Eight residents are displaced and five of them are in the hospital after a house fire blazed through the night in Bloomington. Just after 11 p.m. Monday night, firefighters were dispatched to the 600 block of W. Market for a structure fire. Upon arrival, they found multiple residents outside with their neighbors. The residents told them at least one person was still in the home, but due to the strength of the fire, firefighters were unable to get inside immediately. At 2:20 a.m. Tuesday morning, crews were able to enter the structure, where they found a deceased 62-year-old male. An autopsy has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. In addition, five residents of the home were taken to local hospitals for injuries related to the fire. In all, eight residents were displaced by the fire. "Multiple people, multiple kids, multiple families. I mean it's just tragic what happened," said Bloomington man Trevor Kelly.  

To recognize her commitment to fire safety, State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) was selected to receive a prestigious award from the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance. "When it comes to legislating fire safety initiatives, it's critical to partner with our state's professionals," Johnson said. "It's an honor to be acknowledged by the Alliance for prioritizing fire prevention policies within Illinois to protect our communities from harm and destruction." The award was presented in front of more than 300 fire officials from across the state at the annual Prevention Week Luncheon.  

After receiving $1 million in last year's Illinois state capital construction bill for use toward a new fire station, the city of East Peoria appears to have identified the proper site for the new facility. According to East Peoria Fire Chief John Knapp, the city is in talks with Illinois Central College on the possibility of building the new station on college property. The facility would be on Centennial Drive, near ICC's Dingledine Campus. "East Peoria Fire Department and Illinois Central College have had a great relationship over the years, and having a station on this property opens the door for a larger partnership down the road," Knapp noted. Knapp added that the location would decrease the fire department's overall emergency response time.  

Illinois State Police troopers and police, firefighters and paramedics from Rosemont responded about 7:38 a.m. Wednesday, October 20, 2021 to a report of a crash with entrapment involving a semi-trailer truck on I-90 EAST near Devon Avenue and Mile Post 77.5 in Rosemont. The truck driver was trapped under the dash of the tractor trailer, extricated by 7:57 a.m., and was transported to a nearby hospital. Two other crash victims were assessed by paramedics and were released or refused ambulance transport. Eastbound I-90 was backed up to Busse Road at 8:25 a.m. All lanes were re-opened by about 8:40 a.m.  

VIDEO: No one was seriously hurt when an airplane bound for Boston ran off a runway and burned Tuesday morning near Houston, authorities said. The McDonnell Douglas MD-87 was carrying 21 people when it rolled through a fence and caught fire while trying to take off from the Houston Executive Airport in Brookshire. Eighteen passengers and three crew members all survived, Sergeant Stephen Woodard of the Texas Department of Public Safety told reporters, describing the incident as "horrific." Two people were taken to area hospitals, the Waller County Sheriff's Office said. One person suffered a minor back injury, and the other person was experiencing respiratory issues, according to the sheriff's office. The 33-year-old plane is owned by Houston homebuilder J. Alan Kent.  

Tank the Dalmatian from Perry, Iowa, is headed to New York City. He will become the mascot dog for Ladder 20 of the New York City Fire Department in lower Manhattan. Tank is set to replace the dog Twenty, who was given to the Ladder company 20 years ago after they lost seven firefighters when the North Tower came down September 11, 2001. "I've always known about Twenty, who is the Dalmatian that the Rochester Sheriff gave to Ladder 20 of the New York Fire Department 20 years ago," said Sara Rubin of Iowa Dalmatians. "She was a donation after the towers collapsed where they lost seven people and it was a donation to help them heal." After Twenty died in 2018, word got out that a new dog was available, but the firefighters were not yet ready. Then, there was a Facebook post saying, "they were ready to love again," said Rubin.  

Listen for the skirl of bagpipes, the brassy wail of trombones and the screams of fire truck sirens Saturday morning in downtown Wilmington. What organizers are saying will be one of the largest parades in the city's history steps off at 10 a.m. honoring the 100th anniversary of the Wilmington Fire Department. The parade, expected to last more than two hours, begins in downtown Wilmington at 16th and King streets and will pass a reviewing stand on Rodney Square. It then will proceed to Fourth and King streets. It is open to the public and parking in the city is free. "It's going to be extraordinary," said Parade Chairman Mike Hare. "We wanted to have a parade worthy of celebrating the Wilmington Fire Department and I think we achieved it."  

A lawsuit on behalf of firefighters involved in the deadly Farmington explosion has been settled two years after the incident, according to an attorney. Six firefighters and the estate of Captain Michael Bell settled with C.N. Brown Company of South Paris and Techno Metal Post Maine of Manchester. No other details about the settlement were shared publicly. The lawsuit claimed negligence by both companies. Bell was the one person killed in the September 2019 blast. "While the settlement of the civil case ends the court action, the firefighters, especially the family of Michael Bell, will live with the effects of this tragic event forever," Walter McKee told News Center Maine in a statement Tuesday. An investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office found the explosion was caused by a gas line severed when posts were drilled into the ground, and the gas company's technician failed to do a required pressure check when refilling the emptied tank.  

The New Orleans fire department says it received a nice gift from the city: one thousand rapid COVID tests days before the city's vaccine mandate went into effect. "It's advantageous in that sense we can test when you get off work and then be ready by the following tour," said Aaron Mischler. Firefighters work on 24- and 48-hour shifts, so union leader Aaron Mischler says the once-a-week testing requirements work well for their firefighters. However, with an estimated 40 percent of the department unvaccinated, those one thousand tests will run out within a matter of weeks. "We brought it to the city office's attention there is a state statute, but no medical testing whatsoever cost of medical testing is to be passed onto the employee," said Mischler.