The East Peoria Fire Department said it responded to an industrial accident on Thursday afternoon in the 500 block of West Camp Street. The department responded at 2:18 p.m. to 520 W. Camp St. The accident involved an adult male who suffered a significant arm injury, and was transported to OSF St. Francis Medical Center, the department stated. While the department in its news release didn't state what company that was, online maps show that's a UPS facility. A message left with UPS in East Peoria was not immediately returned.  

VIDEO: A dangerous chemical spill in the western suburbs prompted a HAZMAT response Thursday evening, when a toxic and deadly gas was accidentally concocted during routine pool maintenance. Just before 5:30 p.m., the Warrenville Fire Department responded to The Westlyn apartment complex in the 28000 block of Diehl Road. The call was soon upgraded to a box alarm, prompting a response from HAZMAT technicians in surrounding communities, officials said. Fire officials confirmed that chlorine and muriatic acid were spilled on accident. The dangerous combination creates chlorine gas. Technician level teams made entry into the building to contain, neutralize, and remove the product from the building. Officials said inside, they discovered a ‘hazardous vapor cloud.'  

VIDEO: Another vacant home in Peoria was intentionally set on fire Thursday evening, and the fire department said the building in the city's West Bluff will have to be demolished. Firefighters were called about 6:45 p.m. to the 1900 block of North North Street, near West Nebraska Avenue. They found fire on both floors, said Battalion Chief Ryan Calhoun in a news release. He said firefighters cut a ventilation hole in the roof to release "super-heated gases" and improve conditions for crews working inside. No one was hurt. A fire investigator believes arson was the cause. Damage is estimated at $40,000, and a city building inspector ordered an emergency demolition of the home.  

PHOTOS: More than a dozen apartments were destroyed by fire Thursday afternoon in Greenville County, South Carolina. The fire started just before 1 p.m. at the Stoneledge Plantation Apartments at the corner of Roper Mountain Road and Garlington Road. The Boiling Springs Fire Department said 16 apartments were burned and two other buildings were damaged by heat. The fire started toward the front of building 17, melting siding on surrounding buildings. Everyone made it out. A few residents were treated for minor injuries, and one firefighter was taken from the scene by EMS for minor injuries, fire officials said. Residents say at least one person had to jump from a second story balcony to escape. A fire official said the flames progressed quickly through the attic space.  

VIDEO: According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, a man has been arrested after a video showed a car racing around a fire truck with lights and sirens on in April. Deputies said 25-year-old Elijah Grove-Thomas faces felony and misdemeanor charges. According to Orange County Fire Rescue, the incident happened near Sand Lake and Winegard as they responded to a car fire. When they arrived, they say the crew "encountered large crowds" and cars "involved in street racing." The trouble started when the truck tried to leave after finding no car fire. Orange County Fire Rescue says as the truck tried to leave, someone driving recklessly around it prevented the truck from returning to service. They say once the sheriff's office arrived, the cars left.  

PHOTOS: Anthony Cardiff knows exactly where he was on Aug. 21, 1963, even though it was nearly 60 years ago. It was the day he lost a leg; 19 other people were injured, and three Ashland firefighters were killed by an oil tank explosion at the Centre Coal Company off Route 9 in Framingham. "I remember there was no pain and I sat up," said Cardiff, who was 12 at the time. "I sat up and remember grabbing my pant leg and seeing the blood and my foot was gone. I think I passed out after that." The 60th anniversary of the deadly fire is Monday. Ashland Fire Chief Charles Moran, Lt. Norman E. Barry and firefighter John Rebenacker died while fighting the fire. Cardiff and his then 8-year-old brother, Michael, saw the smoke from the porch of their 11 Merriam Road home just before 7 p.m.  

There were an estimated 42,795 fatalities due to motor vehicle crashes in 2022, down by 0.3% from the year prior, according to early estimates released in April 2023 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While a reduction in crash-related deaths, even one as slight as this, is generally positive, the facts remain deeply concerning: Crash-related deaths rose more than 10% in 2021 and more than 7% the year before that, marking a disturbing trend leading into and persisting through the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the most recent full year of traffic-death data available, drunken driving fatalities rose by 14% from 2020. Monge and Associates cited data from NHTSA to identify states with the highest rate of fatalities from car accidents involving at least one drunken driver.