BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Baton Rouge firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire involving multiple units at The Provincial & The Crillon Apartments, 1401 N. Foster Drive.
Crews were called just after 3 p.m. Tuesday near Gus Young Avenue and arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming through the roof. A second alarm was called due to the extent of the fire.
Firefighters searched several units for occupants while working to bring the blaze under control. No injuries were reported, but approximately 15 people were displaced.
Investigators determined the fire started accidentally in the kitchen of one unit and spread to the attic.
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ark grave fears of a catastrophic wider regional conflict.
TEHRAN — Reports of extensive U.S. and Israeli strikes against targets inside Iran have sharply intensified tensions across the Middle East, raising concerns that the latest escalation could trigger a broader regional conflict.
According to the account provided, the strikes targeted facilities associated with Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure. U.S. and Israeli officials described the operation as an effort to weaken capabilities they viewed as significant security threats and to limit Iran’s ability to launch future attacks.
The reported campaign, identified as Operation Epic Fury, involved strikes on strategically important military sites, including air-defense systems and other infrastructure. Images and videos circulating online appeared to show damage at several locations, although the full extent of the destruction and the circumstances surrounding individual strikes could not be independently verified.
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URDA, Spain (AP) — A high-speed train slammed into another that had stopped on the tracks Wednesday in Spain, killing at least 68 people and injuring dozens in the second deadly rail collision this year.
The regional government of Castilla La Mancha confirmed the death toll and said another 58 people were receiving medical treatment at hospitals. Rescue workers searched the wreckage through the day for survivors and bodies.
The collision came just nine months after another deadly crash involving high-speed trains operated by the same two companies in southern Spain in January.
“Today all of Spain is grieving,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said from the crash site, where he announced that his government would declare three days of mourning.
Sánchez called for increased safety measures to restore confidence in a high-speed rail system that was once a source of national pride.
“It is unacceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year,” said Sánchez, who faces an election on Nov. 29.
Spain’s rail system operator ADIF said the crash occurred Wednesday morning in the central province of Toledo, involving two high-speed trains carrying hundreds of passengers and heading south in the same direction from Madrid to Seville.
A train operated by the state-owned RENFE company struck the rear of another train operated by private company IRYO that was stopped. The collision derailed two carriages on the tail of the IRYO train and the front of the RENFE train.
Samy Paul, a British tourist, described the shock of the impact to The Associated Press after being rescued from the RENFE train.
“Suddenly, everything started falling apart. Bang! We fell down,” he said. “We realized carriage two, carriage one, all gone, all smashed. There was blood all over.”
David Gómez, a construction worker, was working nearby when he heard the crash and ran to help, he told the newspaper El País.
“People were trying to get out through the windows ... We cut through some fences to access the area and treated people with the first-aid kits we had brought until emergency services arrived,” he said. “As I was trying to pull a young woman out, there was a piece of a leg.”
Rail service was suspended between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia.
Transport minister says crash was due to ‘inexplicable’ decision
Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente said that the crash was caused by what he called the “inexplicable” order from a central command center for Spain’s trains after a security system had failed. He said the train engineers were not to blame.
Puente said that at 8:30 a.m. the security system on a stretch of 63 kilometers (39 miles) stopped working due to a computer malfunction, causing all trains on that stretch to stop. But the central command told the RENFE train to start running again without any speed restrictions, and it ended up colliding with the stopped IRYO train at 8:53 a.m.
Puente said that the train should never have been told to start moving again since there was still a “stop signal” active on that line. And if it had, at least it should have been told to go at reduced speed.
Authorities were still studying information to see how fast the train was going, but it could have been at 200 kph (124 mph) for that stretch of the track, Puente said.
“I am not attributing responsibility to anyone, I am just stating the facts,” Puente said.
Everything went flying when the trains collided, a passenger said
The crash, which occurred in a flat stretch surrounded by olive fields in between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes, left carriages shredded into bits of metal and other material, scattering debris down a gravel slope.
Passenger Ignacio Relaño was traveling on the RENFE train. He told state broadcaster TVE that the train had stopped momentarily on the line before it started again and then crashed into the IRYO.
“We all felt the train abruptly slowing down and then the impact,” he said. “The car leaned to one side like it was about to tip over. I hit my nose, everything went flying, luggage, cell phones. Everything shook.”
Authorities said 397 passengers were in the RENFE train and 147 passengers in the IRYO train.
Ambulances and medical helicopters made trips to and from the site, while unscathed survivors were put on buses. A military emergency brigade was deployed to help.
Spain’s King Felipe VI also visited the crash site.
“We share in the grief of the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and we send our heartfelt support to the injured and all those affected,” Spain’s royals said in a statement.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “My heart goes out to the victims’ families and loved ones. Today, Europe mourns with you.”
Spain’s soccer federation postponed all 24 Copa del Rey games scheduled on Wednesday.
The scene of a collision between two trains in Urda, Spain on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026.(Juanma Jimenez/Europa Press via AP)
Spain already suffered a devastating train crash this year
The wreckage of Wednesday’s crash reminded many of the aftermath of another train collision in January, when 46 people died in southern Spain when an IRYO train jumped the track and hit an oncoming RENFE train. That sent the first two cars of the impacted train plummeting down a four-meter (13-foot) slope.
That crash was the deadliest in Spain since a 2013 crash that killed 80 people.
Before this year, there had been no fatal crash on Spain’s dedicated high-speed lines since the network opened in 1992.
Spain is a leader in high-speed rail
Over recent decades, Spain has invested heavily in high-speed rail — which the country’s railway union defines as rails for trains going 250 kph (155 mph) and over — turning it into a world leader.
Spain has laid some 3,900 kilometers (2,400 miles) of such tracks over more than three decades for its 49 million residents. Only China, with 45,000 kilometers (28,000 miles) for its 1.4 billion people, has more high-speed track, according to the International Union of Railways.
Only recently did Spain open its rail network to private companies to compete against RENFE. The Italian-owned IRYO started operating in Spain in 2022.
A spokesperson for Spain’s train workers’ union, Joan Rodríguez, said increased traffic brought by privatization has put extra strain on rail infrastructure.
“We are not convinced that the liberalization of the high-speed passenger rail service was matched by the necessary upkeep of the lines,” Rodríguez told TVE on Wednesday. “I am not saying it was a determining factor (in the crashes), but yes, the increase in use of the network is a factor to keep in mind.”
___
Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. Teresa Medrano in Madrid and Iain Sullivan in Urda contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Beloved sitcom character actor Pat Finn, known for memorable roles across iconic television shows, has passed away at the age of sixty.
He was the anchor in the background, the face that made a
fictional world feel like a place you had actually visited, and a talent whose consistency provided a sense of comfort to audiences for decades. Finn’s strength lay in his ability to disappear into a role, making supporting characters feel essential rather than incidental. Whether he was navigating the comedic timing of a sitcom or providing
a necessary touch of realism to a dramatic beat, he brought a level of professionalism that earned him the deep respect of his peers. He didn’t need to shout to be heard; he simply showed up, did the work, and elevated the material around him. Off-screen, those who worked alongside him describe a man who
carried himself with a rare, quiet dignity. He was remembered by colleagues as deeply private, fiercely devoted to his family, and unfailingly supportive of those around him. In an era where fame is often measured by social media metrics and public spectacle, Finn’s legacy is built on something far more enduring: the kindness he extended to his castmates and the generosity he brought to every set he stepped onto.
Jennifer Hegseth faces scrutiny over her unprecedented involvement in Pentagon security briefings and classified military matters.
Her involvement extends beyond typical spousal roles, with sources describing her as part of the defense secretary’s informal inner circle. The extent of her participation in Pentagon activities involving classified matters has prompted questions about appropriate boundaries between personal and professional responsibilities.
What Sparked the Scrutiny
Jennifer Hegseth attended a U.S.-U.K. military intelligence meeting regarding Ukraine, prompting British officials to limit the information shared during the session due to concerns about her presence. A more detailed follow-up discussion occurred without her attendance.
Former Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot, who departed his position after three months, publicly questioned her involvement. “I was interviewed by her for approximately 40 minutes and questioned why a defense secretary’s spouse would participate in sensitive official matters,” Ullyot said.
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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Investigators are working to determine what caused a fire that officials say destroyed one house and damaged nearby homes early Wednesday morning, Oct. 28.
According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, firefighters responded around 5:20 a.m. to a house fully engulfed in flames on Badley Road near Heath Street.
Baton Rouge firefighters respond to a house fire on Badley Road early Wednesday morning, Oct. 28.(Baton Rouge Fire Department)
No one was inside, officials confirmed.
Firefighters said they contained the blaze to the house where the fire started, but two neighboring homes sustained heat damage.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
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A YouGov poll reveals 52 percent of Americans expect Donald Trump to reject potential Republican defeats in the upcoming midterm elections.
Most Americans believe Donald Trump will reject a Republican defeat in the upcoming midterms, according to a new YouGov poll.
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Many voters are uncertain whether Donald Trump will accept the outcome if Republicans lose control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.
A YouGov poll for the Daily Mail, conducted October 2–5 among 1,053 US adult citizens with a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points, found that 52 percent did not expect Trump to accept a potential Republican defeat, while 23 percent believed he would. Another 25 percent were unsure.
