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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-1-27 Euless Articles 96-year-old woman pulled from burning apartment after drone spots heavy flames By Madi Marks Published January 22, 2026 6:10am CST Euless FOX 4 The Brief A 96-year-old woman was rescued from a burning apartment after a newly launched, joint police-fire drone program provided critical early intelligence to first responders. By arriving on-scene before ground crews, the drone identified heavy fire through the roof, allowing the fire chief to immediately request a second alarm and prioritize rescue operations over fire suppression. Firefighters utilized the drone's early warning to focus on the building's interior, successfully pulling the woman through a window. EULESS, Texas - A high-tech drone operation between police and fire departments is being credited with saving the life of an elderly woman during an apartment fire Wednesday morning. What we know: Euless firefighters were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 1200 block of El Camino Real around 1 a.m. Wednesday. A drone was automatically launched from a nearby fire station and arrived on the scene before ground crews. The drone's camera captured heavy fire breaking through the roof. Based on that aerial footage, the responding fire chief immediately called for a second alarm and requested mutual aid from surrounding cities. When crews arrived, a bystander reported that a 96 -year-old woman was trapped inside. Because the drone provided an early look at the fire's scale, the chief knew additional backup was already on the way, allowing the initial teams to prioritize the rescue. Firefighters entered through a window and pulled the woman to safety. She was transported to a nearby hospital for a hand burn and is expected to recover. The building was gutted as crews were forced to fight the flames from the exterior. While the number of residents displaced is unknown, the Red Cross is working with apartment management to relocate them. Dig deeper: The joint police and fire drone program is only a few months old. The aircraft are housed at two fire stations and can be launched by dispatchers or trained officers. What they're saying: "It was a big, big help," Chief Chance Bennett said. What we don't know: The cause of the fire remains under investigation. While the woman is expected to recover, the exact severity of her hand injury has not been released. Euless could penalize trash contractor over missed pickups Edited by Eric Zarate January 23, 2026 2:10 pm Euless could penalize its trash pickup contractor, Republic Services, for missed pickups in December, City Manager Chris Barker said at a Jan. 15 town hall meeting. “We have visited with (the City Council) after that event, and we have sent to Republic Services a certified letter that exercises a clause in our contract that is a penalty performance because they missed so many services,” Barker said. The contractor’s performance penalties may result in a $25 penalty for each failure, and subsequent failure at the same address within any 30 -day period may result in a $50 penalty. “The holiday season always brings a proliferation or an increase in just sheer volume,” Barker said. “These folks have been picking up trash for a long time, so they know that and they try to plan for that, but the volume does increase.” Important decisions are made in our community every day. Your support ensures the Fort Worth Report can cover and share those stories — freely and independently. Republic told the Report it experienced minor delays in Euless. “Due to increased waste volumes and holiday schedules, our team experienced minor service delays,” the company said. “Bagged waste not collected on the scheduled day was collected the following day, although some customers experienced additional delays due to their rescheduled day falling on a Sunday or holiday. All remain ing bagged waste was collected within a few days of the original service date. We value our partnership with the City of Euless and remain focused on resolving any service matters in coordination with the city.” Barker also noted that the mild December weather added to a leaf bag pickup problem. Certain neighborhoods could have 60 or more bags of leaves at a home’s curb, he added. A cul-de-sac with four houses in north Euless had 125 bags of leaves set on the curb, he said. “That cul-de-sac alone would fill up a garbage truck,” Barker said. Near the end of the meeting, Mayor Linda Martin announced she would not seek reelection, citing personal reasons since the passing of her husband, Don Martin. Martin was elected mayor in 2014. She was elected to the City Council in 2004. Election for mayor and City Council Place 2 and Place 4 are May 2. “I’ve come to realize that this is a time in my life when I need to focus on myself and on healing, Martin said. This community is my home, and I will continue to support what is best for Euless and for our community as a whole.” Oncor restores power in Euless after truck crashes into pole early Friday By Harriet Ramos January 23, 2026 11:37 AM About 4,400 Oncor customers in Tarrant County were experiencing power outa ges as of about 10 a.m. Friday, likely due to downed powers lines caused by car crashes or other issues not related to the weather, officials said. Power has been restored in Euless after a truck crashed head on into a power pole early Friday, according to Officer Tyler Killman with the Euless Police Department. The accident took place on East Mid Cities Boulevard. The driver’s injuries are not life - threatening, Killman said. Oncor workers are in the process of putting up a new pole and restringing the wires. The cleanup and repair work is expected to take several hours, Killman said, but Oncor already rerouted the electricity to get the power back on. It’s not clear what caused the power outages in downtown Fort Worth and on the Near Southside. Oncor estimated an outage near downtown would be fixed by around 11:30 a.m. Check the status of outages or report an outage online at stormcenter.oncor.com. To report an Oncor power outage by phone, call 888-313-4747, text OUT to 66267 (ONCOR) or use the MyOncor App. Call 911 if you see downed power lines.