Lawmakers are working to change how firefighters are compensated for their service. Right now, if a firefighter leaves his or her department to work in another, they lose some benefits. Firefighters outside Chicago who started work after 2011 are not allowed to buy service credit after changing departments. According to State Senator Laura Ellman, members of a pension system get credits for the time they've worked. These members can purchase additional service credits that essentially move them from one pension system to another. Those credits will then be used to calculate how much that pensioner receives. The President of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois says an Illinois Senate bill would allow tier-2 firefighters hired after 2011 to have the same ability as tier-1 firefighters.  

An elderly female resident died from a fire in Sauk Village Saturday night, according to officials. Sauk Village Fire Department and Auto Aid Companies were dispatched around 8:47 p.m. and arrived to a heavy fire through the roof of a single-family residential home, said Fire Chief Stephen in a statement. One occupant was outside of the residence and informed fire crews that his wide was still trapped inside the home. Fire personnel tried to locate the woman but had to evacuate the home when the heavy fire overcame the crews. One firefighter experienced a minor injury from a small explosion. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released. "Our prayers are with the family and loved ones of the victim," the statement said.  

Firefighters appeared to have a close call early Saturday morning on Chicago's Southwest Side, when flames could be seen shooting through the roof of a home where they were fighting a blaze. Chicago firefighters responded to a reported fire about 1 a.m. in the 2400-block of West 34th Street in McKinley Park. It appeared to be a difficult blaze to extinguish, as firefighters could be seen dodging flames shooting through the building's roof, and one firefighter appeared to fall while coming down a ladder. He was seen being taken to an ambulance in a neck brace, witnesses said. He suffered an injury to his upper body, CFD said. He was transported to Stroger Hospital and has since been released. Everyone inside the home, including some pets, got out safely. Fire officials said the blaze started on the ground floor, and two people were displaced. The fire spread to the building next to the home, but nothing inside was damaged.  

A person was injured after a fire broke out at a home Sunday in suburban Streamwood. Crews responded to a blaze about 6:20 a.m. at a two-story home in the 700 block of Lacy Avenue and extinguished the fire on the home's rear deck, Streamwood fire officials said. The residents were at home when the fire started but escaped before firefighters arrived, officials said. One resident suffered burn injuries and was taken to St. Alexius Medical Center, officials said. Firefighters also rescued a cat from the home. The home sustained $200,000 in damage, officials said. The cause of the fire is unknown.  

Firefighters battled a house fire in Brighton Park early Saturday morning. One firefighter was forced to jump onto a ladder, rushing to escape from the burning roof on 34th Street in Brighton Park around 1 a.m. He did get down. A neighbor says there was an explosion right before the fire started. It took firefighters several attempts to get the fire under control. "It reignited after they stopped it, so they had all the firefighters run back in and try to put it out again. I'm glad all of my neighbors came out safe and sound," the neighbor said. A dog also got out of the house safely.  

VIDEO: Firefighters in Niagara Falls responded to the scene of a large fire early Sunday morning on Niagara Street, near 20th Street. Massive flames and a large plume of smoke could be seen around 6 a.m. from 2 On Your Side's camera on top of the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. City of Niagara Falls Fire Chief Joe Pedulla says upon arrival, the fire was venting through the roof of the former Frosted Mug bar and restaurant. Pedulla says no people were hurt in the fire. However, several animals were killed in the blaze. He added that at least two buildings were damaged from the fire. One of those buildings was the house next door that Laureen Peterson, Randi Eckelberger, and their families called home. "We lost everything," Peterson says. The neighbors say someone knocked on their door at around 5:30 a.m. That's when they went outside and called 9-1-1.  

More than 10.3 million acres of land were scorched by wildfires nationwide in 2020. Firefighters battling the harrowing flames often work shifts that exceed 24 hours, and they stay in close quarters in remote locations for weeks at a time, offering a prime opportunity for COVID-19 to spread. In addition, firefighters in urban areas as well as in wildlands routinely are exposed to smoke, carbon monoxide, toxins from structure fires and other hazards to lung health. Although there isn't much data to indicate whether smoke inhalation affects the infection rate or severity of COVID-19 in firefighters, some experts are voicing concerns about lessened lung capacity upon recovery and other health issues. "There's definitely the question of whether or not those firefighters who are severely impacted will have trouble regaining lung capacity," said Luke Montrose, an environmental toxicologist at Boise State University. "They're already at risk for diseases like camp crud and lung cancer."  

VIDEO: Two people were killed Saturday night in a fiery crash involving a Tesla, according to Harris County Pct. 4 Constable Mark Herman. This happened at about 11:25 p.m. in the Carlton Woods Subdivision on Hammock Dunes Place. Constable Herman said the 2019 Tesla Model S was traveling on a roadway and at some point, the vehicle, which deputies said was traveling at a high rate of speed, came to a slight curve. Deputies say the car went off the roadway, crashed into a tree and burst into flames. Herman said it took firefighters nearly four hours and more than 30,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire. "Normally when the fire department arrives, they have the vehicle fire in control in minutes, but this went on close to four hours," said Herman. At one point, crews had to call Tesla to ask how to put the fire out, Herman said.  

The 1906 earthquake in San Francisco struck on April 18 at 5:12 a.m., registering a massive 7.9M on the Richter scale — killing more than 3,000 and leaving a trail of fires that destroyed 80% of the city. Sunday morning, San Francisco erupted in celebration to commemorate the day but to also usher in hope. Without context, San Francisco's annual celebration of the 1906 earthquake appears to be an ass-backward event. (The second-largest tremor to ever be recorded in California killed thousands; left entire city blocks either completely charred or buried in rubble; 250,000 San Franciscans became homeless overnight; survivors camped out in Golden Gate Park and the dunes west of the city... or fled to outlying towns.) But at its core, the carousel of levity that spins every year at 5:12 a.m. in downtown is meant to mirror San Francisco's inherent resilience — all while serving as a reminder to hold on to hope in difficult times.