Authorities are looking into how an abandoned home caught fire in Metropolis. The fire department considered it suspicious. Metropolis Fire Department got a call a house was on fire at 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday. Crews rushed to the scene in the 1000-block of Broadway where they found flames inside the home. Firefighters extinguished the fire, along with hot spots. They were on the scene for roughly two hours. Metropolis fire personnel said one firefighter did receive an injury but refused medical treatment. They also said the home was abandoned and the fire is considered suspicious. They are in talks with city detectives and are looking into area cameras as part of the investigation. The fire department considers the home a total loss.  

When the power goes out, you hope to get that fixed quickly, but do you really know who or what it takes to make that happen? Ameren Illinois on Wednesday wanted to share that perspective with some of their customers and first responders. The Ameren Illinois Electric Operating Center in Marion, Illinois, held an Emergency Preparedness Open House. Employees gave city leaders, first responders, customers and members of the news media tours of some of the equipment they use daily. For dozens of those customers and first responders, Wednesday was enlightening. They got a look at the tools of the trade at Ameren Illinois' Marion operating center. Brian Dailey's very familiar with this stuff. "Anytime when a customer calls in a gas leak, you know, if it's inside or outside, I'll be the first responder," he says.  

Six townhomes caught on fire in Cecil Township on Wednesday. Crews were called to the scene at Georgetown Estates on Farm Road near Valley Brook Country Club. The call came in around 3:45 p.m. Four townhomes were destroyed while two others were damaged. Officials said the fire started in the garage of an end unit. Cecil Township's fire chief said some people were home at the time but everyone got out and there were no injuries. "We had heavy fire showing in two of the townhouses," Chief Noel McMullen said. "The fire got up above early on and traveled through the attic, spread to two other townhouses." Before firefighters arrived, neighbors like Ed Kramer jumped in to help get people out. "The first unit was under renovation and I yelled for people to get out," he said.  

PHOTOS: In the hands of 17-year-old Cristian Sciaudone, tiny pieces of plastic become collectible objects of memorabilia. During the pandemic, the North Andover teenager decided that he was going to create a Lego model of a firetruck from each of the 363 fire departments in Massachusetts. As of this spring, he's made it to more than 240 departments and pieced together more than 250 trucks. In the family home, there is a designated Lego room filled with the tiny treasures. Now a junior at North Andover High School, Cristian says that his interest in Legos began when he was about 5 years old. He could not imagine then that this recreational playtime toy he enjoyed as a child would become the source of a teenage entrepreneurial effort.  

VIDEO: On June 1, 2008, an enormous fire at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California destroyed a massive collection of irreplaceable recordings by some of the greatest musicians in American history. Nobody was seriously injured in the fire, but The New York Times referred to the disaster as "The Day the Music Burned." The Times estimated that between 120,000 and 175,000 master recordings were lost in the fire, which included songs by Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday and Judy Garland. Universal claimed the story exaggerated the number of recordings that were destroyed. The fire also destroyed a number of archived film copies, a set from "Back to the Future" and a popular King Kong-theme attraction.  

What does Subaru do with its new pre-production models that can't be sold? They are put to good use and are used to help emergency and first responders. Can customers purchase Subaru of America's new pre-production models at a discount? Unfortunately, they can't be sold to customers, but they are put to good use by the Camden, N.J. automaker. Subaru of America donated dozens of its new pre-production models, like the 2023 Subaru Outback midsize SUV, Impreza compact car, Ascent 3-Row SUV, Legacy midsize sedan, and other new models to North American Vehicle Rescue Association (NAVRA), to help train emergency responders in rescue operations of crash victims. Subaru can't sell the vehicles, so they donate the new cars that would otherwise be destroyed.