Phil Edwards did not grow up yearning to be a firefighter. As the youngest of 14 children born to a woman raising them without help from a father, Edwards was more focused on everyday survival than career planning. "I had to be convinced. My good friend Vacellia Clark told me I should take the test, and I kept telling her I've got enough rejection in my life," said Edwards, affectionately known to many as "Fireman Phil." Turns out she was right and he was wrong, especially in underestimating himself. On Friday, the Urbana fire marshal put on his dress uniform and ceremoniously "walked out" from a career he's held dear for 24 years. "I'm pretty proud," he said. Although he was the fourth Black man to be hired as an Urbana firefighter, he claims the distinction of being the first to be promoted, initially to engineer and later to fire marshal.  

VIDEO: Two men are dead after a fiery crash on Lake Shore drive early Sunday. A man rushed to help the men after the crash near the Oak Street curve. CBS 2's Steven Graves spoke with that man late Sunday. Steve Compton said he has never seen injuries like the man suffered, or anything like the inferno that erupted outside his workplace. Video shows the explosion that happened just after 3 a.m. In the dark of early morning, Compton saw the beam of light – a fireball that immediately caught his attention. "It was a smash… and I look out and it's fire – a car scraping across the outside wall," Compton said. "As soon as it was coming up on the wall, there were sparks, there was flames and it was exploding while in full motion." Police said the car struck a concrete barrier, flipped over on its side, and burst into flames. Compton sprang into action while working the night shift at a nearby building. "I was calling 911 with my left hand and had a fire extinguisher in the other," he said.  

VIDEO: An extra-alarm fire ripped through a scrap yard Sunday in the Galewood neighborhood on the West Side, according to the Chicago Fire Department. The fire broke out shortly after 4:00 a.m at the scrap yard on the elevated Bloomingdale Trail near Austin and Cortland Avenues, CFD said. The incident was elevated to a two-alarm fire as the blaze spread through piles of scrap including wood, metal, fuel tanks and other materials to create "one big bonfire," according to Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Frank Velez. The Chicago Fire Department tweeted out a photo of the intense smoke and flames in the area. No injuries were reported. The fire did not spread to any nearby buildings and crews struck out the blaze shortly after 5 a.m.,fire officials said. CFD said crews were still at the scene to deal with hot spots.  

VIDEO: A fire spread to three apartment buildings in Stone Park Saturday afternoon. Firefighters dumped water on the smoldering buildings in the 1800-block of 36th Avenue Saturday afternoon. Three separate three-flat buildings were completely destroyed, witnesses said. It's not known how many people were displaced. Only minor injuries were reported. Crews from neighboring Melrose Park, Schiller Park, Maywood, Bellwood and River Grove responded to the scene.  

VIDEO: There may no longer be the 24 hour televised telethons, but labor day still belongs to the MDA when it comes to raising money and hope. The Belvidere Fire Department continued its collection for a cure with it's annual Fill The Boot event. You may have seen crews on Belvidere's busiest intersections and at the Belvidere oasis hoping to fill their boots with coins from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations are expected to be down across the country due to COVID-19 but the Belvidere Fire Department is still continuing to help the organization as it has been for more than six decades. This year the firefighters wore masks and they didn't pass out stickers like previous years to minimize contact with the public. "We raise money and the money we raise helps goes to research and to help put kids through camp and to help families out that need assistance.  

A young man rescued early Monday morning by the Joliet Fire Department after crashing into a retention pond on the city's far west side has died, the Will County Coroner's Office announced Tuesday. Jacob Conrad, 21, of Plainfield, was pronounced dead at AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center on Monday, coroner's officials said. Conrad was rescued from a retention pond after his car sank into 15 feet of water around 4:30 a.m. on Labor Day. Joliet Fire Chief Greg Blaskey said the young man was rushed to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in critical condition. The incident happened at Vision Lane and Paradise Drive, the fire department said. The Will County Coroner's Office said that Conrad driving a vehicle that left the roadway and became submerged in the retention pond near the Joliet intersection. "Upon arrival of initial crews, a witness reported a vehicle had left the roadway and landed in the retention pond. The car flipped over and sank in 15 feet of water," Blaskey stated.  

VIDEO: Members of the FDNY jumped into action after witnessing a recent assault in Brooklyn right outside a fire station. CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis got a look at surveillance video on Sunday. The clip shows a woman in a blue shirt walking down the sidewalk on Hancock Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant when a man on a bicycle swerves over and punches her in the face, knocking her down. He speeds off as four people race behind him. The pursuers were firefighters and they continued the chase around a corner, and took the man to the ground. Meanwhile, others were seen checking on the 60-year-old victim. "It's bad. You can't hit a woman. She's very nice, the whole family. I grew up with them and they very nice," said Twin Alzokari of nearby J&A Deli and Grocery. Alzokari said he watched the FDNY jump into action after the assault on Aug. 26, which happened at around 5 p.m. right in front of the firehouse.  

VIDEO: The Ridgefield Volunteer Fire Department is rocking new footwear after movie star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson arranged for 100 pairs of his new signature sneakers to be delivered as a thank-you to the "badasses" who keep their community safe. The delivery of Under Armour Project Rock PR3 sneakers was presented on Aug. 27 at the Engine No. 2 station by Jillian Crane of the First Responders Children's Foundation, but was kept under wraps until The Rock posted a video announcement on Sunday. "Glad you (badasses) got my note," Johnson posted. "A very small way of us saying, THANK YOU to you guys and all our first responders across our country. I see you and we're grateful to you for always taking care of our families and communities. Stay safe, stay healthy. Love and respect - DJ."  

When the City Council next meets, it will hold a third and final reading for a face-mask ordinance and Assistant Mayor Jim Splaine will propose a partial exemption for first responders. Splaine's proposed amendment includes the wording, "Exempted from the requirements of the ordinance requiring the wearing of face coverings include law enforcement personnel, first responders, or other workers actively engaged in their tasks if wearing a face covering may hinder their performance." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mask advisory doesn't include exemptions for first responders, and in neighboring Durham, where the student population could be compared to Portsmouth's tourist population, there is no exemption. Portsmouth police and fire officials explained their current mask protocols, which indicate little to nothing would change if Splaine's exemption is passed.  

PHOTOS: More than 130 firefighters across three states were called early Saturday morning to contain a fire in Pocomoke City that heavily damaged a commercial warehouse, according to Maryland State Fire Marshal. Deputy state fire marshals were on the scene at 2 a.m. and are now investigating the origin and cause of the fire at Eastern Shore Forest Products. Firefighters from Maryland, Virginia and Delaware fought the blaze for nine hours before bringing it under control. No injuries were reported, according to a company spokesperson in a statement. Most of the damage centered on a warehouse that produces animal bedding products like wood shavings for poultry and livestock industries as well as energy pellets, a company spokesperson said.  

An East Forsyth teenager who was recently surprised for his birthday with a parade and a visit from members of the school's football team got an even bigger surprise. Timothy Tolley who has autism wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. The Alamance Community Fire Department Station 54 in Greensboro wanted to do something special for Tolley after hearing about his story and his ambitions to one day be a firefighter. His family arranged another surprise for Tolley with the fire department. He learned on Saturday that he would be making a special trip to the fire station for something pretty special. The firefighters and Chief Bowers surprised Tolley with a ride in the fire truck. They also, gave him a t-shirt, let him hit the siren, and gave his family an entire ride in the truck. The family also got a tour of the truck. Tolley even checked out a Guilford County Sheriff deputy's patrol vehicle while at the fire station. Tolley said on a scale of 1-10 with ten being the best, the surprise visit was a "10."