VIDEO: It has been 13 years since a five-alarm fire at the Southwest Inn in southwest Houston turned into one of the Houston Fire Department’s most devastating losses. First responders were dispatched to the motel along the Southwest Freeway on May 31, 2013.

At the scene, Houston Fire Capt. Bill “Iron Bill” Dowling believed several people were still inside, prompting a rescue push as flames spread through the building.

That effort ended in tragedy when a portion of the structure gave way.

Four firefighters — Robert Bebee, Matthew Renaud, Anne Sullivan and Robert Garner — were killed that day. Capt. Dowling suffered severe injuries and later died in 2017. Thirteen other firefighters were hurt.

In a 2023 remembrance, KPRC 2 meteorologist and anchor Khambrel Marshall described spotting thick smoke while heading back toward the station with photojournalist Wendel Johnson and diverting toward the fire.

KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston

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PHOTOS: Severe weather on Thursday evening stretched firefighting resources thin across Grant County, with several fire crews responding to downed power lines and a huge fuel tank fire. According to Grant County Fire District 13, at about 8:55 p.m. on May 28 crews responded to a reported structure fire on Road B northwest of Lakeview.

Firefighters said they arrived to find several diesel fuel tanks and a shop on fire, with one tank already having failed. Firefighters said they moved to put out the blaze, but poor visibility and downed trees hindered their access to the fire.

Firefighters said they were able to protect a home and a larger shop from the fire while downed trees were moved to reach the main fire. As fire crews responded to the fuel tank fire, other crews responded to more calls for electrical hazards from downed power lines all over the district.

GCFD13 officials said it took 22,000 gallons of water and 350 gallons of firefighting foam to put out the diesel tank fire. A shop next to the damaged diesel tank was destroyed, but officials said no other structures were damaged. According to fire officials, their initial investigation revealed the fire likely started when high winds blew over a poplar tree that struck the diesel tank.

Apple Valley News Now

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Multiple fire crews from the Missoula area responded to a large fire Sunday afternoon at Axmen Recycling, where more than 100 stacked cars burned in the wrecking yard with flames reaching up to 50 feet high.

The fire was reported just before 1 p.m. at the Wye. The initial cause was not clear.

Missoula Rural Fire District Battalion Chief Ron Lubke said crews arrived to find cars stacked 3 to 6 high and fully engulfed.

“They arrived to find a large pile of cars on fire, some cars anywhere from 3 to 6 stacked high. Probably we’re estimating at least 100 cars, possibly more, that were on fire. We had about 50 ft flames coming off the pile on arrival,” Lubke said.

Lubke said the fire involved cars that had not yet been processed by the recycling center, meaning oil, gas and other flammable fluids were still inside, adding to the intensity of the fire. Some tires and potentially fuel tanks were exploding at the scene. No injuries were reported.

Buildings on the property were threatened when crews arrived. “We did have some buildings that were threatened when we arrived. That was our priority was to keep the fire from getting into the buildings or into other piles of junk cars,” Lubke said.

KPAX-TV CBS/CW+ 8 Missoula

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A box of bees fell from a truck at a Burlington intersection early Friday morning, prompting a public safety alert despite no known stings, according to Burlington Fire Department Chief Rob Toth. The box fell off the truck around 6 a.m. at the corner of Burlington Boulevard and Fairhaven, Toth said.

The incident led to a Skagit Ready Alert warning residents of a bee swarm at 100 N. Burlington Blvd. and telling people to avoid the area until further notice. The alert said the bees came from an overturned truck, but Toth said that part was not accurate.

Toth described the scene as “not impressive” and said he had to call dispatch to make sure he had arrived at the right location when he responded. He said no one, as far as he knew, was stung. Toth said there were people at the scene scooping up the fallen bees.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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PHOTOS: Authorities seized more than 1,000 marijuana plants and discovered hazardous chemicals and bear traps while investigating an illegal marijuana grow operation at a warehouse in Pacific, according to police. The investigation began after Valley Regional Fire Authority crews responded to a commercial fire at a warehouse in the 100 block of Stewart Road Southwest on May 23.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze and searched the building for possible victims, but found none. During their search, firefighters discovered evidence of a marijuana grow operation and requested assistance from law enforcement. A more thorough search of the property led to the discovery of active bear traps, authorities said.

KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

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