PHOTOS: Multiple fire departments battled a very intense Box Alarm blaze in the 100 block of Ray Street in Cottage Hills with a call that came in at 9:29 p.m. Monday. Cottage Hills, Bethalto, Rosewood Heights, and Meadowbrook Fire Departments joined to fight the heavy fire. When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting through the roof of the vacant home. The homeowners had moved out of the house and had it for sale. No one was injured in the fire and firefighters extinguished it as quickly as possible, but remained on scene for multiple hours. The home appeared to be a total loss.  

Five Champaign firefighters are being honored for their life-saving efforts. The firefighters were awarded the Unit Citation Award for their courageous efforts to rescue two fire victims. The fire happened just a few days before Christmas last year at a home in Sherwood Court. Four people were inside the home at the time of the fire. Thanks to the firefighters' efforts, two of the occupants survived. Lieutenant Jason Rector (Squad 171), Firefighter Josh Plese (Squad 171), Acting Captain Chip Haake (Ladder 161), Acting Engineer Paul Doyle (Ladder 161), and Firefighter Tad Worley (Ladder 161) were awarded the 2019 Unit Citation Award for their brave efforts.  

A meat smoker on the rear deck of a home became the unintended flashpoint for a fire that cost a family their home, two or three cats and at least two vehicles Saturday. There were no human injuries or fatalities, according to Eric Wilson, chief of Glen Carbon Fire Protection District, who recounted the events by telephone to an Intelligencer reporter on Monday. The first alarm for a working structure fire came around 2:30 p.m. in the 100 block of Meridian Oaks Drive. Wilson said he arrived within three minutes from the department's station on Main Street but in his chief's vehicle. Saturday was another Red Flag Weather day, with high temperatures in the low 80s, little humidity, low dewpoints and strong, gusty southwest winds. Local fire officials had warned citizens earlier in the week against burning anything outdoors.  

VIDEO: Authorities are currently investigating a massive fire that consumed a church in northeast Oklahoma City late Monday night. Around 10 p.m. on Monday, Oklahoma City firefighters were called to a large fire at a vacant church in the 2200 block of N. Prospect. As soon as firefighters arrived on the scene, portions of the roof and the masonry walls began to collapse. Officials say it was simply too dangerous to try to fight the fire from the inside, so they kept a defensive stance. Once they were able to get the fire under control, firefighters came up with a plan to make sure that hot spots didn't reignite the blaze. Due to the size of the church and the amount of debris inside, they decided to leave two fire engines on scene all night while rotating fresh companies at different times.  

Second Alarm Brewhouse in Pasadena is pioneering a new business model: Great coffee that helps local volunteer firefighters. The shop has opened its doors in Pasadena and celebrated Saturday. But instead of cutting a ribbon, they cut a hose. The coffee shop was originally a coffee truck, and owner Duane McKee is a volunteer himself. It is the first of its kind, or at least to McKee's knowledge. The coffee shop is a non-profit with 501(c)(3) status. Money made will be used to develop a marketing firm to help volunteer fire companies recruit and raise funds. McKee also hopes to expand the brewhouse with a liquor license and operate as a pub at night. He plans to cut a firetruck in half and mount it to the front of the building. The front of a truck adorns the wall indoors. "I'm not interested in making money; I just want to help," McKee said.  

The city and its firefighters union have come to a contract agreement in which the International Association of Firefighters Local 974 agreed to a wage freeze for the first year of the three-year deal. City Council agreed to the new contract during its Zoom meeting held Monday, Oct. 19. With the city facing uncertainty as to its tax collections in a year in which COVID-19 has played havoc with communities' budgets, Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan was grateful for the union's consideration. "Everybody is rising to the occasion during this pandemic," Brennan said. "If we could give them raises, we would give them, but we can't commit to that right now, and the fire union understands that. They look out for us every day in their capacity as firefighters, and they were looking out for us with this (agreement)."  

PHOTOS: The city of Portage's all-new Fire Station No. 2 went into service this October with a design that takes into account the health and wellness of the firefighters who will use it and offers some unique training opportunities. The new facility at 6101 Oakland Drive replaces the oldest of three free stations in the city. Fire Station No. 2 is now the largest of the three stations at 18,364 square feet. The old station had a mere 8,000 square feet of space. Portage Fire responds to nearly 6,000 calls a year with station No. 1 and 2 responding to most of the calls. The station is also the closest to I-94 and often deploys the first response team. In 2018, the station responded to 2,154 calls. The $6.1 million-dollar project was funded through the city's capital improvement program funds. A 2015 evaluation found that it would be more cost-effective to build a new building rather than renovating the old station, which was built in 1974.  

The Dodgers are headed to the World Series after clinching their third National League pennant in four years Sunday, and all of Los Angeles is celebrating a thrilling 4-3 win over the Braves in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. That includes the Los Angeles Fire Department, whose chief announced via Twitter shortly after the Dodgers' victory that all LAFD firefighters are authorized to wear Dodgers caps while on duty through the end of the World Series. After the Lakers won the 2019-20 NBA championship in six games over the Miami Heat, it will be Los Angeles vs. Florida again come Tuesday, when the World Series between the Dodgers and Rays begins at 8 p.m. ET on FOX from Globe Life Field.