Today’s Memorial Service honors the firefighters killed on Wednesday, April 17 at the massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas.
Firefighter Jerry Chapman, Abbott Fire Department
Honorary Firefighter Jimmy Matus, West Volunteer Fire Department
Firefighter Morris Bridges, West Volunteer Fire Department
Captain Robert Snokhous, West Volunteer Fire Department
Firefighter Perry Calvin, Merknel Fire Department
Firefighter Kevin Sanders, Bruceville Eddy Fire Department
Firefighter Cody Dragoo, West Volunteer Fire Department
Captain Douglas Snokhous, West Volunteer Fire Department
Firefighter Joseph Pustejovsky, West Volunteer Fire Department
Captain Kenny Harris, Dallas Fire-Rescue
Firefighter Cyrus Reed, Abbott Fire Department
Honorary Firefighter William Uptmor, Jr, West Volunteer Fire Department
WacoTrib.com has come up with a list of 11 of the 14 people who died in the explosion Wednesday in West, Texas. Nine of the 11 are firefighters. To my knowledge this is not from an “official” release from authorities in Texas. You will note that in addition to the West VFD and Dallas Fire & Rescue, previously mentioned, the firefighters are from the fire departments of Mertens, Navarro Mills and Abbott.
• Morris Bridges, 41. Fire sprinkler technician for Action Fire Pros. Member of West Volunteer Fire Department.
• Perry Calvin, 37. Student at Hill College Fire Academy. Member of Mertens and Navarro Mills volunteer fire departments.
• Jerry Chapman, 26. Member of Abbott Volunteer Fire Department.
• Cody Dragoo, 50. Foreman at West Fertilizer Co. Member of West Volunteer Fire Department.
• Kenny Harris, 52. Dallas city fire captain.
• Jimmy Matus, 52. Owner of Westex Welding in West.
• Joey Pustejovsky. West City Secretary. Member of West Volunteer Fire Department.
• Cyrus Reed. Worked at Waxahachie plant. Member of Abbott Volunteer Fire Department.
• Robert Snokhaus, 48. Central Texas Iron Works employee, West volunteer firefighter.
• Doug Snokhaus, 50. Central Texas Iron Works employee, West volunteer firefighter.
• Buck Uptmor, 40s. Owner of fencing company. Lived near West.
“It’s tough, man,” said Steve Vanek, West’s mayor pro tem and volunteer fireman who survived the blast. “All these guys we’ve known all our lives. One of the firemen that died was a lifelong friend of my son. I’ve known him since he was born.”
Vanek also said Friday that the West Volunteer Fire Department lost three of its five fire engines in the blast, including a new $200,000 pumper. He said the department will rebuild, but in the meantime it will need help from its neighbors.
“You talk about family — I mean, it really is,” Vanek said.Case in point were longtime West volunteer firefighters Robert and Doug Snokhaus. Robert, 48, and Doug, 50, also worked at Central Texas Iron Works in Waco, where they were on the emergency response team.“
They were both amazing professionals at their respective responsibilities and not only long time employees but friends to everyone here at CTIW,” said company president David Harwell in an email to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced Friday afternoon that the search and rescue operation has ended now that responders have found 14 bodies. At least 11 emergency responders are presumed dead after the massive explosion and blaze at the West Fertilizer Co. facility near Waco.
At an afternoon news conference, Perry called the damage in West “pretty stunning.” The fertilizer facility had at least 540,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, Texas Health Department records show. That is 100 times more than what was used in the Oklahoma City bombing 18 years ago Friday.
Chris Barron, the executive director of the State Firemen’s & Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas, said his organization has calculated that 11 first responders died in West.
They are five West volunteer firefighters, a retired firefighter who assisted West, a Dallas Fire-Rescue captain who lived in the town and four emergency medical technicians, Barron said. He said some bodies recovered haven’t been identified yet.
Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jason Reyes said the bodies were found “in the area” of the facility that exploded. He did not say how many were found at the explosion site and how many were recovered from surrounding buildings. Mayor Pro-tem Steve Vanek confirmed that five of West’s 33 firefighters, including the city secretary, died in the explosion
In light of the tragic event in West, Texas on Wednesday and in cooperation with local support efforts, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has established a national fund to accept monetary donations to assist the survivors and coworkers of the fire and EMS personnel who died in the line of duty.
Texas Department of Public Safety officials confirmed Friday the deaths of 12 people and injuries to about 200 more in the West explosion.
“It is with a heavy heart that I can confirm that 12 individuals have been recovered from the fertilizer plant explosion,” said DPS Sgt. Jason Reyes.
Reyes did not specify where, exactly, the bodies were found, or whether the victims were first responders. West Mayor Pro Tem Steve Vanek, a volunteer firefighter, confirmed West VFD lost five of its 33 members in blast.
Thursday evening authorities began removing the bodies of what are expected to be 12 firefighters from the smoldering crater that was West Fertilizer Co. and more bodies of residents in the complex, said longtime West Justice of the Peace David Pareya.
The removal of the dead began in the evening with a private ceremony out of view of the media or public where other firefighters lined up as the bodies were brought out, Pareya said.
We’re learning more about the firefighters who bravely responded to a massive fire at the West Fertilizer plant and lost their lives in the explosion. FOX4 has learned four victims have been identified as firefighters. One of them is from North Texas.
Perry Calvin worked as a volunteer firefighter from Frost in Navarro County. He worked alongside his father who’s the fire chief there.
Captain Kenny Harris was a member of Dallas Fire Rescue, Station 30. He was in West with his family and responded to the fire on his own.
It’s being reported there was an intense smell of ammonia before the fire and explosion.
West Volunteer Fire Department members quickly responded to alarms from the plant. They went inside to rescue the people right before the whole building blew up. A cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com
The names of the dead were becoming known in the town of 2,800, even if they hadn’t been officially released, as early as Thursday afternoon.
Believed to be among them is a small group of firefighters and other first responders who may have rushed toward the fire to fight it before the blast. At a church service at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church on Thursday night, the mourning was already starting.
“We know everyone that was there first, in the beginning,” said Christina Rodarte, 46, who has lived in West for 27 years. “There’s no words for it. It is a small community, and everyone knows the first responders, because anytime there’s anything going on, the fire department is right there, all volunteer.”
One victim who Rodarte knew and whose name was released was Kenny Harris, a 52-year-old captain in the Dallas Fire Department who lived south of West. He was off duty at the time but responded to the fire to help, according to a statement from the city of Dallas.
We have been down all day and have been updating the West, Texas story via Facebook and Twitter. As far as we can tell, the only one of the 11 dead from fire and EMS who has been identified is Capt. Kenny Harris from Dallas Fire-Rescue. Capt. Harris lived in West.
A Dallas Fire-Rescue captain was confirmed dead in the West Fertilizer Co. explosion, read a statement released by Lt. Joel Lavender, a spokesman with the department Thursday afternoon.
Capt. Kenny Harris, who lives in West, served as a firefighter at Station 30 in Dallas. Harris was not a volunteer firefighter for West but responded when he heard news of the fire that broke out Wednesday night at the plant, the statement read. Harris, 52, was a father of three grown sons.
“Captain Harris rushed to the scene compelled to provide assistance to his community during this crisis,” said Mayor Mike Rawlings. “I want to express my deepest condolences to his family, friends and co-workers.”
The State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas said Thursday afternoon in addition to Capt. Harris, they have confirmed five West firefighter deaths, four EMS responder deaths, and one death of a responder from an unknown department. In addition, 11 West volunteer firefighters are in the hospital, according to the association.
The number of people dead following the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas last night is still unclear, with varying reports coming from different officials and news organizations. What is consistent in the reporting is that firefighters and paramedics are among the dead and unaccounted for.
A briefing at 8:30 local time again confirmed again there are missing firefighters. At the briefing it was also reported that a police officer/volunteer firefighter initially reported as missing as found this morning at a Waco hospital suffering serious injuries.
Update at 8:30 a.m. Thursday: Sgt W. Patrick Swanton, the Waco police spokesman handling media briefings in West, said at a press conference a little after 8:20 this morning that search and rescue teams are still looking for survivors.
That “is good news to me,” he said. That means authorities have “not gotten to the point of no return.”
Swanton did not update the number of those injured or killed, and he did not release names of any of the casualties. He repeated the earlier figure of five to 15 people killed but said that’s based on “very limited” information from “folks at the scene,” including local, state and federal officials.
One emergency worker who had been reported as missing, a constable serving as a volunteer firefighter, has been found hospitalized with “serious” injuries. Three or four first responders, among the first to fight the fire before the fertilizer plant exploded shortly before 8 p.m. Wednesday, remain missing, Swanton said.
Swanton also said a “small amount” of looting was reported overnight.
Rescuers continued working Thursday morning in West in spite of a cold rain after a long night of door-to-door searches for victims of a Wednesday night explosion that killed between 5 and 15 people and injured more than 100 more.
Six firefighters and two paramedics are confirmed dead and seven nursing home residents were missing after the blast according to West EMS Director Dr. George Smith, who said earlier Wednesday night as many as 60 or 70 people may have died in the blast at West Fertilizer.
One police officer who was reported missing was located Thursday morning at Waco hospital where he was being treated for several injuries.
Smith said early Thursday morning he expects more bodies will be found during the search of damaged and destroyed homes.
At 4:15 a.m., West, Texas EMS director Dr. George Smith confirmed that two paramedics lost their lives in Tuesday night’s explosion at West Fertilizer Company. He said six firefighters remained unaccounted for.
UPDATE, 8:40 a.m.: Officials say three or four West volunteer firefighters remain missing as they believe between five and 15 were killed in the explosion at West Fertilizer Co.
One law enforcement official who was presumed missing has been found and is being treated for significant injuries at a hospital, said Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton.
Search and rescue efforts are still ongoing in the neighborhood closest to the plant and Swanton said there has been reports of possible looting.
A major explosion occurred Wednesday night at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, near Hillsboro in north-central Texas – killing between five and 15 people and injuring at least 160 more.
Waco Police Spokesperson Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said a fire began Wednesday evening at the West Fertilizer plant. Fifty minutes later, an explosion was reported in a frantic radio call from the scene of the fire at the plant at 1471 Jerry Mashek Dr. just off Interstate 35.
At least five to 15 people were killed and more than 160 wounded when a large fertilizer plant explosion rocked a small Texas town late Wednesday, destroying dozens of homes under a cloud of toxic smoke, police said.
Between three and five firefighters were still missing, Waco, Texas, police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton told reporters early Thursday.
Firefighters, including local volunteers, were battling a blaze at the time of the blast, which caused a ground tremor equivalent to a magnitude-2.1 earthquake, the USGS said. In Amarillo, Texas, a seismograph recorded the blast with a magnitude of 2.5, Swanton said.
I should say I think this is Houston. That’s what it looked like to me from one of the rigs that passed by the camera, but there were no details with the video. I am running out and haven’t had the time to watch all the way through the two clips from Pablo Hinojosa to find clues to verify my guess. Most of the action is on Part 2 below. They don’t arrive on the scene on Part 1 until after the 8:00 mark.
Video from BigD3243 of a house fire in Dallas, Texas. Thanks to John Burgdorf at DFW Scanner. Description with the video:
Dallas fire station 5 “The Dirty Nickel” responds to a Box Alarm in pleasant grove. You can hear the size up in the video. First time to use Fire cam 1080.
Shortly after 4 p.m. Friday a Webster Police officer spotted smoke and fire coming from the Space Cleaners at 1011 NASA Parkway at the intersection of El Camino Blvd. Webster, Nassau Bay, Forest Bend and League City fire departments were initially called for the first alarm and a second alarm brought the Seabrook fire Department.
The owner and his son were injured and sent to the hospital by ground ambulance. Their exact injuries are unknown.
The entire store is lost and the strip center is heavily damaged, although the space next to the cleaners was empty.
It appears that when Plano, Texas Chief Brian Crawford decides to visit the gym on a Wednesday night, you better watch out because someone is likely to go into cardiac arrest. That’s the bad news. The good news is the two people that has happened to just three weeks apart are lucky to have had Chief Crawford and some other workers at the city run recreation center around.
You may recall the January 30 story we told you about of Chief Crawford having his workout interrupted to help the staff at Tom Muehlenbeck Center revive a 53-year-old man. Well, last Wednesday a reception was held at the rec center to honor the rescuers. The man who was revived was also there.
Again, parks department employees and the same paramedics who were being honored rushed to help the 62-year-old man. CPR was performed and the man was alert and talking by the time he was transported to the hospital.
“These CPR save stories are proof that our outreach efforts and CPR training are coming together and saving lives,” Crawford said in a press release. “Citizens are empowered with the knowledge and skill to do what needs to be done in the minutes after witnessing a cardiac arrest; calling 9-1-1 to get the fire crews on the way and performing CPR. Plano’s a great place to live, and while it may seem strangely comforting, a great place to have a cardiac arrest if you’re going to have one.”
Congratulations to all involved.
My memory is hazy on this but I recall a similar story in the Washington, DC area years ago, except that in that case the revived victim of the first cardiac arrest, coded again during the ceremony and was revived again by the same crew. Who remembers this? Was it in Howard County or possibly Montgomery County?
This is live coverage of the public memorial service for Bryan Fire Department Lt. Greg Pickard and Lt. Eric Wallace at Central Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. Lt. Pickard and Lt. Wallace died as a result of the fire on Friday night at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bryan. Here is our earlier coverage. Latest news on the fire.
Lt. Greg Pickard (l) and Lt. Eric Wallace, Bryan Fire Department.
54-year-old Lieutenant Gregory Pickard (32 years on the job) and 36-year-old Lieutenant Eric Wallace (13 years) have both lost their lives in what we have been told was an attempt to save other Firefighters. 30-year-old FF Ricky Mantey Jr. and 21-year-old FF Mitchel Moran remain in the hospital in stable condition. At some point Lt. Wallace’s team went into the structure, but was ordered to evacuate. Wallace didn’t come out and he called for help, saying he was low on air. Firefighters found Wallace, a 13-year veteran, inside and early reports indicated Wallace became trapped when a portion of the roof reportedly collapsed.
FUNERAL DETAILS FOR LT. WALLACE: Funeral arrangements for Lt. Eric Wallace have just been set as follows. The funeral will be Thursday, Feb. 21, at 10:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Bryan. The funeral procession will immediately follow the funeral service with burial at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Marlin, Texas. Visitation will be Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Adams Funeral Home in Marlin. Much more to follow.
EARLIER UPDATE
The body of Lt. Eric Wallace of the Bryan (TX) Fire Department has been escorted to Hillier Funeral Home (see image and video link below). Lt. Wallace died inside the Knights of Columbus Hall on Groesbeck Drive during a fire reported shortly after 11:00 Friday night. Three firefighters who made up the Rapid Intervention Team were burned as they tried to rescue Lt. Wallace. They are Lt. Greg Pickard, 54; Firefighter Ricky Mantey Jr., 30; and Probationary Firefighter Mitch Moran, 21. Here is an update from KBTX-TV:
According to KHOU 11 News reporter Malini Basu at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, a burn unit doctor says the firefighters being treated at their facility may be hospitalized for more than a month due to their injuries.
A relief account has been set up for donations the fallen and injured firefighters’ families. It’s at Wells Fargo under the Benefit Donation account for the Bryan Fire Department.
Wells Fargo Bank, Main Branch 3000 Briarcrest Bryan, Tx 77802
Firefighters from Bryan and nearby College Station were called to the KC Hall at about 11:20 p.m. Friday. Stratta said Wallace’s team went into the structure, but was ordered to evacuate.
Wallace didn’t come out and called for help, saying he was low on air. She said rapid response units found Wallace, a 13-year veteran, inside. An early report indicated Wallace became trapped when a portion of the roof reportedly collapsed.
According to the fire department, Wallace and another firefighter went into the building and reported they were short on air. The other firefighter escaped, but the lieutenant stayed inside.
At that point, a Rapid Intervention Team was sent into the building to help the lieutenant. The team is a group of firefighters kept on standby for the sole purpose of rescuing responders in trouble.
Bryan Fire Chief Randy McGregor said in a 6 a.m. press conference that the State Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate. No activities were reported at the building when the fire was reported to 9-1-1.
“There are no words to express our grief at the loss of Eric and our concern for Greg, Ricky and Mitch, and their families,” McGregor said. “These four courageous individuals represent the best of the profession and are true heroes in every sense of the word. “
Wallace was a 13-year veteran of the department. He is survived by his wife, Brandi, and five children. Pickard served with the department for 32 years. Mantey had been with the department for five years, and Moran for 10 months.
A 53-year-old man in Plano, Texas survived sudden cardiac arrest thanks to the city’s new fire chief and others. Brian Crawford, who arrived in Plano at the beginning of December after a long career in Shreveport, Louisiana, was off-duty working out at the Tom Muehlenbeck Recreation Center around 8:30 PM Wednesday night when the man collapsed. Crawford assisted Patrick McGill, a recreation center employee, who had started CPR.
A City of Plano employee alerted Crawford, and he was able to help the rec center’s employees and a Plano doctor administer CPR.
The team used one of the center’s three Automated External Defibrillators (AED) and the patron was awake and speaking with Crawford by the time Plano-Fire Rescuers arrived on the scene some five minutes later.
The patron was transferred to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Plano and is in stable condition Thursday while undergoing tests, according to a press release.
“One of the city employees who I work with, knew I was in the gym…told me someone working out had gone down actually so I came over,” Crawford said. “I’m already yelling at the staff, or anyone that will listen to me, get the AED and call 911!”
“As soon as he opened his eyes, I whispered in his ear and I said can you tell me what your name is,” Crawford said. “He told me his first name, kind of asked me what happened, asked him if he knew where he was, he said I’m at the fitness center.”
Plano Fire-Rescue Medical Director Dr. Mark Gamber credits the staff at the Muehlenbeck Center with their quick action in calling 911, performing CPR and using the AED.
“When a citizen experiences cardiac arrest, chest compression and AED use are the most important factors in saving their life,” Dr. Gamber said. “This gentleman survived thanks to the rapid action of Chief Crawford and other Plano citizens.”
Video from WylieTXFireRescue of a fire yesterday in the 2100 block of Posey Lane in Wylie.
Here’s the description with the video:
Wylie Texas Fire Rescue responds to a residential structure fire on January 19th 2013.
This video is shared to be used for firefighter training and discussion.
Wylie Quint 142 was the first unit on scene. Using (2) CAFS handlines, and pressurized attic, this fire was quickly extinguished and contained to the room of origin, and the attic. WFR was able to safely salvage many of the residents belongings.
Let me give a shout out and some Christmas love to the THE Fire Critic Rhett Fleitz. He did find the video of the day (what do they say about squirrels who don’t see so well?). You all know how much I love citizen commentary on these videos. Rhett has discovered what will go down as a classic in this genre. Good job Rhett (to tell you the truth I didn’t even know Rhett was still blogging).
The scene is a house fire Christmas Eve in Corpus Christi, Texas. A woman’s voice is heard throughout talking to a man. She is a neighbor. The woman makes it clear from the start of the video she isn’t happy with the performance of the fire department. She mentions it a dozen times. Here are all her comments from the beginning of the video until 1:36:
They’re too slow. They’re too slow. They’re too damn slow. Those guys are really slow. They are too slow. They are slow as hell. That’s not the fire department, is it? They are taking forever, right? Too long, they don’t even have their gear on. These guys right here don’t even have their gear on. They’re too slow. It’s already been over five minutes since I got out here.
Too slow! From this to this in 2:30.
By my view you start to clearly see steam around 1:30 on the video. The flames begin to die down and vanish by 2:25 or so.
At 2:31 the woman suddenly takes note that orange stuff has gone away but she isn’t exactly sure who is doing it. It slowly dawns on her it’s the firefighters:
Well somebody is putting it out because it went down. That went down already. Are they on the other side? That was quick. It’s gone already.
Video and fireground audio from ParkerFire of a house fire on Tuesday on Audubon Drive in Parker, Texas. Above is the view from Engine 1, first arriving engine company. The picture quality isn’t that good but there is real time radio traffic throughout the lengthy clip. The quality on the clip below is better.
This is a pretty wild video from Arlington, Texas yesterday morning shot by tview07golf. The videographer, Sean Short, was driving around and followed a header of dark black smoke into the neighborhood where firefighters were dealing with a fire on the inside and outside of a single-family home. The fire spread to a second home on Side D. At 9:46 in the video an explosion occurs that appears to be centered in the garage of the original home. It appears that no one is injured by the blast.
None of the half dozen or so articles I could find mentions that an explosion occurred. This includes at least one news organization that attached Sean Short’s video, but apparently didn’t bother to watch it.
Firefighters in Arlington battled a three-alarm blaze that fully engulfed one home and threatened others Wednesday morning in the 6100 block of Kelly Elliott Road.
The homeowner, who was able to escape the burning home with his dog according to fire officials, was taken to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
While en route, the first battalion saw how heavy the smoke was and called for a second alarm. Upon arrival, a third alarm was called as a precaution, (Arlington Fire Department spokesman Lt. Kevin) Seeton said.
“We would rather be aggressive on the front end and have extra manpower than be trying to catch up later,” he said.
Officials said the fire threatened the houses on either side of the blaze, but firefighters were able to protect them.
According to AFD spokesman Lt. Kevin Seeton, a fire that was left unattended in the home’s fireplace overnight was determined to be the cause of the blaze. The only occupants in the home at the time were the homeowner and his dog, both of whom made it out of the house OK, according to Seeton. The homeowner was transported to a local hospital to be treated for minor smoke inhalation.
“The fire fighters did an outstanding job aggressively fighting the fire and in being proactive in protecting the homes next to the house that was involved” said Seeton. “With the amount of fire and heat, both houses would have been destroyed if the firefighters did not take action.”
But a prank in Houston is making headlines and has Jeffrey Caynon, the president of the Houston Professional Firefighters Association, telling KHOU-TV, “We have a storied history in the fire service in terms of pranks and jokes. But I think everybody understands that there’s a limit and where that limit is.”
I am guessing if eveyone really did understand the limit, Houston’s Office of Inspector General wouldn’t be investigating some of the members (or at least one of the member’s members) of Houston Fire Department Station 29.
HFD sources told KHOU 11 News that the incident occurred last month at Fire Station 29. According to sources, it involved a firefighter who allegedly placed his privates or a sex object on the back and neck area of another firefighter.
Sources said the incident may have been intended as a prank, but it prompted an official complaint and an OIG investigation.
Federal officials are heading to West Texas to join investigators looking into why a freight train slammed into a parade float carrying wounded veterans, killing four people and injuring 17 others.
Witnesses described a harrowing scene Thursday afternoon as the Union Pacific locomotive bore down on the decorated flatbed truck as it tried to clear the rail crossing on its way to an honorary banquet.
The train was sounding its horn and people on the flatbed truck — mostly wounded veterans and their spouses — were scrambling to jump off before the collision around 4:40 p.m. in Midland, according to witnesses and Union Pacific spokesman Tom Lange.
A preliminary investigation indicates the crossing gate and lights were working, Lange said, though he didn’t know if the train crew saw the float approaching.
Two people died at the scene, while two others died at Midland Memorial Hospital, City of Midland spokesman Ryan Stout said. Six people remained hospitalized Thursday night, including at least one in critical condition; the other 11 people injured have been treated and released, hospital officials said.
About two dozen veterans and their spouses had been sitting in chairs on the float, set up on the back of a flatbed tractor-trailer decorated with American flags and signs identifying each veteran. Many seemed to panic as the locomotive’s horn sounded, said Patricia Howle, who was waiting in her car at a nearby traffic light as the train approached.
“I was on the phone, and I just started screaming,” she told The Associated Press late Thursday night. “The truck was on the other side of the train, but I did see the panic on the faces of the people and saw some of them jump off.”
The float was among two flatbed tractor-trailers carrying veterans and their spouses. Police said the first truck safely crossed the railroad tracks, but the second truck’s trailer was still on the crossing as the train approached.
“The train honked its horn, but the 18-wheeler could not go anywhere because of the other one being right in front of it,” said Daniel Quinonez, who was in traffic that had been stopped by sheriff’s deputies to allow the parade to pass.
“It was a horrible accident to watch happen right in front of me. I just saw the people on the semi-truck’s trailer panic, and many started to jump off the trailer. But it was too late for many of them because the train impacted the trailer so fast,” he told the AP.
Several police vehicles remained at the crash scene late Thursday night. Flood lights illuminated the wreck as investigators in reflective vests and hard hats carefully took measurements of the site, which was cordoned off by yellow police tape.
The parade had been scheduled to end at a “Hunt for Heroes” banquet honoring the veterans. The wounded service members were then going to be treated to a deer-hunting trip this weekend. The events were canceled.
The events were organized by Show Of Support, a local veterans group. Its president, Terry Johnson, did not immediately return an email for comment and his phone number was unlisted; the phone rang unanswered at the group’s offices.
Stout, also the police department’s spokesman, said he had no information about the individuals who died or the driver of the truck.
Lange said Union Pacific is offering help to the community and victims’ families, as well as peer-to-peer counseling for the train crew, who did not sustain any injuries.
“There is going to be a very thorough investigation,” Lange said. “It’s obviously a very tragic incident.”
The National Transportation Safety Board also is investigating, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta “was deeply saddened by news of the tragic accident involving veterans heroes and their spouses in Midland,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement. “His thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, with those injured in this incident, and with the entire community.”
Having had the experience quite a few times of working with Chroma-key and live traffic cameras I sympathize with KPRC-TV traffic reporter Jennifer Reyna. Reyna is only seeing what the viewers see on small monitors off to the side and on the studio camera, not the big picture seen by the television audience. So don’t be too hard on her for missing what is obvious to us in her live report at 6:31 this morning about traffic on 288 in Houston.
As she was finishing the report and telling us that fire trucks were just leaving a wreck that had slowed traffic, a vehicle hit one of the fire trucks and overturned. Here’s how KPRC-TV described the scene:
A vehicle was traveling northbound on 288 when it tried to swerve around a fire truck at the interchange of Highways 59 and 45 near downtown Houston at 6:30 a.m. The vehicle hit an SUV, which crashed into a fire truck. The fire truck was leaving the scene of another minor accident on the right shoulder when it was hit. The SUV rolled over several times and crashed.
So far I have found no information on injuries or other details about the crash.
This is video from Kenny Wayne Wible at firetruckenthusy33 of a house fire yesterday in Biardstown, Texas. Based soley on the 16 minutes of video, after some initial flowing of water, it does not appear there was much further effort to extinguish the fire. No further information.
A Brazos County constable was killed in a shooting that injured others near the Texas A&M University campus Monday afternoon, according to a source with the county.
Police said the suspect, who was taken into custody, was firing shots from a house near the campus across from the football stadium Kyle Field. The identity and conditions of those injured are not yet known.
One of two officers shot during an incident on Fidelity Street in College Station has died, according to several sources.
At least five people were taken to the College Station Medical Center but it wasn’t known if all were gunshot victims.
The incident appears to have unfolded about 12:15 p.m. at a house in the historical district of the city close to George Bush Drive.
AP:
Texas police took a shooter into custody Monday after receiving reports of multiple injuries near the Texas A&M University campus, officials said.
The university issued an alert on its just before 12:30 p.m. warning of an active shooter near the campus football stadium, Kyle Field. The warning told residents and students to avoid the area, and was later updated with the shooter taken into custody.
College Station Police spokeswoman Rhonda Seaton told The Dallas Morning News that law enforcement officers are among “multiple injuries” at the scene, which she says is within a block or two of campus. Seaton says she does know the extent of the injuries. Multiple calls to Seaton’s cellphone from the Associated Press went straight to voicemail Monday afternoon. Text messages and emails also were left for the spokeswoman.
Texas A&M spokeswoman Sherylon Carroll could not confirm any injuries or details about the shooting, but said most students were not on campus Monday and the fall semester does not begin until August 27.
“It appeared to be fairly quiet,” Carroll said of campus. “It didn’t appear to be a lot of people out and about at that particular time.”
College Station is about 90 miles northwest of Houston. Texas A&M is home to more than 50,000 students, according to its website.
Above is a video from RycheG’s channel on TouTube of an apartment fire on July 12 in the Houston area. The air horns are sounded at 3:11 in the clip. Here is some of the description with the video:
All companies of the Community Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched to an apartment fire at the Vinings of West Oaks, on Gray Ridge near Greencrest. The fire broke out in the Alief district, just west of Houston, around 11:15am Thursday July 12, 2012.
Residents in a west Harris County apartment complex had to get out of their apartments in a hurry, in the rain, after a fire broke out just before noon.
Firefighters say it looks like the fire started on the second floor and then moved up to the third floor and attic. They tell us all the rain made their jobs much harder. It took fire trucks much longer than usual to arrive at the scene and the wind made the fire spread faster.
Must hear citizen commentary: They’re too slow. Too slow. Too slow. That was quick.
12 commentsLet me give a shout out and some Christmas love to the THE Fire Critic Rhett Fleitz. He did find the video of the day (what do they say about squirrels who don’t see so well?). You all know how much I love citizen commentary on these videos. Rhett has discovered what will go down as a classic in this genre. Good job Rhett (to tell you the truth I didn’t even know Rhett was still blogging).
The scene is a house fire Christmas Eve in Corpus Christi, Texas. A woman’s voice is heard throughout talking to a man. She is a neighbor. The woman makes it clear from the start of the video she isn’t happy with the performance of the fire department. She mentions it a dozen times. Here are all her comments from the beginning of the video until 1:36:
By my view you start to clearly see steam around 1:30 on the video. The flames begin to die down and vanish by 2:25 or so.
At 2:31 the woman suddenly takes note that orange stuff has gone away but she isn’t exactly sure who is doing it. It slowly dawns on her it’s the firefighters:
Amazing. Truly amazing.