Firefighters battled a fire at a tire shop in Dalhart Monday night.

According to officials with the Dalhart Fire Department, the Dalhart Consumers Fuel Association on Highway 287 caught fire shortly after 7:30. When firefighters arrived at the scene the tire shop was engulfed in flames and smoke. The office received heavy smoke damage.

The fire appeared to be under control by Tuesday morning, but the Dalhart Fire Department is still monitoring the site. A dollar amount of the damage caused is not yet known.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Fire sprinkler systems are an important part of any fire prevention system. Sprinklers can quell a fire and stop it from spreading. The Austin fire sprinkler installation professionals of Ace Fire Equipment are here to help. Please call 512-835-2020.

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.

Fire marshal Tim Hansen said a grease fire began on the stove of an Austin restaurant Saturday afternoon while food was being prepared before the restaurant opened for business that day.  A cook put a lid over the flames and the sprinkler system was activated, but it wasn’t enough to put out the flames.

A 65-year-old Austinite was stopped at the intersection in front of the restaurant when he noticed smoke pouring from the building.  When he pulled over to see what was wrong, the owner of the establishment ran out and told him to call the fire department.  Instead, the man ran inside, grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the flames.

After putting out any kind of a fire, it is crucial to still call the fire department to make sure the flames have ceased completely. In February, a blaze that began as a grease fire in a Minneapolis restaurant destroyed the entire restaurant and four attached businesses.

To protect your business from risk of fire, trust the Austin sprinkler installation professionals of Ace Fire Equipment.  Contact us today at 512-835-2020.

A man plead guilty to charges of arson last Tuesday in Seguin. The man, 61 years-old, was arrested April 7, 2009 after an outbreak of fires in vacant residences.

Although police were able to identify the man at his first fire, there was not probable cause to make an arrest. Following another fire, this time on the 700 block of West Kingsbury Street, the state fire marshal’s office opened an investigation. The man then set fire to a vacant house in the 400 block of Gonzales Street. Although the arsonist had been indicted by a grand jury, he was able to set yet another fire to an empty home on Austin Street. By this time, he was apprehended after failing to appear at his arraignment.

His sentence included a 10 year prison term. He previously served an almost 20 year term in a state prison for a burglary that culminated him in setting a fire.

For more information on how you can protect your property, contact the Austin fire prevention experts at Ace Fire Equipment 512-835-2020.

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.

Four men have been charged with arson in the 2006 burning of St. John’s Presbyterian Church in south Austin. All men were teens at the time of the fire and they face second-degree felony charges and are currently at large. Police and fire officials have been gathering sufficient evidence over the past few years to issue warrants, including statements from a friend and an accomplice who were aware of the plan to commit arson. The fire is estimated to have caused between $30,000 and $50,000 in damage.

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.

A fire last week broke out at a playground at an Austin school, completely destroying play equipment and damaging nearby trees.

After the fire, police soon announced that they held two juveniles in custody on the suspicion of starting the blaze at Brooke Elementary school in east Austin. Police state that the two juveniles started the fire early in the night of April 11 and are now facing charges of “criminal mischief by arson,” a 3rd degree felony. Luckily no one was injured in the accident, but now the school must clean up the mess and buy new equipment. School officials say they do not know now how long it will take before the school children and community members will be able to use the playground again.

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