DeKalb Fire Chief Jeff McMaster will retire after 26 years of working with the DeKalb Fire Department on Nov. 27. He said he's thankful for all of the people he has helped while in his time as a firefighter and now has the opportunity to pass on the job to someone new to help the station grow. McMaster wanted to be a firefighter for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Chicago, he would walk past a fire station to get to school, and it really appealed to him. His favorite TV show was Emergency, which is about the Los Angeles County Fire Department facing life-threatening situations. He saw firefighters as heroes, which drew him into the fire service, McMaster said. "You don't feel like a hero; you just feel that it's a calling," McMaster said.  

A total of 11 residents have been displaced after a fire tore through a Decatur carport and damaged an apartment complex. Firefighters arrived at an apartment complex near Wood and Monroe Streets around 2 a.m. Once on scene, they found multiple cars engulfed in flames. Six cars are in ruins in the aftermath. Decatur Fire Chief Jeff Abbott said the apartment complex also sustained damage. Abbott added police were searching for a suspect in the area when the fire started and investigators have deemed the fire suspicious. The state fire marshal's office is now assisting in the investigation. Ameren Illinois responded to the scene to fix power lines. No one was hurt. The facility had 24 total residents before the fire.  

Firefighters battled a house fire in West Humboldt Park early Thursday morning. The fire broke out at a home in the 1900 block of North Karlov Avenue. Windows of the house were broken out on the first floor and upstairs. Smoke and flames were seen coming from the back of the home through the roof. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. It is not clear if anyone was home at the time of the fire.  

The heat is on for the four finalists to become Rockford's new Fire Chief. On Wednesday, each candidate had fifteen minutes to answer questions submitted by the public with the other candidates unable to hear those responses. "I have promoted through all of the ranks," said candidate Michele Pankow. "I filled numerous roles on this department." "I think our preparation for the job of fire chief started on day one," said candidate Matthew Knot. "I've had numerous opportunities to travel the country and learn from some of the finest people in the fire service," said candidate Kyle Hill. "I've also worked on bettering myself as a leader within the organization," said candidate Trent Brass. Pankow is the current Division Chief of Operations with 28 years of service in the fire industry.  

A home in Loda was heavily damaged in a Wednesday morning fire. The News-Gazette reports the fire affected a 1.5 story frame house located in the 200 block of West Jackson Street. Fire Chief Harold Ecker described the home as "not livable." A home in Loda was heavily damaged in a Wednesday morning fire. The News-Gazette reports the fire affected a 1.5 story frame house located in the 200 block of West Jackson Street. Fire Chief Harold Ecker described the home as "not livable." Crews responded at 6:10 a.m. to the scene. When they arrived, the east side of the building was "totally involved," according to Ecker. There was nobody home. One person normally lives in the house. A state fire marshal's office investigator responded. The fire started in the area of the gas meter, Ecker noted. He said an initial cause is unknown.  

The City of Oak Forest has approved of a collective bargaining agreement that will establish the position of a Fire Captain for each shift in the Oak Forest Fire Department. The agreement, which was initially approved in May, establishes the role by selecting three current lieutenants and promoting them to captain. The city currently has six lieutenants and three captains. The three selected will receive a wage of $1,500 over the highest lieutenant, and will undergo a 180-day testing process. "This is not for any additional manpower," said Garrick Kasper, Deputy Fire Chief. Kasper went on to say,"It is a linear line structure, so one lieutenant, and another in the same rank. If they have an issue, or a disagreement — it kind of ends there, going to the chief. So the addition of a captain adds that additional rank to the structure and allows us, as a chief and deputy chief, to have someone that's going to oversee the shift at both stations."  

VIDEO: Firefighters have been battling a blaze at an apartment in Westland since Wednesday evening. Three connected buildings encompassing dozens of living units are now wrapped in a blaze that's been moving through the structure since about 11:20 p.m. last night. No one was hurt in the blaze, but many families from the 36-unit structure are now displaced as a result of the fire. The fire managed to move quickly because there were no firewalls between the buildings. Residents were evacuated from the Westwood Village Apartments Wednesday night after a fire grew out of control. No cause has been determined, but authorities are looking at the work that roofers were doing Wednesday on top of one of the buildings that caught fire.  

VIDEO: Along with the bikers headed to Sturgis, a one-of-a-kind, portable Extreme Fire Station arrived right across from the Buffalo Chip. "Just an amazing building. A great piece of equipment to bring out here and to let the fire department, ambulance, and police force used for a few of these Sturgis Rally's that we're all excited for," said Dustin Lee, Production Manager for L&H Industrial. The fire-proof unit took 3 months to build and is on loan to the city of Sturgis for 2 years. While here, the building will act as a demo for the Canadian company. "We're going to be flying in folks from around the country to see it because there's nothing like it in the states. It is literally a one-of-kind, brand new product that we bring to market here," said Lee. Once unloaded, the top extends and the sides pop out for 20 feet of height and 30 feet width.  

Most dogs know a trick or two, but in Santa Clarita, we found a Labrador named Echo, who has one that can bring even the toughest firefighters down to their knees every single time. "It's one fell swoop," said Echo's handler, firefighter Jake Windell. "She'll be standing on all fours and [all of a sudden] she's just on her back, ready to go, and I think it's hard for anybody not to smile when they see a dog on their back waiting for a belly rub." Echo is not just any dog. She's an employee at Fire Station 107. Her job is to put smiles on firefighter's faces — and it's safe to say that she's really good at it. "I think we've all had that experience of going home after a rough day and the dog is just excited to be there," Windell said. "When Echo does that with our crews it just gets our spirits up a little bit."  

VIDEO: The sailor charged with starting a fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard last year was assigned to the ship after dropping out of training to become a Navy SEAL, and he was described by some fellow sailors as a person who had disdain for the Navy, according to investigators. Details of 20-year-old Ryan Mays and the early investigation into the worst U.S. warship fire in recent memory were revealed in a search warrant unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Diego. The Navy confirmed that Mays was the sailor charged Thursday with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel. His lawyer, Gary Barthel, said he had not seen the search warrant yet and could not comment on what it said until he had the chance to review it.