Three minors are in the hospital after a fire at a Chicago Housing Authority building in the city's Douglas neighborhood Wednesday afternoon. "When initial companies arrived, there was heavy fire on the fourth floor," said Deputy District Chief John Giordano. "We extinguished the fire pretty quickly and there were three children that were transported to Comer Children's with non-life threatening injuries." According to officials with the Chicago Fire Department, all three children were under 12 years old and taken from a six-story apartment building in the 2900 block of South State Street around 1 p.m. to Comer Children's Hospital. Fire officials said one of the children suffered a minor burn, while the other two experienced slight smoke inhalation.  

PHOTOS: A fire broke out at a home in unincorporated Orland Township Tuesday night. Around 10:30 p.m., a homeowner in the 165000 block of Lee Avenue called 911 to report that he suspected his property may have been struck by lightning. He stated that his house shook and that he was experiencing electrical issues. Additionally, the homeowner walked through the house to check all the rooms but did not see anything out of the ordinary. He said he also checked the attic but didn't notice any damage. The Orland Fire Protection District sent crews to the home to do an inspection. Minutes later, the homeowner called 911 again and told the dispatcher that he smelled a heavy odor of smoke. The response was then upgraded to a reported structure fire. Firefighters arrived at the scene in minutes and found heavy smoke coming from the back of the house.  

VIDEO: The Charleston Fire Department will be celebrating a milestone anniversary this weekend: their 150th. For more than a century, the Charleston Fire Department has served generations of people. Countless firefighters have called the station their second home. Last month marked the big milestone. "Well, I take exceptional pride in it because my dad actually started here as a as a firefighter in the '90s," Lieutenant Jordan Philpott said. He said continuing his father's legacy adds a whole new meaning to his job. "You know, as a kid, growing up and being able to come into the fire station and being exposed to that, it made me have the desire to do it," Philpott said. "And so that's that's what got me here today." The Charleston Fire Department was established in 1874. About 100 years later, in the 1970s, they took over the ambulance service from a private company.  

A large commercial fire in Rosemead sent up thick plumes of black smoke visible from throughout the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles. The three-alarm fire was burning on River Avenue just south of the 10 Freeway at a pallet yard where 55-gallon drums were also being consumed by flames. The exact nature of the materials on fire was not immediately known, but a hazardous materials team was responding to the scene, By around 3:30 p.m. firefighters had extinguished most of the visible flames but smoldering materials continued to emit thick clouds of smoke. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No major injuries were reported but one firefighter was treated for heat-related illness. Local residents and people who worked in the area were astonished at the sight.  

VIDEO: In Gwinnett County, EMS first responders do a thorough inspection of each ambulance in their fleet every day. It's protocol before responding to an emergency call. Fire Chief Frederick Cephas said it's critical to keep his medic units in top mechanical shape, and the time has come to replace a dozen of them before they break down. "So, what we're in the midst of doing is replacing these vehicles, and instead of replacing them with a brand-new vehicle, we instead are doing what we call a remounting process, and that's taking the patient compartment and putting it on a brand-new chassis," Cephas said. The chief said a brand-new ambulance costs about $450,000. But his plan to remount the patient compartment on a new chassis instead is a savings of about $200,000 to taxpayers per unit.  

VIDEO: Research indicates firefighters are at a higher risk of getting and dying from esophageal cancer. The Fort Worth Fire Department wants to get ahead of it. On Wednesday, the department began esophageal cancer testing at its training facility, which will last through the end of next week. "We've done some other cancer screenings, but the previous cancer screenings that we do do not detect the esophageal cancer, which… with our job… we're at a greater risk than the general public," said Jason Cearley, a battalion chief with the department. The Firefighter Cancer Support Network says firefighters have a 62% higher risk of getting esophageal cancer, and a 39% increased risk of dying from it than others, citing research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.  

VIDEO: The FDNY has launched a new $1 million ad campaign to raise awareness on the dangers of lithium-ion batteries. Starting soon, officials say New Yorkers will start seeing safety ads on subways, buses, and social media. Yesterday, the FDNY posted an example of one of those ads on 'X' saying, "In 2023, 133 lithium-ion batteries exploded while they weren't even charging." Since 2019, these batteries have started 733 fires, killed 29 New Yorkers and injured more than 442 others, according to the FDNY. Department officials say 55 of those injuries happened in 2024. Today, we asked Bronx residents just how effective they think these ads will actually be. "I think it will bring some awareness," said Juan Ortiz. "Now will that completely eliminate the usage. Probably not. But I think awareness helps."