Randy Hodge

"The bus driver lost control of the bus when it made contact with the tow truck," said Randy Hodge, district fire chief for the Shreveport Fire Department.

When firefighters arrived, smoke and flames were pouring from the east and west sides of the brick house toward nearby homes, said District Chief Randy Hodge.The house received heavy smoke and flame damage.

No one lived there, and no one was hurt, Hodge said.

The house had an electric meter, but no other utilities were connected, firefighters said.For now, the cause will be labeled as suspicious.

Firefighters continued to wet the attic until investigators arrived to prevent another startup.The department would cover the inside of the house with flame-retardent foam once investigators made their sweep, Hodge said.

Miss a day.Miss a lot.

"They got up on a ridge underneath a vydock, and uh, the fireman came over there with a rope and pulled them up to safety," said Randy Hodge, District Fire chief.

Hodge says the boys went home with their parents.

"If it didn't stop it, it sure helped a lot," said district chief Randy Hodge.

District Fire Chief Randy Hodge says a crew pouring cement for a parking lot on Fern Street near E. 70th Street accidentally dug into an underground two-inch gas line around 4:30 a. m. Friday.

He says a stabilizer bar on the cement pourer went too far into the ground, causing the rig to be unsteady.The crew then brought in a backhoe to rectify the situation.

"They dug down to dig up the stabilizer bar and accidentally hit the gas main," Hodge said.

The crew told firefighters the gas line had recently been moved to that location and they didn't know it was there.

"This could be extremely dangerous under the right conditions, but things are in our favor right now," Hodge said."None of the businesses right here are open."

Police and firefighters have shut down Fern Street in that immediate area until the leak is capped off.Hodge said the street could be closed for a couple of hours, but the gas leak should be under control before businesses open in the area.

The first fire crew arrived at 3:40 p.m., and the fire was out by 3:53 p.m., according to Fire District Chief Randy Hodge.Three pumpers, one ladder truck and a medic unit responded.Shreveport police helped control traffic.

Hodge said Burton was taking out some trash when he noticed the fire."He heard cracking and popping, and when he looked, smoke and flames were coming from a bedroom window."

The fire appeared to have started in the bedroom from which the flames were shooting, Hodge said.

The fire was contained to the bedroom where it started but there was smoke damage to the rest of the house, District Fire Chief Randy Hodge said.

Fire Chief Randy Hodge says the fire was contained to the bedroom where it started but there was smoke damage to the rest of the house.