MCKINNEY, Texas — A mayday was transmitted during a McKinney house fire that injured nine firefighters.
McKinney firefighters responded at approximately 9:11 p.m. on Aug. 30 to a structure fire on Joshua Tree Trail. The caller reported flames in the primary bedroom. Truck 11 reported heavy smoke showing from the two-story residence and initiated an aggressive interior attack, WFAA reported.
| HOT TOPIC: Debate heats up over FFs arrested at wildfire
Firefighters later encountered heavy smoke and extreme heat conditions on the second floor. A mayday was declared when a Truck 3 firefighter became disoriented and ran low on air.
“You almost don’t believe it,” McKinney Chief Paul Dow said. “I think everyone had to look to somebody else who was by their side and ask, ‘Did that mayday — did that actually go out?’”
Firefighters quickly rescued their disoriented colleague, but as the blaze spread into the attic, crews shifted to exterior operations.
Nine firefighters were hospitalized with injuries from smoke inhalation and overexertion, but all were treated and released on Aug. 31.
| READ NEXT: Commanding a mayday event
Ibrahim details his own mayday experience and shares his take on proactive vs. reactive RIT
January 30, 2025 12:08 PM
Rep. Brenda Pugh’s Bill 2848 would provide grants of up to $25,000 every three years to small fire companies and incentivize voluntary consolidation, building on her earlier bill that offered a $6,000 tax credit for firefighters and EMS personnel
October 23, 2026 06:00 AM
The legislation, introduced by Gov. Maura Healey, would make Spinale eligible for paid leave retroactive to his April fall from the Fire Academy’s burn building, with the state reimbursing Chelmsford as the bill now heads to the Senate
October 23, 2026 07:04 AM
St. George Fire Department will be the first in Louisiana to carry blood products, part of a new East Baton Rouge EMS partnership launching Oct. 26 that trains 20 paramedics as Blood Medics for field transfusions
October 23, 2026 07:30 AM
The proposed authority would unify Manistee, Onekama, Stronach and Filer fire and EMS under full-time staffing, as officials cite shrinking volunteer ranks and slow mutual-aid response times to make the case for new township millages
October 23, 2026 11:01 AM
Terrain Follow allows any Paladin drone to automatically adjust its altitude as the ground below rises and falls
September 28, 2026 11:41 AM
