VIDEO: A driver died in a fiery crash Thursday morning after hitting a maintenance vehicle on Interstate 294 in Cook County, according to Illinois State Police. The crash happened about 5:20 a.m. in the southbound lanes near Buckley Road, according to a statement from state police spokesman Edgar Valdez. The car was engulfed in flames and the driver was pronounced dead at scene, Valdez said. The driver of the tollway maintenance truck was taken to a hospital and was expected to survive. All but one lane was closed during an investigation, Valdez said.  

PHOTOS: Springfield Firefighters were able to train in preparation of a possible propane fire this week. The Springfield Fire Department held a three day training program for local firefighters. Battalion Chief Tyler Sexton says about 150 firefighters were trained, and although these kinds of fires are relatively rare, it's important to be prepared. "What we were practicing is controlling the flame and the heat, and moving out hose streams," said Battalion Chief Sexton. "Which then would give us access to get to the valve and shut off the valve." The program was funded by a grant from the Illinois Fire Service Institute. The propane was provided by the Illinois Propane Education and Research Council.  

VIDEO: A cat jumped out a window during an apartment fire in Englewood, and survived the fall, all caught on video. Chicago firefighters had responded to a fire in in one unit of a multistory apartment building at 65th and Lowe Thursday afternoon. It was struck out around 3:20 p.m. Fire officials said at that time firefighters were just looking to put out hot spots and prevent the fire from flaring up again or impacting more units. Video posted by the Chicago Fire Department on Twitter shows smoke coming from broken, open windows in one or two units on the fifth floor. Then, after a couple of minutes, a small dark shadow appears. It's a black cat, cautiously sticking its head out of one of the broken windows. It takes stock of the distance below, tests the side of the building with its front paws briefly, and then jumps.  

VIDEO: A person on a motorcycle was hit by a car Friday morning in Dupo, Illinois and died. The driver fled the scene, but police caught that driver a short time later. FOX 2's Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX was flying over the scene located at Water Street at North Main Street. Accident reconstruction is conducting an investigation. FOX 2's traffic reporter Molly Rose said lane restrictions are in place in this area. Our Nissan Rogue Runner reporter Jason Maxwell was also at the scene.  

On Thursday, May 13, Firefighters from across Southern Ocean County responded to a structure fire at an 8 unit apartment building in the Royal Timbers complex. According to the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Officers arrived approx 3pm to Wild Oaks Court where they immediately encountered the fire and began to evacuate and redirect traffic. Several streets were closed to allow emergency vehicles and their crews to assist in getting the fire under control. Volunteer Fire Companies including Tuckerton, West Tuckerton, Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedars, Beach Haven, and Parkertown. Assistance from several First Aid Squads were also on the scene. No serious injuries have been reported, several families have been displaced and many local efforts are underway to help them.  

The state of Michigan is taking blood samples from firefighters as part of a project to study how much exposure they receive to toxic PFAS chemicals. This week, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced the launch of the PFAS in Firefighters of Michigan Surveillance (PFOMS) project, a multi-year $1 million biomonitoring effort to assess firefighter exposure to the "forever chemicals." Firefighters can be exposed to PFAS when handling aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), a type of chemical-based firefighting foam used by airports and municipal departments to battle fires involving gasoline, oil and jet fuel. Recent studies have also shown firefighters can be exposed to PFAS through their gear and by inhaling fire station dust.  

VIDEO: It was not business as usual at Storm Engine Company No. 2 in Derby. One day after the tragedy in New Haven that cost the life of fallen firefighter Ricardo Torres, who ran into a burning building, saving the lives of two people. It would be his final heroic act. Firefighters in Derby shared with News 8 what drives firefighters to do what most people would not — run towards danger? "Somebody has to answer the call when somebody needs help," said Capt. Alex Newendorf, of Storm Engine Company. And, at least at Storm Engine Company, the passion they have to help others is in their DNA — literally. "I think for a lot of us it's just trying to be like your father," said Lt. Buddy Canty. "Most of the guys here — their fathers, and grandfathers and great grandfathers were all firemen." Several of the firefighters in Derby were listening to the transmission call of the fire in New Haven as it was happening. They're concern growing at certain points.  

VIDEOS: This weekend's graduation day marks 25 years since a tragic fire in a UNC fraternity house killed five students. The painful date is etched in local memory: May 12, 1996. It was graduation day – and Mother's Day. A smoldering cigarette sent the Phi Gamma Delta house up in flames, killing five students and injuring three on what should have been a happy day of commencement. "It rocked my soul. It rocked my whole body," said Bonnie Woodruff, who lost her son, Ben, in the Mother's Day fire. Her son's death became a rallying cry for Woodruff, who channeled the pain and loss into activism to save other students from suffering the same fate. She lobbied for all buildings in North Carolina to have fire sprinklers. "There has never been multiple deaths in North America in a building that has been sprinklered," she said.  

Just 30% of Americans are worried about contracting COVID-19, the lowest fear level recorded by Gallup since the survey firm began tracking the pandemic in April 2020, and 69% of Americans said the pandemic was getting "better" in the U.S. as more Americans get vaccinated and states begin reopening parts of the economy. The new Gallup survey concluded that those who were fully or partially vaccinated were more worried about contracting COVID than those who don't plan to get vaccinated. One-third of fully or partially vaccinated Americans fear contracting COVID, while 13% of adults who don't plan to get vaccinated say the same. U.S. adults are slightly less optimistic about the country's pandemic situation than they were in March, when 77% of adults said the country was doing "a lot" or "a little" better.