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.

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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.

A fuel refinery in San Antonio caught fire after a tanker truck exploded Wednesday.

Firefighters were able to stabilize the two-alarm blaze on the city’s South Side. A cloud of black smoke was visible forty miles away as firefighters went door-to-door urging residents to stay at least one mile from the fire, which threatened to ignite nearby fuel tanks.

“Our main concern is not the fire but the materials of combustion,” Fire Chief Charles Hood said. “It’s a very dynamic situation, and we’re still trying to get our arms around it.” Hood added that “a larger explosion could basically kill a bunch of people that are close by.”

Although there were no immediate reports of health complaints, Hood urged people with respiratory issues to remain indoors because officials are not sure what chemicals the smoke consists of.

To protect your property from the risk of fire, trust the Austin Fire Alarms experts of Ace Fire Equipment. Contact us today at 512-835-2020.

A man from Texas has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for the 2006 attempted arson of luxury condos in Pasadena.

According to court documents, 44 year-old Steven James Murphy planned to torch the 30-unit Vista Del Arroyo Bungalows at 40 Arroyo Drive using a 64 ounce plastic bottle containing gasoline and a delayed ignition timer. Thankfully, the device failed to ignite.

Murphy was sentenced Monday at the federal courthouse in Los Angeles, and admitted to committing the crime on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front, an environmental extremest group. Murphy accepted a plea bargain, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson.

According to the plea bargain, Murphy learned how to make the explosive device from an accomplice, and decided to burn down the multimillion-dollar building project to intimidate and inflict economic harm on individuals they believed were causing harm to the environment.

Fire suppression systems work 24 hours a day and seven days a week to protect your investments and your future. So when it comes to the maintenance of your fire system, only the best will do. At Ace Fire Equipment, we understand the importance of your business. We have the expertise and the diligence to fulfill all of your fire inspection, repair, and installation needs. Contact the Austin fire alarm experts today by calling 512-835-2020.

Police in Fort Worth, Texas are seeking two men who intentionally set fire to a building.

Officials with the Fort Worth Police Department released security camera footage of, what they say, is an act of arson. The tape shows a pickup truck stopping in front of a building in the 2900 block of Alta Mere. A suspect wearing a mask begins throwing buckets of liquid, believed to be liter fluid or something similar, all over the building. After six buckets of fuel have been dumped, a second suspect places two propane tanks against the front of the building. Finally a suspect tosses what appears to be a burning flare onto the liquid and the two speed away.

Three Fort Worth firefighters were injured battling the intense flames. Two firefighters were trapped under burning debris for several minutes. This will result in more serious charges for the suspects if they are apprehended.

Fire suppression systems work 24 hours a day and seven days a week to protect your investments and your future. So when it comes to the maintenance of your fire system, only the best will do. At Ace Fire Equipment, we understand the importance of your business. We have the expertise and the diligence to fulfill all of your fire inspection, repair, and installation needs. Contact the Austin fire alarm experts today by calling 512-835-2020.

A woman was killed in a house fire in southeast Houston Monday.

Firefighters battled a blaze at a southeast Houston home shortly after 4:00 a.m. Monday on the 8000 block of Colonial near Redbud. Firefighters discovered a woman’s body buried in rubble the next day.

According to Assistant Cheif Karen Dupont with the Houston Fire Department, the fire was so large commanders took a defensive approach to the blaze. The fire “was fairly well involved,” Dupont said. Firefighters worked for 45 minutes to control the blaze and conduct a search of the home.

The woman, whose identity is not known, was found in the rear section of the house.

Harris County medical examiners will conduct an autopsy on the woman to confirm her identity and determine a cause of death.

Good fire safety takes practice. A fire alarm and suppression system are vitally important to your safety and the safety of your investments. When you need inspections, repairs, or installation, only the best will do. Please contact the Austin fire alarm experts of Ace Fire Equipment today by calling 512-835-2020.

In the event of a fire in your home or business, every second counts. In less than 30 seconds a small flame can grow into an uncontrollable blaze. It only takes a few minutes for an average house to fill with smoke. Preparing and practicing a fire escape plan is extremely important.

Develop an escape plan for your home or office and practice the plan every month. It is a good idea to practice escaping from every room in your home. The best escape plans allow for two ways to leave every room. If a primary exit is blocked by fire or smoke, a secondary route like a window, could be a life saver.

Designating a meeting place outside the home is an important part of developing a good escape plan. Choose a meeting location away from the home where everyone can meet. This will ensure nobody is hurt looking for someone who is already safe.

Good fire safety takes practice. A fire alarm and suppression system are vitally important to your safety and the safety of your investments. When you need inspections, repairs, or installation, only the best will do. Please contact the Austin fire alarm experts of Ace Fire Equipment today by calling 512-835-2020.

A home in Johnson County, Texas was completely destroyed by fire on February 25.

The driver of a truck traveling on Valley View Road near County Road 920 called 911 after observing heavy smoke billowing from a building. Four different fire departments responded to the call. Firefighters reported that the two story house was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived.

A strong wind fanned the flames as firefighters battled the inferno. A lack of fire hydrants in the area also hampered the work of rescuers. The building began to collapse in sections. Firefighters eventually declared the house a lost cause when everything had collapsed but a couple garage walls.

A properly working fire alarm and suppression system are of paramount importance in any building. Please contact the Austin fire alarm experts at Ace Fire Equipment today by calling 512-835-2020.