A fire Tuesday afternoon gutted a family room at a house in the Chasse Hollow subdivision. Orange Fire Marshal John Bilbo said the fire appears to have started in a dryer. The fire was at a two-story house in the 2200 block of Chasse Bend. Bilbo said the father of the homeowner was home and smelled smoke. A smoke alarm also started to sound. The man tracked the smoke to the dryer and when he opened it, flames shot out. The fire gutted the room and spread smoke throughout the rest of the house. Firefighters set up fans to blow the out the smoke. No one was injured.  … [Read more...] about House Fire On Chasse Bend

The railroad tracks in West Orange along South Street had to be closed for an hour and a half Tuesday morning after an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rig became stuck on the crossing at Donnell Street.  Assistant Police Chief Jesse Romero said the truck was supposed to deliver goods to a local warehouse. A GPS navigator told the driver to turn south off of South Street. The streets at the crossing have a sharp turn for a rig and Romero said the crossing is uneven. Two tow trucks from Gilbeaux's were used to remove the rig from the tracks. … [Read more...] about Truck Stuck

Months after ordering a new $425,000 pumper truck for the Orange Fire Department, the city will be ordering a second one. The Orange City Council has approved the order. The bill will not be due until February. The two new pumpers will be replacing two 1993 models. Fire Chief David Frenzel said new order has been made for the 2,000 gallon per minute pumper on a Ferrara chassis. The company will loan a pumper to the city while the new one is on order. The city is currently using a loaner model for the new truck that was ordered earlier this year. Frenzel said renting a pumper would cost … [Read more...] about Orange Replacing Another Firetruck

Orange County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to extend the burn ban in Emergency Services District #1 which includes the Vidor area for at least another week.  Orange County Emergency Management Coordinator Charlie Cox made his recommendation to the Court suggesting the burn ban continue for the greater Vidor area, but did not need to be expanded to the rest of the county.  Cox requested keeping the burn ban on the agenda for next week. Cox indicates the fog that has been so thick in the morning the last few days has actually served like a rain shower.  The fog has raised the moisture … [Read more...] about CC Extends Burn Ban In ESD1