‘We’re in recovery mode’: Storm kills at least 4, Houston mayor asks Houstonians to stay home

VIDEO/PHOTOS: The severe storms that slammed into Houston Thursday afternoon and evening killed four people, blew windows out of downtown high rises, caused widespread damage and shut power off to nearly 900,000 customers. Mayor John Whitmire confirmed four people were killed and asked Houstonians to stay home tonight and “if you’re not an essential worker, don’t go to work tomorrow.” The mayor said the city is reaching out to the private sector and asking companies to let people stay home from work Friday so they can be off the streets and be home with their kids. HISD canceled classes on all campuses Friday due to damage. “We had a storm with 100-mile-per-hour winds, the equivalent of Hurricane Ike,” Whitmire said, explaining how the storm went up 290, through The Heights and the city’s central business district.
KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston

Frisco home catches fire after lightning strike, officials say

VIDEO/PHOTO: A family lost pretty much everything after a house fire in Frisco Thursday that was likely caused by a lightning strike. Nobody was home when it happened, but a grandmother and her family — including six grandchildren who live there — are devastated. The fire department says the entire attic structure was taken over by flames. No one was home at the time, and now they’re mostly forced to start from scratch. There’s now a gaping hole where the roof of a Frisco home was after it was torched by an apparent lightning strike fire. Linda Glover was having a medical procedure on her back Thursday morning. A family member broke the devastating news. "And when I got out, that’s when they told me my house was on fire," she recalled. "I was crying hysterically that I lost the house and lost everything in it."
KDFW-TV FOX 4 Dallas

Multiple fire departments respond to fully involved house fire in West Orange

VIDEO: Multiple fire departments responded to a fully involved house fire on Thursday. The West Orange Fire Department responded to the house fire on Albany Street. When they arrived the house was engulfed in flames. Orange Fire Department, Bridge City Fire Department, City of Pinehurst Fire Department and Emergency Service District #4 all arrived to provide mutual aid, according to WOFD Assistant Fire Chief Simmie Gibson III. The house was vacant and no injuries have been reported. The house is considered a total loss. The cause of the fire is still unknown at this time.
KBMT-TV ABC/NBC 12 Beaumont

Teen killed in Johnson County plane crash and fire, officials say

An 18-year-old man was killed after the small plane he was flying crashed and then erupted into flames Wednesday night in Johnson County, officials said. The crash was reported just before 9 p.m. in the 8600 block of FM 4, about nine miles northwest of the Cleburne Airport, Godley Fire Department officials said in an update. Texas Department of Public Safety officials said the pilot, Jon Diego Monreal, of Crowley, died in the crash. His plane, a single-engine Cessna 150L, appeared to run out of fuel before crashing in a field around 8:35 p.m., officials said. There were no passengers on the flight. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. More information about the crash was not released.
WFAA-TV ABC 8 Dallas

North Lubbock house fire under investigation

VIDEO: Lubbock Fire Marshals are investigating the cause of a house fire early Thursday morning. Just before 5:30 a.m., Lubbock Fire Rescue was called to a structure fire near 3rd Street and Flint Avenue. Firefighters arrived on scene to heavy smoke coming from a small single-story home. Crews were able to extinguish the fire with no injuries reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
KCBD-TV NBC 11 Lubbock

Man killed in hit-and-run crash, San Antonio Police Department says

A man in his 40s is dead after being struck by vehicle in a hit-and-run on the city’s West Side late Wednesday night, according to San Antonio police. The crash happened just before 9:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Culebra Road, not far from both Interstate 10 and Woodlawn Lake. According to police, the man was simply walking when he was hit by a vehicle that did not stop to render aid. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said there were no witnesses to the crash and that they have no vehicle description. When found, the driver likely faces a charge of failure to stop and render aid, police said. The name of the man killed has not yet been released. The San Antonio Police Department, the San Antonio Fire Department and EMS all responded to the call.
KSAT-TV ABC 12 San Antonio

Update: ATF helping College Station Fire Department with Krispy Kreme investigation

VIDEO: After the Krispy Kreme in College Station burned down on Monday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent 25 agents to assist the College Station Fire Department in its investigation. The Krispy Kreme explosion happened early Monday morning. Gumby’s General Manager Raul Gonzalez called 9-1-1 when he saw Krispy Kreme on fire, and said he had heard an explosion just before. “There was only one small flame inside the building, but you could definitely tell that the windows were blown out. It was just like broken. After that phone call [with 9-1-1] , literally two minutes later, there were just more explosions. Smaller ones, but yeah, definitely made the fire bigger,” said Gonzalez. ATF agents arrived on the scene at Krispy Kreme on Tuesday. In cases like the Krispy Kreme fire, agents are deployed to help local agencies with investigations.
KBTX-TV CBS 3 Bryan