A fire that occurred on Saturday morning is being investigated by the Illinois State Fire Marshal. The Decatur Fire Department responded to a house fire on North Illinois Street around 8:00 a.m. According to the Fire Department, the fire was under control around 8:30. No injuries were reported, but the residents were relocated to the Red Cross, according to the Decatur Fire Department. The Fire Department also said the residents were not home at the time of the fire, but that the home was heavily damaged. Firefighters confirmed that the fire had begun in the basement but had extended to the walls and the attic. The responding firefighters cut holes in the roof to remove smoke and gas in the house and Ameren electric and gas responded to the scene to remove the utilities from the home.  

VIDEO: The Evanston Fire Department's Office of Emergency Management hosted an emergency preparedness fair Saturday, equipping residents of all ages with practical and life-saving tools. Folks from all stages of life were invited to Evanston's Robert Crown Community Center to gain valuable information that just might save a life. "Everybody can get a chance to learn something by the books that they have and by the other stuff," fifth grade student Jacob Chmilenko said. One of the hands-on trainings offered included learning CPR. "There are statistics out there that people are going to be more likely to have to provide that service if needed, so we want to make sure people are prepared," Division Chief Kimberly Kull said.  

VIDEOS/PHOTOS: An incident at a Rockdale County chemical facility early Sunday morning has prompted orders for many area residents to evacuate and others to shelter in place. A shelter-in-place order has been given to the entirety of Rockdale County. Around 5:30 a.m., a sprinkler at the BioLab plant on Old Covington Highway in Conyers malfunctioned and sprayed water on a chemical, causing a reaction that created a large, hazardous plume, which then began drifting to the northeast, Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said at a press briefing shortly after 10 a.m. The malfunction also caused a small fire on the BioLab roof, which was contained, McDaniel said. During a press briefing around 5:30 p.m., McDaniel said the roof collapsed due to the fire.  

Fire chiefs from Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the U.S. participated in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Urban Fire Forum (UFF) last week at NFPA headquarters in Quincy, MA, endorsing four important documents that address some of the most complex challenges facing the modern fire service. The documents, considered official UFF-Metropolitan Fire Chiefs (Metro Chiefs) position papers, take account of a wide-range of topics including enhancing firefighting safety, improving operational effectiveness, and promoting ethical decision-making in the face of emerging technologies and environmental concerns. "NFPA is proud of its longstanding support of fire departments worldwide through our Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association and the Urban Fire Forum," said NFPA president and CEO Jim Pauley.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Short on supplies, power and patience, storm victims who saw the brutal force of Helene upend their lives have emerged to a new week, facing the daunting challenge of rebuilding. Some of the roads and bridges they need to do the job aren't there anymore. Electricity could be a week away or longer. Emergency services are stretched. Communications infrastructure is in shreds. And neighbors, some of whose own homes are gone, are helping neighbors – all the while worrying about the fate of those from whom they haven't heard. At least 102 people have died across six states since Helene, which made landfall in Florida as a mammoth Category 4 hurricane, tore through the Southeast and left millions without power and communications.  

The number of people in the U.S. dying from drug overdoses is falling for the first time in years—and it's falling quickly. Nationwide, overdose deaths fell 12.2% between April 2023 and April 2024 from 110,771 to 97,309, according to CDC data released in September. In comparison, overdose deaths fell by 3% between 2022 and 2023, the first annual decrease since 2018 when the number of deaths was 67,367. Data from individual states shows even more drastic declines. In Ohio, for example, overdose deaths are down 32.6% so far this year compared to last, according to nonprofit Harm Reduction Ohio. And in Vermont, state health department data from January to June of this year shows overdose deaths have fallen about 16% compared to the average number of overdose deaths from the same period over the past three years.