Anniversary of a disaster: Remembering the Texas City explosion that killed hundreds in April 1947

VIDEO: April 16 is a day still remembered in Texas City – the day of an unimaginable disaster. It happened during prosperous times for the growing oil, shipping and chemical industry in Galveston County in 1947. Texas City was a growing town of 16,000 where many of the residents worked at chemical and petroleum plants that had sprouted up along the ship channel during World War II. In mid-April 1947, a French freighter, the Grand Camp, docked at Texas City to take on a heavy load of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. But as longshoremen loaded the ship on April 16, the smell of smoke filled the air. A small fire had broken out deep inside the Grand Camp. The captain ordered that steam be used to smother the fire, which created a brightly colored smoke that drew people to the dock to watch. Then the unimaginable happened: an explosion so powerful that it was heard 210 miles away in Louisiana.
KVUE-TV ABC 24 Austin

Multiple Taylor County firefighters show up to battle house fire

Multiple fire agencies across Taylor County showed up to a fight a Bradshaw family’s house fire Thursday afternoon. The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) told KTAB/KRBC the fire in Bradshaw was contained by agencies from Tuscola, Lawn, Moro and more. The single-story house fire began around 4:00 p.m. Thursday, and firefighters were able to get the flames under control at around 5:00 p.m., though crews worked to continue the embers throughout the evening. KTAB/KRBC spoke with the property owner’s family, who shared that no one was living at the home, and no injuries were sustained. The family had been working to restore the house through the past year with the intention of the owner moving in. That family member added that this is not the owner’s primary residence, and he does have a place to call home.
KRBC-TV NBC 9 Abilene

Abandoned house fire shut down highway in Mathis

PHOTO: Highway SH359 in Mathis was open once again after being blocked off by emergency personnel early Friday morning. San Patricio County Fire Marshal Scott Marion told 3NEWS no one was injured when the abandoned house went up in flames some time before 5 a.m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Crews from Mathis, Sandia and Tynan responded to the blaze and were able to get the roadway reopened before 8 a.m. San Patricio County Pct. 3 Commissioner Lilly Wilkinson snapped a picture of the flames at 5:21 a.m. The house appeared to be completely engulfed by the fire.
KIII-TV ABC 3 Corpus Christi

El Paso celebrates grand reopening of Fire Station No. 10 after $2.3M renovation

VIDEO/PHOTOS: The City of El Paso held a grand reopening ceremony Wednesday for its newly renovated Fire Station No. 10 in central El Paso. Central El Paso's Fire Station No. 10, the oldest fire station in the El Paso Fire Department, officially reopened with a ceremony Wednesday following the completion of a $2.3 million reconstruction project that was funded through a 2019 voter-approved Public Safety Bond. "Thanks to our community’s support, Fire Station No. 10 underwent a complete renovation to enhance emergency response operations,” said Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino. “The City is investing in El Paso and delivering on its steadfast commitment to safeguarding lives and property thanks to the voter-approved 2019 Public Safety Bond program."
KDBC-TV CBS 4 El Paso

Del Rio one of various US communities experiencing 911 outage

The Del Rio Police Department said Wednesday night that a service outage affecting an unspecified "major cellular carrier" was preventing residents from being able to call 911. Authorities in the South Texas border city emphasized in a Facebook post that the "issue is with the carrier and not the City of Del Rio systems," urging the public to call 911 with a landline or through a functioning carrier if they have an emergency. Various other U.S. communities were reporting similar issues Wednesday night, including Spearfish, Nevada, were police said the entire state was experiencing 911 service outages. Officials in Henderson, Nevada, and Aberdeen, South Dakota, were also reporting the problem, and in Las Vegas – a city of more than 650,000 people – residents were warned of the 911 outage before police said around 9 p.m. that calls were functioning again.
KENS-TV CBS 5 San Antonio

Wichita Falls Fire Department investigating house fire

A house on Avenue H behind Wichita Falls High School suffered damage in a Wednesday morning fire. The Wichita Falls Fire Department responded to the 2100 block of Avenue H around 7:40 a.m. Wednesday, April 17, for a structure fire. Firefighters observed flames and smoke coming from the second story windows of the house. The fire department was able to get the fire under control and confirmed that no people were inside the residence. Assistant Fire Marshal Jody Ashlock said the fire is believed to have started in a room at the top of the stairs on the south side of the house. Lieutenant Ashlock said the vacant house showed signs of inhabitants staying there. Furniture was found upstairs, including mattresses, chairs and sleeping bags, and trash was found all over the inside of the house.
KFDX-TV NBC 3 Wichita Falls

Amarillo Fire Department hosts first-ever citizens academy

VIDEO: Fire Chief Jason Mays first got the idea to create a citizens academy about four years ago when he became fire chief. It was one of his goals. Chief Mays says his goal was to increase EMS and the capabilities of providing emergency medical services and let the community into the AFD world. “So how do you do that? You know, we can have station tours, we can let people do ride alongs, which the citizens academy will get to do that, but rather than tell you what we do, at maybe some public event where we’re giving a presentation, let’s bring you aboard for a few weeks and let you go through it and let you do some of these things,” said Chief Mays. “It’s not just a job, it’s a calling. And it’s a calling where you’re serving your neighbors,” said Chief Mays.
KFDA-TV CBS 10 Amarillo