Three months after the death of his wife of 55 years, Don Randich, the former six-term mayor of Crest Hill, died this week at the Willow Falls Senior Living Community. He was 85. Before making his name in Joliet area politics, Randich graduated from Lockport Township High School in 1953 and served in the U.S. Army. "Don lived a life dedicated to service and commitment as a firefighter, mayor, salesman, church member and family man," notes his obituary from Tezak Funeral Home. "Don was the 4th professional firefighter hired by the Lockport Fire Department, served for forty-two years and inspired others to become firefighters." Randich served 24 years as mayor of Crest Hill and eight years as Crest Hill city treasurer. He also spent eight years as Lockport Township Highway Commissioner and more than 20 years as a salesman for Hoyle Road Equipment Company, according to Tezak Funeral Home.  

A 38-year-old man is dead after a house fire early Thursday morning. Just after midnight, the City of Freeport Fire Department responded to a residential fire in the 700 block of South Kenwood. Upon arrival firefighters found the majority of the first floor, part of the second floor and an adjacent garage heavily involved in fire. Officials say that one man was reportedly trapped in the home. The fire was brought under control, a 38-year-old man was located and pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The cause of death has not yet been determined. The FFD called in the Freeport Police, Stephenson County Coroner's Office, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, and the Illinois State Police to assist with the investigation. The home is deemed a total loss with the damages estimated at $45,000 and contents at about $3,000. No one else was home at the time of the fire and no firefighters were injured.  

The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance and Loyola Medical Center in Maywood are continuing to expand their relationship by collaborating this holiday season and brining a bit of joy to children and teenagers that are currently being treated for burn injuries. The Mount Prospect-based nonprofit IFSA had been working with fire departments across the state over the last month to wrap more than 1,500 gifts that will be distributed to Burn Units located in Illinois, including nearly 200 gifts to Loyola Medical Center. Departments received the toys, wrapping paper, scissors, and tape to allow for a gift-wrapping party at their stations. With the holidays now upon us, the wrapped gifts have been collected and are being provided to hospitals that specialize in treating burn-related injuries.  

A unusual pet from Peru, Illinois led first responders on an hours-long chase that ended in water rescue. In a Facebook post, the Peru Police Department went into greater detail about the incident, with Chief Doug Bernabei saying that ,"Today was one of the better days of 2020!" The department says the chase began at about 1:15 p.m., when the escaped marsupial, who is named Wally, lead officers, firefighters, citizens, and other city employees on a chase through the Route 6 business district, crossing Route 251, and ending up near the Illinois River. Wally then jumped in the river, attempting to swim across to the south shore. The crew of a passerby fishing boat helped to pull Wally out of the cold waters and brought him to shore, where he was soon rushed to a nearby vet clinic.  

Champaign fire officials are investigating the cause of a blaze on the roof of a high-rise apartment building in the University of Illinois campustown. Fire department spokesman Randy Smith says crews were called to 707 South Fourth Street just after 3 a.m. Thursday. Smith says firefighters saw heavy flames on the roof of the 14-story building when they arrived on scene. He says the fire was then upgraded to a second alarm. Smith says the flames, which were contained to the roof, were put out at around 3:40 A-M. He says the residents of two apartments will be displaced as a result of water damage. A dollar damage estimate is not available. There were no injuries. More than 30 Champaign firefighters were at the scene and the Urbana Fire Department also provided assistance.  

A furnace at the Madison Park Shopping Center catches fire, causing an early wake up call for the Peoria Fire Department. The call came in just before 5 AM Thursday in the 3100 block of Harmon Highway, near the intersection of Laramie. The Peoria County Sheriff's Office says a power line split in half after a transfuser blew out. They say the furnace fire at the building next to the power line was isolated. It is unsure if the two are related, or what caused the fire. Further details, including damage estimates, are expected to be released later this morning.  

PHOTOS: It's been 21 years since one of the most heartbreaking days in Worcester's history. On Dec. 3, 1999, a blaze at the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. claimed the lives of six Worcester firefighters. Each December since, the city has remembered the sacrifices of Lt. Thomas Spencer, Lt. Timothy Jackson Sr., Lt. James Lyons III and Firefighters Jeremiah Lucey, Paul Brotherton and Joseph McGuirk. Firefighters across the city will have a moment of silence to remember the "Worcester 6" on Wednesday. There will be no public memorial event because of the coronavirus pandemic. Flames consumed the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. building 21 years ago after two homeless people staying inside knocked over a candle. More than 75 firefighters rushed inside the Franklin Street building. The Worcester 6 never made it out of the 110,000-square-foot building, which had a maze-like structure inside.  

VIDEO: Fire crews were battling a blaze at a large two-story structure in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday evening, officials said. The fire was reported around 6:10 p.m. on the 500 block of East Ninth Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, where a number of fabric stores are located. Firefighters had moved to a defensive operation to battle fire, which was escalated to a "greater alarm" incident. Crews were primarily using ladder pipes to battle the intense heat and flames. The bulk of the fire load was in the second story and attic, officials said. The majority of flames were out around 7:20 p.m., the department said.  

Stefan Hofer's ambulance company, West Trail EMS, in Mayville, North Dakota, has received only one or two calls that weren't related to COVID-19 over the past two months. But he said the case count has ballooned by 20 to 30 percent because of the pandemic. At the same time, the company's expenses have mounted, its revenue has cratered and its workforce is being decimated by the virus. The company — which is private and supported by volunteers, a few employees and four trucks — covers more than 1,500 miles of North Dakota prairie and serves about 10,000 people on the far east side of the state. Private EMS services, both in urban and rural centers across the country, collectively received $350 million in COVID-19 relief funds in April, but those companies said that money ran out within weeks. Months later, the need remains great as they face another coronavirus surge.  

The Essex Fire Department (EFD) is one of 20 fire departments in the country — and the only one in Vermont — to join a Drexel University study investigating how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the mental health of first responders. The study is run by the Center for Firefighter Injury Research and Safety Trends (FIRST Center) at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The study ran over six months said Stephen Trenholm, Essex Fire Department's safety officer. An anonymous survey was sent out each month from May 2020 to October 2020. EFD was "selected to represent not just their department in Vermont, but departments that look like them who aren't in the study across the United States," said Jennifer Taylor, director of the FIRST Center.  

The family of an FDNY captain, who died decades ago after fighting a major fire in Queens, is demanding his name be added to a memorial wall honoring those who died in the line of duty. Richard Meister says he never knew his grandfather, FDNY Captain Hans Meister, but he's heard plenty of stories about the impact he had on other members of his family. "My dad slept under the coffin for the first two nights of my grandfather lying in state at the family home," Meister said. The FDNY captain died in 1943, five days after battling a massive warehouse fire at the Diesel Electric Company in Long Island City. "The next day, he had a mild cough, the day after it got worse. He said it was like he had something in his lungs that he couldn't clear," Meister said of his grandfather. At the time of his death, Captain Meister's death was not linked to the fire. But, the family is convinced he suffered from acute respiratory distress.