VIDEO: A Palatine fire truck overturned after a crash with a minivan Thursday morning, police said. The crash occurred at about 9:33 a.m. in the intersection of Palatine and Quentin roads. The firetruck was rolled onto its side and the minivan suffered significant damage. There are no reports of any injuries. The crash is under investigation and police said the intersection will be shut down for several hours.  

A 28-year-old man died in an early morning fire on Jackson's east side that police believe was started intentionally. The Jackson Police Department said officers were dispatched to 2202 E. Ganson St. around 2 a.m. today to assist firefighters with a house fire. Firefighters found the man inside the house, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police believe the fire was set intentionally on the front porch of the house. Police have not released the name of the victim. One person was confirmed dead in the vehicle, Carlson said. At the scene late Thursday, firefighters were seen spraying water on what was left of the car. Metra Milwaukee District North line trains were halted following the accident.  

VIDEO: The massive fire at a warehouse in northwest suburban Bartlett has finally burned itself out after nearly a week. Chopper 7 HD flew over the scene Thursday morning in the 1200-block of Humbracht Circle in Brewster Creek Business Park, showing crews going through the rubble from the fire. The fire broke out last Thursday morning and was extinguished Thursday afternoon, Bartlett Fire Chief William Gabrenya. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire. The building was stacked floor to ceiling with boxes of paper which fed the blaze. At one point last week, the smoke from the fire was so intense the plume was visible on ABC7's Live Doppler 7 Max weather radar.  

The Bloomington Fire Department took time this week to practice ice rescue training at White Oak Park in Bloomington. Bloomington Firefighter & Paramedic Jay Capodice said there can be many challenges in rescuing someone who has fallen in the ice, including safely getting to the person on broken ice, and the possibility of them clinging on in a panicked attempt to get out. He added that while they don't often have to perform these rescue's staying prepared is important. He said it's a team effort to make a successful rescue. "It requires a whole entire engine company, and usually an ambulance crew, so you're talking anywhere from three to five or even more people to make a successful rescue, and that's just with one victim, that one rescuer is able to take care of," said Capodice.  

Rural communities across central Illinois rely on volunteer fire departments to answer the call for help at a moment's notice. But many have been steadily losing firefighters every year. Now, a new proposal could help recruit and retain firefighters in these vital roles. In Warrensburg, Chief Keith Hackl told WAND News 20 years ago he had more than 30 volunteer firefighters on staff and today he has just 16. But he's hoping a new incentive program could change that. "The fires are no different out here than they are anywhere else," Hackl explained. But unlike bigger cities, there are no paid firefighters on his staff. Hackl relies solely on volunteers in town.  

VIDEO: Emergency crews worked to extinguish a large fire in Gary, Indiana. Firefighters responded to the 3100 block of Grant Street just before 11 a.m. for reports of a fire at the Denny's restaurant and Love's Truck stop. SkyCam 9 flew over the scene. Gary Police posted on Facebook asking drivers to stay away from the area. "All commuters: we are asking you to divert your traffic away from Grant Street between the expressway and 35th Avenue. The Gary Fire Department is working hard to contain the fire at Love's Truck Stop. Please keep the area clear for emergency vehicles. Do not come to the area or on to the property to sightsee or take photos," the post said. Employees at nearby businesses said they smelled smoke and went outside to see what was going on.  

VIDEO: Surveillance video has been released showing a fire truck on the move after someone attempted to steal it from a fire station in Lauderhill. "The person, the male subject, became aggressive with the firefighters," said Lauderhill Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Levy. He climbs into the truck, lights it up and throws it into reverse, before eventually being dragged out. Police said his name is Freddie Ross. They said, Tuesday night, at Fire Station 110 in Lauderhill, a crew returning from a call saw something strange and got on their radios. He kept walking toward the ambulance, and that's when things escalated. "The firefighters were trying to calm the situation by talking to him through the window," said Levy. He wasn't giving up. "The male subject was able to force his way through the window of the driver's side of the ambulance onto where the driver was sitting," said Levy.  

Thick smoke billowed from the vacant, crumbling St. Louis house, but Benjamin Polson knew homeless people might be inside taking refuge from the January chill. So the 33-year-old firefighter went in. It cost him his life. Eleven days later, three Baltimore firefighters died when an abandoned row home collapsed. The same vacant house was the site of another fire seven years earlier that injured three firefighters. Vacant homes dot the landscape — urban and rural — across the U.S. They're far more prone to catch fire, and because the structures are often compromised, they are especially dangerous for firefighters. Officials in St. Louis and Baltimore are looking at ways to reduce those risks. St. Louis fire leaders are doing an inventory of every vacant home — all 10,000 of them — with plans to develop a computerized database so firefighters know what they're getting into.  

Even with six years of fighting fires under his belt, Renard Cox approaches his job with the excitement of a rookie. "I love it. I love putting this uniform on every day," Cox said. "If you've ever been at this station when tones go off, it is a rush." The veteran of the Richmond Fire Department thrives on helping strangers in need. Protecting his roots on the city's south side from Station 17. "This is one of my dreams as a kid," Cox said. "I used to come and frequently play in this district. So this is like home." His fellow firefighters are a true band of brothers and sisters. "We're not just a team. We're a family," he said. The 43-year-old Richmond firefighter takes pride in the task at hand. "It could be three or four o'clock in the morning. Tones go off. I'm wide awake," Cox said. "It's go time."  

States that recently announced plans to lift either indoor or school mask mandates have at least two things in common: Hospitalization rates are on the decline, and all except one have a larger share of fully vaccinated residents than the national average. Most of the governors in those states have linked these metrics to their moves to lift some Covid-19 mitigation measures. That's raising questions about whether these metrics should play a larger role in mitigation decisions nationwide -- more than Covid-19 case counts. Meanwhile, shifts to phase out state mask mandates conflict with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance to continue wearing masks in areas with "high" or "substantial" Covid-19 transmission, which includes about 99% of US counties.