A kitchen fire at the New Hope Apartments in Downtown Peoria caused $75,000 in damage and forced eight to find temporary shelter. Members of the Peoria Fire Department were called to the complex, 301 NE Jefferson Ave., at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday on a report of a smoke detector alarm. When they arrived, they found heavy smoke on the building's fifth floor. A unit on that floor had a sprinkler activated and smoke coming from inside. There was also a small fire on the stove and counter top in the unit. Firefighters shut the stove off and extinguished the remaining fire. While one group put out the fire, other firefighters checked surrounding apartments to evacuate residents. Multiple units in the complex suffered water damage on that floor and also on the floor below.  

An on-duty Gurnee firefighter responded to his own house on fire Thursday morning that left the man's mother injured, another firefighter injured, and a cat dead, officials said. The Gurnee Fire Department responded around 10:10 a.m. Thursday to the 37100 block of Shirley Drive in Gurnee for a report of a structure fire. Gurnee firefighter-paramedic Bob Davidson was riding on the first fire engine that arrived at the scene minutes after the 911 call was made. The second floor of the home was found to be engulfed in flames and smoke. It took firefighters, including Davidson, who owns the home, almost 20 minutes to get the blaze under control.  

Peoria firefighters were called around 3:20 a.m. Monday to the 2000 block of W. Millman Street on reports of a fire. Fire Battalion Chief Rick Morgan said upon arrival, crews found dark smoke coming from the front of the home. "Something was on fire, we just couldn't determine what it was. So, crews entered the structure and advanced hose lines and extinguishers, because we didn't know how big the fire was," Morgan said. Firefighters found a clothes dryer on fire in a bathroom on the main level. "Because the home was filled with a lot of smoke we ended up having to ventilate the home. And, the home did suffer a lot of smoke and heat damage," Morgan said. A fire investigator concluded the cause of the fire appeared to be equipment failure. No injuries were reported.  

A late-night fire call came just in time as Kewanee firefighters were able to prevent a house at 608 Stokes Street from completely going up in flames. Firefighters were called out just after midnight Friday following the report of a garage fire. When they arrived, the entire neighborhood was lit up by the glow of the fire as the garage was fully engulfed and emitting a large plume of smoke over downtown Kewanee. It collapsed as fire trucks arrived. Also catching fire was a pull-behind recreational trailer, with flames from it crawling to the house and moving up the side toward the roof. Residents in the house escaped injury and flames on the house were put it before it caused any substantial structural damage.  

COUNTRY Financial Representative Lindsay Waters has announced the Godfrey Fire Protection District as a 2020 recipient of a COUNTRY Financial Operation Helping Heroes donation. Waters presented the donation for $2,500 to Fire Chief Eric Cranmer to assist with the purchase of new equipment. "I just wanted to thank the department for all that they do for the community and this donation allowed me to do that" said Waters. "The fact that no other firefighters could be pictured at the time of my presentation because they were on call just goes to show how dedicated they are to their jobs."  

VIDEO: Drone footage shows the aftermath of the massive fire that ravaged the former Strathmore Paper complex and destroyed Mill Number Two. The footage was taken Saturday by Samuel Mazzaferro, the owner and operator of West Branch Aerial Photography located in Chester. Mazzaferro made sure to follow all rules and regulations and avoided any interference as firefighters continued to work the scene. The cause of the fire inside the vacant mill in Russell is considered suspicious by investigators, who are now offering a reward for information that helps identify those who are responsible. The fire was reported around 8:30 p.m. Friday and burned for more than 12 hours. More than 125 firefighters responded to the scene on 34 Valley View Ave.  

A national nonprofit that's been monitoring the spread of COVID-19 says Michigan is one of three states "on track to contain" the novel coronavirus, but officials still warn the fight here is far from over. COVID Act Now, a group of technologists, epidemiologists, health experts and public policy leaders, tweeted Tuesday that Michigan had moved to its lowest risk category on its warning dashboard for states. "Cases are steadily decreasing and Michigan's COVID preparedness meets or exceeds international standards across our key metrics," the site tweeted. COVID Act Now says Michigan has a low infection rate, widespread testing in place and sufficient contact tracing. The state has experienced seven straight weeks of declines in new deaths linked to the virus, according to tracking from the state Department of Health and Human Services.  

Four Rapid City Fire Department firefighters retired Friday as a result of budget concerns and to help prevent possible layoffs in the department. Capt. Joe Tjaden, Training Section Chief Matt Culberson, Battalion Chief Tim Daly and Fire Chief Rod Seals have a combined 111 years of experience under their belts, according to a RCFD press release. "Each one of these individuals leaves a legacy of excellence," said Lt. Jim Bussell, public information officer for the RCFD, in an email to the Journal. "They were among the most highly trained, well-rounded firefighters in the business. They care deeply about people. They care deeply about their peers and the community they serve. They have served faithfully and with great dedication. Their impact on our organization is profound."  

About 60 firefighters with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department cannot work right now. They either have COVID-19 or may have been exposed. That's according to Randy Wyse the President of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters. It comes after Action News Jax confirmed a firefighter at station 21 tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday. Wyse says fire stations in Arlington and northwest Jacksonville also have firefighters sidelined due to the pandemic. Action News Jax is working to learn the other fire stations are impacted. Fire Chief Powers told Action News Jax in May about the process of protecting firefighters and preventing the spread. "Out of an abundance of caution to protect the men and women they work within the fire station and to protect the public that we respond to, we pull them out. Put them in self-quarantine for that 14 days." Chief Powers said.