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Insane scene at a local NY hockey rink Wednesday ... a Zamboni caught fire while it was on the ice -- and the video is WILD!!!

It all went down at Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex in Brighton, NY ... when officials at the rink say a broken hose leaked flammable liquid onto the vehicle's motor.

You can see in the footage ... the resulting flames were MASSIVE -- burning the ride just inches from the driver!!!

People at the facility were shocked to see the scene play out ... with one person screaming on video, "How is he on there?!"

Fortunately, officials say they were able to put out the fire shortly after it began ... and no one was injured.

Ally Brooke says it's tough being a virgin, especially when you think you're the only one -- something she wants other late bloomers to know is a complete and total misconception.

We spoke to the Fifth Harmony singer about the recent revelation that she hasn't done the deed yet -- which is crazy to think about ... considering she's gorgeous, famous, but also ... already creeping up on age 30. Ally's 27 right now, but maintains ... she hasn't had sex.

The reason -- which she lays out in detail in her new memoir, 'Finding Harmony' -- is because she's waiting for marriage ... plain and simple. Our photog asked if she comes across temptation as a pop star, especially on the road, and Ally didn't mince words.

She says, yes, of course, she's battled the urge throughout her career and life ... but tells us she overcomes that with a steadfast dedication to the end goal -- namely, being with one partner, which she feels will give her ultimate satisfaction and happiness in that realm.

Fair enough!!! We also asked if she had any advice for other virgins out there ... and Ally had a nugget or two of wisdom to pass on. Watch -- her message here should hopefully bring comfort to those still holding out, and let them know they're far from alone.

The cougar that almost tore apart a hiker while protecting her cubs has left the building, so to speak ... and because of that, wildlife officials are gonna leave her be.

A rep for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources tells TMZ ... the department has gotten a bunch of messages since Kyle Burgess' scary encounter with the big cat, with many people concerned the animal could still be on the trail near Provo, and pose a danger to the public.

However, we're told the agency got even more calls begging them not to harm the mountain lion -- citizens who argued it hadn't done anything but try to protect its babies.

Welp, the department was able to address both sides.

We're told rangers hit the Slate Canyon trail over the past couple days, trying to spot the cougar anywhere in immediate proximity to the walking path. Fortunately, the UDWR says it did NOT find the cat, and therefore ... suspended its search and deemed the area safe.

That's pretty much what Kyle wanted -- he told us he wished no harm to the "kitty cat," as he felt she was just following her maternal instincts.

The UDWR won't be posting warning signs either -- the agency feels it's common knowledge the cats are in the area. As for how to deal with one ... well, see Kyle's video. Worked out for him!!!

One vulture figured out an easy way to take a quick break while up thousands of feet in the air ... and it's all thanks to a couple of paragliders.

The incredible video was shot late last month above Algodonales, Spain and while it might appear to be an incredible encounter with nature ... there's actually a method behind it. The technique is called parahawking and it's practiced by paragliding instructor Scott Mason.

Parahawking includes a trained bird of prey to guide paragliders through thermal columns in the air. Participants don't just get to be up close and personal with the animals ... but the aerial trips also last longer and feel more "bird-like."

Mark Cuban says Delonte West is taking serious steps towards getting better ... and even living it up by going SKYDIVING!!!

As we previously reported, the Dallas Mavericks owner personally tracked down the ex-NBAer in Dallas and put him in a hotel last month ... and offered to provide any treatment necessary to get West back on his feet.

Cuban joined Big Cat and PFT Commenter on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" Wednesday to give an update on West's recovery ... and it sounds like he's doing well!!

"I just got a picture today, he was skydiving -- SKYDIVING," Cuban said.

"He's making progress. I just hope he stays with it. The first couple weeks are tough."

Cuban added ... "Going through rehab and dealing with addiction, that's not easy and dealing with mental illness, that's not easy. So, I hope he fights his way through it."

Cuban also gave a breakdown on how he was able to track down West in Dallas ... which shows just how hard he was willing to work to help.

West has been showing strong signs of improvement this month ... and was horseback riding with a smile from ear to ear last week.

George Floyd would have been 47 today, so people are remembering him by flocking to the Minneapolis block where he was killed to leave tributes.

The makeshift memorial site for Floyd -- at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue -- is visited by hundreds weekly who grieve and protest his death ... but on Wednesday they also adorned the area with flowers and balloons in honor of his birthday.

Memorials are pouring in online as well, including from Sen. Kamala Harris, who says ... "He should still be alive today celebrating another year with his family and friends."

Along with the extra balloons and flowers, there's also a gathering planned Wednesday night at the location ... to honor Floyd's memory and the movement his death sparked in America and around the world.

As we reported ... a beautiful new mural of Floyd was also unveiled days ago in his hometown of Houston, which encourages people to "Be the Change" and "Vote."

The State of New York just dropped the hammer on the folks who organized the now-infamous Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons this summer ... fining them, and making it harder for them to do it again.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday the promoters who put on the sold-out drive-in charity event in July are gonna be getting a bill soon to the tune of $20,000 ... this after the NY Department of Health conducted an investigation, and found wrongdoing.

Cuomo adds, "The Town of Southampton cannot approve permits for group gatherings without State approval." Southampton officials signed off on the concert ... supposedly, with coronavirus-safe regulations in mind, according to sources connected to the event.

The Gov. didn't see it as a safe environment at all, and after seeing video from the concert, said he was "appalled" at the "egregious" violations in social distancing. While we've been told the promoters feel the clips in question distorted things -- insisting it was, by and large, a safe gathering -- the State has spoken.

Derrick Henry + Josh Norman + Massive Stiff Arm = HILARIOUS INTERNET MEMES?!?!

Yup, turns out the Titans and Bills players had the perfect equation for going viral Tuesday ... 'cause after Tennessee's star threw Norman to the ground with a violent stiff arm -- the Internet lost its mind!!!

The play was insane ... during the 2nd quarter of the Titans' beatdown of the Bills, Henry stretched a run to the outside and met the Buffalo corner in the alley.

And, when the running back threw Josh to the ground like a bag of potatoes ... everyone lost their damn minds!!

Some of our favorite responses???

HILARIOUS!!

By the way, the play ultimately didn't count ... penalties wiped out its gloriousness -- but Henry himself even had to poke some fun at it all after the game!

"I have been doing too many curls," Henry joked. "I have to lay off the arms."

Sorry, Josh.

Even though he came within a cougar's whisker of death ... the hiker who was stalked by the big cat for more than 6 minutes, says he's got no beef with the animal.

Kyle Burgess is the guy whose voice you heard during that terrifying wild encounter in Utah, and he tells TMZ the whole ordeal was actually his fault ... although unintentionally.

Kyle says he had stumbled upon what he thought was an adult bobcat during the hike on Slate Canyon Trail near Provo, and that's why he pulled out his phone to record.

Of course, as he quickly and scarily learned, it was a cougar cub ... and Kyle says he totally gets why the adult was protecting its young.

"It was doing what it's supposed to do" ... that's how he sees it, and that's why he doesn't want anyone -- wildlife officials or others -- harming the animal.

Crazy as it may sound, Kyle says he's not scared to return to the scene of his brush with danger. Check out his explanation ... it's logical, but we doubt most people would do the same.

Not after getting stalked by such a pissed off kitty.

LeBron James' daughter, Zhuri, is about to be 6 years old ... AND SHE'S ALREADY A HOMEOWNER!!!

The NBA superstar hooked his kid up with an early birthday present -- her own private crib in his backyard ... and it's incredible!!!

It's a mini-version of what appears to be LeBron's Brentwood mansion -- a brand new freestanding structure in the backyard complete with a study room, windows, custom flooring and more!

It even has a play kitchen area -- complete with a play oven, stove, fridge and cabinets (don't worry, they're not REAL working appliances).

"Early bday gift my princess!!! Love you baby z," LeBron said.

It's clear Bron is hoping Zhuri will use the home for school work -- he asks her over and over again if she's taking a break from distance learning.

The funniest part of the video is when Bron tracks in dirt on Zhuri's new custom floors -- and she immediately grabs something to clean it up!

Bron can't help himself -- and starts cracking up ... saying, "Oh my bad. I got your floor dirty??!"

The Chicago Blackhawks' mascot statue was vandalized with paint and graffiti on Indigenous Peoples' Day ... and the damage was so severe, it'll be shipped off for repairs.

Photos of the damage surfaced on Twitter early Monday morning ... with red paint covering the huge team logo atop the 75th-anniversary statue outside United Center.

Along with the paint, several phrases were spray painted along the base and the surrounding areas ... including "land back" and "Decolonize Zhigaagoong," which refers to the city of Chicago.

There are also references to city mayor Lori Lightfoot's advisory committee to evaluate monuments throughout the city and 'Hawks chairman Rocky Wirtz's position on the Field Museum board of trustees, according to The Athletic.

The Blackhawks released a statement on the statue Monday, saying, "Over the weekend, the sculpture on Madison Street outside of the United Center was vandalized."

"It is currently under tarp for protection and will be sent off to be repaired in the near future."

The team name has been at the center of controversy in recent years, especially with the Washington Football Team deciding to rebrand ... and other teams like the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves considering big changes.

But, Chicago has maintained its stance on the issue recently, with Wirtz telling The Athletic, "I think we truly believe that it’s a logo of honor."

"We also have heard from some of our partners and some newer voices in the Native American community who are holding us responsible or accountable for the types of education that come from having this platform. And so to us, that’s our frame of reference."

Oprah Winfrey is on the grind this week, urging the people of Texas to get out and vote -- and her first grassroots outreach effort is something you gotta see to believe.

The TV icon, media mogul and billionaire revealed Monday night she was making cold calls to prospective voters ... in partnership with Beto O'Rourke's Powered by People org.

Anyway, she says her first call was to a guy named Christian, and ya gotta see the intros -- "Christian, this is Oprah Winfrey." At first, he can't believe it, but after hearing the voice for a few seconds, he comes around. Yeah, he was starstruck.

Oprah asks him -- on a scale of 1 to 10 -- how ready he is to get engaged with early voting in the Lone Star State ... and Christian's answer was a home run with O.

If anything ... he kinda left her starstruck with how prepared he was to hit the polls. You can tell, whatever speech she was prepared to make to rally Christian to vote was rendered useless. Beginner's luck ... it even applies for Oprah!

A Louisiana kid put himself in the driver's seat of a vehicle where he'd normally be a passenger -- his school bus -- and there's video of him leading cops on a wild high-speed chase.

The unidentified 11-year-old boy was busted Sunday in Baton Rouge after cops say he somehow managed to start a school bus, and then fled from police when they tried stopping him. What followed, according to authorities, was an intense 45-MINUTE PURSUIT through city streets.

Cops say the kid taunted and flipped off officers as they gave chase, before eventually crashing into a tree. The real miracle here is the kid was okay, and was immediately arrested. Cops say he also hit 3 other vehicles along the way, but no one was seriously hurt.

As for the kid ... you can see from the pics taken by WAFB he was placed in handcuffs at the scene. He was booked on charges of theft of a vehicle, aggravated flight, damage to property and aggravated assault.

Nathan Apodaca -- the Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" skateboarder -- is looking to ride the good vibes to another big payday ... he's turning his viral moment into a Halloween costume!!!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Nathan will be hawking a costume of himself and it's going up for sale Tuesday night on his website.

We're told the getup includes a gray hoodie that says "Steady Vibin'," black shorts, a pair of knee-high white socks, a mustache and a temporary feather tattoo. We're told they'll retail for $87.99.

People who want to fulfill their dreams and go full Nathan can add a little more to the look ... our sources say the costume will also include an option for an Ocean Spray coupon, with a link to Walmart that comes with a discount code for Nathan's favorite drink.

But wait, there's more ... we're told there's a second add-on for a skateboard.

A new mural of George Floyd just got a public showing right in the nick of time -- days before his 47th birthday, and perhaps more importantly ... three weeks before the election.

The mural -- which has been worked on under the steady hand of local artist Ange Hillz -- was unveiled Monday in Houston ... George's hometown. It's even more personal that, though ... the artwork is featured on a wall outside of a corner store George used to frequent.

As you can see, the final product is pretty exquisite -- it's George painted in a multicolor display, with 2 doves by him carrying signs that read "Be the Change" and "Go Vote."

Like we first told you ... that lines up with his birthday wish expressed by his family members, who plan to hit the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul on Wednesday -- the day he would've turned 47 -- and trying to sign up as many people as possible and get 'em registered.

As for Monday's ceremony -- we're told George's immediate kin were in attendance, as was U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee ... who made public remarks reflecting the message the mural is pushing -- namely, getting out the vote and being the change.

There were a few other community members in the crowd too, but it was relatively small ... we're told George's fam wanted to keep COVID-friendly and not make it super packed. BTW, civil rights attorney Ben Crump -- who's repping the Floyds -- called in and spoke as well.

A man adventuring through a Utah hiking trail stumbled across perhaps the worst thing you could find in the wild -- a big cat predator -- which tracked him for 6 terrifying minutes.

Kyle Burgess posted a full video of the terrifying encounter that went down this weekend at what he says is the Slate Canyon Trail near Provo, UT -- footage that shows him coming across a couple cougar cubs along his run ... only to come face-to-face with their mother.

As soon as he recognizes the mountain lion is hot on his trail, he starts to backpedal slowly, trying not to startle the beast or trigger it to pounce -- but it did rush at him several times!

Burgess tried different methods to scare it off, including using some foul language. Watch the video -- ya can't blame him it all under these circumstances. Not that there's anything funny about this ... BUT, we'll admit, Kyle repeatedly calling a wild animal that could've killed him, "dude" ... got us to chuckle.

The cliché of making yourself "getting big" against Mother Nature appears to have saved his ass. That and a well tossed stone!

Just wild video, and Kyle should have needed some fresh shorts.