position the school created after a rise in mental health concerns and crises in the community. About a year ago, "pawfficer" Brady — a yellow Labrador therapy dog from Florida — joined Marsteller's team at Texas State. The happy pooch has taken to his therapy job like a duck to water: He attends sporting events, visits residence halls and meets people upon request. He's one of the top dogs on campus and has an Instagram account with more than 2,000 followers. But the duo's service stretches beyond the 39,000-student campus in San Marcos. In September, Marsteller and Brady traveled to Maui for two weeks to provide support and comfort to people affected by a massive blaze a month earlier that ravaged the Hawaiian island, becoming the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century.  

Two people are injured and a home is destroyed after a late night fire near Tyler. According to a release from Smith County, a call about a carport fire with two people trapped inside came in around 11 p.m. Monday night. Firefighters were dispatched to the 6600 block of Blanche Street, just east of Tyler, after where they found two individuals with burns and smoke inhalation. The two were transport to CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler and treated for their injuries. While the fire was able to extinguished, the house and carport were a total loss. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, however according to the press release, the fire originated in the area where a heat lamp was being use for outdoor pets to stay warm. Smith County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue urges caution when using heating lamps or space heaters.  

Three people were killed and one hospitalized after a large explosion and fire at an auto shop in Hillsboro, officials say. Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire Chief David Manning said the victim who was taken to the hospital is in stable condition. The fire started around 4 p.m. Tuesday at Jimbo's Auto Shop on 502 S. High Street, according to Highland County dispatchers. Black smoke from the explosion and fire could be seen for miles as the blaze fully engulfed the building. Fire crews had to rescue everyone inside and were seen loading a man into an ambulance. The fire chief said crews felt the force of the explosion from as far as four blocks away at their firehouse. Multiple first responders and the State Fire Marshal's Office remained on the scene overnight investigating the cause.  

VIDEO: Let's set the record straight: it's the end of November, and it's definitely not too early for holiday lights. A volunteer fire company opened up its drive-thru display of lights Friday - about a million of them, according to the company. WMAR-2 News got a full tour just before it opened. "We have a little over a million lights throughout the carnival grounds up here," said Scott Warner, public information officer for the company. "It started out as a dream, looking at other peoples' light displays, and we said 'you know something, we can do this. We have the property to do it.' And it started, and each year keeps getting bigger and bigger." Volunteers started all the way back on October 1 to put the displays together. The results speak for themselves. Folks drive around the roughly half-mile track, and enjoy the holiday classics, all in lights.  

PHOTOS: Fifteen people were injured Tuesday morning in a crash involving an ambulance, a pickup truck and a small bus carrying special needs students, according to Marion County Fire Rescue. MCFR said they were dispatched to a crash involving the three vehicles around 9 a.m. at the intersection of SW 90th Street and SW 80th Avenue, an area near a lot of neighborhoods and also next to Marion County Fire Rescue Station 21. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the ambulance was responding to a call as the driver was working his way across the intersection, when it was struck on the right side by the Bridge to Hope adult community bus, and then the pickup truck. Video showed the emergency lights and sirens were on when the crash happened. Firefighters from the nearby station were able to get to the crash a minute later to help.  

VIDEO: The City of Chester's Police and Fire Departments are using new technology for search and recovery missions. They're among the first departments in the Commonwealth to have their own underwater robot. Chester Fire Captain Kevin Postlewait went through training with the state-of-the-art robot he says will make his job as a diver easier. "Our plan is to use it for recovery of weapons, vehicles, people," Postlewait said. The 40-pound submersible has lights and arms that can grab objects and a remote control camera. Postlewait uses a joystick to move the device as he tries to pick up a pair of milk crates placed in the Springton Reservoir for practice. "With the sonar, we can, I believe, reach out to about 300 feet, which you will never be able to see with our own eyes underwater, so it will make a drastic difference in visual sight," Postlewait said.