PHOTO: A 1 1/2-story home in South Peoria was demolished after a fire caused so much damage that it couldn't be saved, the fire department said. According to Battalion Chief Larry Carter, crews were called at 11:22 p.m. to the 2900 block of West Marquette Avenue on a report of fire. When they arrived, they saw a fully engulfed house with fire showing through the roof. Extra crews were called due to the size of the blaze. The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes. The house appeared to be vacant but there were reports of possible squatters living inside. However, no one was found inside the building. The cause of the fire was still under investigation. Damage was estimated at $80,000 which was so extensive that an emergency demolition order was placed. There was no reported injuries, the department said.  

Firefighters were called to the same Decatur address two days in a row for a pair of fires that they're now deeming "suspicious." Around 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday, the Decatur Fire Department responded to a vacant house in the area of North Summit and West Garfield Avenues. Half of the house was already heavily engulfed in fire by the time crews started arriving. It was determined that the fire started in the garage. As firefighters attacked the flames, the Incident Commander alerted Decatur Police and The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal to the fire's suspicious nature. On Wednesday, crews were called to the address again for another fire. This time, officials said it appeared to have a started elsewhere. Battalion Chief Elder, the Decatur Police Department, and the State Fire Marshal continue to investigate.  

A recycling business in Kilgore was burning Wednesday night. Kilgore, Sabine, and White Oak fire departments were working to extinguish a structure fire at Rivers Recycling. The facility is located at 298 FM 1252 West in Kilgore. Kilgore Fire Marshal Ryan Riley says dispatch received the call reporting a structure fire just before 6 p.m. By the time Kilgore firefighters made it to the scene and set up, the fire had quickly spread to the entire facility. "In this particular area, water supply is always a big issue. There are fire hydrants out here, this is a rural water supply, and it's not the City of Kilgore's water supply, so it's kind of limited on that. But when you get into recycling and the amount of stuff that's in that particular facility, it would take a lot of water, probably more than even a normal fire hydrant could supply," Riley said.  

VIDEO: Firefighters in South Los Angeles said they had to physically fight a man off after he attacked a fire truck in a caught-on-camera confrontation. A Station 16 fire truck was on its way to respond to a crash when the man suddenly climbed aboard the fire engine. "We were literally responding to a traffic collision and this guy just came out of nowhere, jumped in front of the engine and just started punching it," said Andrew Chaing, a firefighter/paramedic who was in the truck at the time of the incident. According to Chaing, the bizarre encounter happened on June 7 near the intersection of Central Avenue and Nadeau Street, roughly half a mile from the fire station. Video shows the man punching the windows of the truck before he turned on the firefighters.  

PHOTOS: Seattle firefighter Denny Kimball has found a passion that ignites his creativity and inspires station solidarity. The veteran firefighter uses his artistic talent to create patches for fire stations, from an homage to Jimi Hendrix to a Green Lake swamp creature. Kimball's unique patch designs reflect the gritty and heroic nature of firefighting. Kimball, who currently drives Ladder 3 in the Central District, estimates that he's created about 75 patch designs. "Around 30, I think, are being used in the Seattle Fire Department," said Kimball. "And I've got a couple out of Puget Sound Fire, Burlington, King County District 2, Renton." Kimball has long family ties to the Seattle Fire Department. "My father retired out of Seattle with 30 years," he said.