The Bainbridge Villas on Southridge Drive in South Austin caught fire early Sunday morning around 5:30 AM.  The fire engulfed four units of the complex and left about $840,000 in structural damage.  Eight other units suffered less serious damage from the fire.

Seventy members of Austin’s Fire Department responded to the two-alarm fire to see residents jumping from apartment windows.  Four people were taken to nearby hospitals, some with broken bones from leaping from windows, and one resident was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for severe burning on her feet.  A total of forty-four people were displaced from their homes because of the fire.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost their homes and belongings in the fire.

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The Harris County Election Technology Center warehouse in Northeast Houston caught fire early this morning and destroyed over 10,000 voting machines used in Harris County elections.

The fire started around 4:30 this morning and quickly grew to be a three-alarm fire.  Officials are currently unsure of what started the fire, but will begin investigations soon.

The warehouse stored more than 10,000 voting booths and e-Slates used during local, state, and national elections.  Houston city officials said they do not know what they will do for the upcoming governor’s race which begins early voting in October, and has election day on November 2nd.

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An Oak Hill family’s home was destroyed Friday after catching fire.  Oak Hill firefighters arrived at the home just west of Oak Hill after a three-alarm fire was reported.

By the time fire crews arrived at the house, the fire had reached the roof of the 4,000 square foot home.  Winds pushed fire and smoke throughout the house very quickly, making it difficult for firefighters to put out the fire.  Also, low water pressure from the fire hydrants nearby led crews to call for tankers of water.

Fortunately, none of the residents were in the home when the fire started and no one was injured from the fire.  Total damages to the house are estimated to be around $650,000.

Investigators are trying to determine what caused the fire.

If you or someone you know is in need of fire alarm installation, contact the Austin fire alarm installation professionals of Ace Fire Equipment at 512-835-2020 to learn more.

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The garage at a home in North Austin caught fire on Monday around 5 PM.  Investigators believe that the fire was caused by a vehicle in the garage.

Austin firefighters arrived at the home on Little Emily Way, near Parmer and Yager lanes, and the garage was completely engulfed in flames and spreading toward the house.  The firefighters were able to quickly put out the fire and prevent it from destroying the house.  However, the home did suffer some damage in the fire.

Fortunately, everybody at the house was able to get out safely and without injuries.

If you or someone you know needs their fire alarms inspected, contact the Austin fire alarm inspection professionals of Ace Fire Equipment at 512-835-2020 to learn more.

As an elderly man slipped into a peaceful sleep, a spark in his attic ignited the insulation. All the while, as the flames consumed his attic, the man slept. Once the first sign of smoke crept into the master bedroom, his alarm went off. He woke immediately and had just enough time to call 9-1-1 and escape from his house.

The Dallas Morning News reports that the house and most of its belongings were lost, but one thing remained intact, a human life. “You can often replace the loss of property, but never the loss of life,” reports The Dallas Morning News.

According to The Dallas Morning News, “Roughly 500 men, women and children will die in home or apartment fires in the United States this year.” Get your smoke alarm installed or inspected today. Call 512-835-2020 to have Ace Fire Equipment install/inspect your fire alarm today.

The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating a Texas fire that killed a firefighter Saturday.

According to officials with the Wharton Fire Department, Captain Thomas Araguz III and two firefighters ran into a blaze at Maxim Egg Farm in Boling, Texas. The group, including the 30 year-old Araguz, became trapped after about 10 minutes inside the building.

“The heat and the fire really did rapidly intensify,” Deputy State Fire Marshal Jay Evans said. “It was at this time two firefighters made an escape.”

It took nine hours and more than thirty different fire departments to subdue the flames. Araguz’s body was found shortly after 7:00 a.m. Sunday.

A team of twenty-four ATF agents and specialists are investigating the cause of the fire.

“ATF is investigating this tragic fire with the Wharton County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office. We will work together in partnership to determine the origin and cause of this fatal fire,” said ATF Special Agent Dewey Webb.

A man in East Texas saved a woman from a burning mobile home Monday.

According to officials with the Cherokee County Fire Department, Ricky Wilburn saved a woman from a mobile home fire that occurred along County Road 1616 outside of Jacksonville shortly after 11:00 a.m. Monday. A woman was asleep in her trailer when the fire started, and woke to find flames at her bedroom door.

“She was hollering for somebody to help her,” said Wilburn. “The fire was done down to this door and I tried to open it and it was nailed shut.” Wilburn says he broke out his window and ripped off the screen yelling for the trapped woman to come towards him.

“I just reached in there, I felt her arms and I just jerked her through the window,” Wilburn said. “That’s all I knew to do because the fire got to her bedroom… She was as black as your britches when she got out. I mean that smoke was like burning tires.”

The woman was transported to a local hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and is expected to make a full recovery.

For information on how to protect your home, business, or other property from the risk of fire, contact the Austin fire prevention services professionals of Ace Fire Equipment today at 512-835-2020.

Fire investigators are trying to determine the cause of a massive warehouse fire in South Central El Paso Friday night.

The blaze occurred at the Los Angeles El Paso Express warehouse on the 1700 block of Delta Drive shortly after 9:00 p.m. Friday. Authorities say firefighters quickly placed a second alarm on the fire, and summoned more than 65 firefighters to put down the flames. It took crews more than four hours to put out the fire, as thick black smoke could be seen from miles away.

“The smoke was pretty smothering,” said Martha Lopez, who lives near the warehouse. “It did make it quite difficult to breathe. I have an elderly mom, and we were both struggling.”

Response crews remained on the scene of the fire through the night and well into Saturday afternoon.

Investigators continue to probe the cause of the fire and asses the damage done. Preliminary reports on the scene indicated that pallets were fueling the blaze, but it is unclear what exactly was inside the warehouse.

No injuries were reported.

An adequate and suitable fire prevention system can help to preserve property and save money and jobs in the process. If you or someone you know needs a better fire prevention solution, contact the Austin sprinkler installation professionals at Ace Fire Equipment by calling 512-835-2020.

A massive explosion at Cleburn, Texas, roughly 50 miles southwest of Dallas, was responsible for the death of three people.

The explosion occurred purportedly after a project that was digging in the area struck the gas line buried in the earth. The explosion triggered a widespread fire through the rural community, stretching out to an estimated circumference of 400 to 600 feet.

Eyewitness accounts reported that the explosion itself sounded like a loud thunderclap, which was followed by a sound that was something similar to a tornado. The noise from the incident could be heard several miles away from the site.

Six people were taken by helicopter and ambulance to local hospitals by the Johnson County emergency crews.

An explosion that rocked 211 N. Weaver Street in Gainesville on Monday afternoon destroyed the entire inside of a local eatery.

The restaurant, El Taco Riendo, suffered massive damages from an explosion ruled as an accident by the fire marshal. According to witness reports, when the flames erupted, a microwave was blown out of the back of the building, followed by workers and patrons. A toddler was thrown out of a door by one of the women in the building in an attempt to save the child. Others were seen, scorched from deep burns, scrambling out of the building as quickly as possibly.

As of Tuesday, one person was in serious condition while four others were in critical condition. No one was killed. The injured victims of the blast were taken to southward to Dallas’ Parkland Hospital.

The store was just a few miles from the Oklahoma border, and noted for its friendly, customer-first attitude.

An investigation is still open on exactly what caused the explosion, although many recognized that, beyond the kitchen, there was little else to the building itself.