VIDEO: One person was injured in a fire in West Town Wednesday night. The blaze broke out in the 1700-block of Superior Street, Just before 8 p.m., according to the Chicago Fire Department. Firefighters responded a little after 7 p.m. to a two-flat, and said they had to twice upgrade their response. Officials said a woman in her early 80s was taken from a bottom floor residence to Ascension St. Mary Hospital in serious but stable condition. No one else at the scene needed treatment or evacuation. Fire officials said parts of the building, including a portion of the roof, have collapse. Onlookers said the flames at one point were towering. "They got up to 30 feet tall. They were coming right from the middle, so firefighters were having a tough time getting to it until they got this really big ladder," said Eduardo Quezada, witness.  

The North Chicago Fire Department is mourning the loss of a 54-year-old retired firefighter who unexpectedly died on Monday, authorities said. The North Chicago Fire Department said Christopher Shearer, 54, served on the department for 20 years. Shearer grew up in North Chicago and "remained proud of his community." He began working for the department in August 1994 and retired in September 2014. Shearer, who also previously worked part-time at the Lake Villa Fire Protection District, leaves behind his mother, father and two daughters. "Please keep the family of Firefighter Shearer in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," fire officials said. Service arrangments will be announced at a late date, the department said.  

VIDEO: A Turano bread truck caught fire southbound on Interstate 55 at Route 6 Wednesday at approximately 5:51 a.m., according to Illinois State Police. ABC7 Chicago team members said the truck looked fully loaded, carrying a load of hamburger buns. Chopper 7 HD captured the aftermath, which included large plumes of white smoke and fire extinguishing chemicals on the roadway. State police said the truck driver acted fast to separate the trailer from the tractor after realizing the trailer was on fire. The driver walked away safely and no other injuries are reported. Police say that the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.  

The Peoria Fire Department respond to a house fire near Greenlawn Avenue and Ann Street Wednesday. According to a Peoria fire press release, fire crews responded at approximately 7:16 a.m., and could see heavy black smoke from a distance as they approached. When they arrived on the scene, they saw flames coming from the first floor. Crews used three lines to control the fire. They looked for occupants in the house but found none. After the main fire was extinguished, crews remained on the scene to put out hot spots. Investigators were called to the scene and determined the preliminary cause of the fire to be arson. The home sustained major damage and was deemed uninhabitable. No injuries have been reported at this time.  

VIDEO: Chicago firefighters responded to a fire in a laundromat on the Northwest Side Thursday morning. The fire is in the 5400-block of West Montrose Avenue in the Portage Park neighborhood. Chicago Fire Media said no injuries have been reported. Chopper 7HD flew above the scene as firefighters responded, with some smoke coming form the building.  

VIDEO: A spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed to 2 On Your Side Wednesday night that a national response team (NRT) has been deployed to Buffalo. WGRZ was told by the spokesperson that the NRT will support various Buffalo agencies in the investigation of the fire. A 37-year-old Buffalo firefighter died during the response to the 4-alarm fire. The firefighter is a 3-year veteran and was a member of Engine 2. During a press conference earlier Wednesday afternoon, Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo said they believe construction crews were working at DC Theatricks, located at 745 Main St., early Wednesday morning. "Workers working on the exterior of the building with some torches, workouts, a mortar and some brick, and we think that may have been the cause because of the origin of the fire," Renaldo said.  

Alachua County Fire Rescue celebrated its largest pinning ceremony to date as the department welcomed nearly 45 new firefighters, EMTs and paramedics to the team. The new recruits are preparing to hit the road and serve the community, just in time for the implementation of the department's three-week Kelly Day. This happens to be one of the largest contracts in the department's history. This new policy, which provides one paid day off every three weeks, will take effect on May 22 and is partially responsible for the department's significant increase in staff. Alachua County Fire Rescue recognizes the efforts of its staff every day and acknowledges they deserve the time to recuperate and balance work in their lives. "There's a large push for work-life balance and mental health wellness for public safety professionals throughout the country," Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor, 49, said. "We're no exception."  

VIDEOS: Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of a devastating home explosion in O'Fallon, Missouri. On March 1, 2022, a family was inside their home on Millers Court when they smelled gas. They managed to get out before an explosion across the street completely destroyed their home. The explosion was the result of a Gateway Fiber contractor striking a Spire natural gas line while digging to install fiber optic cables in the O'Fallon subdivision. The contractor stopped immediately and contacted Spire Energy, who quickly arrived, evacuated the area and attempted to repair the line. During the repair, an explosion occurred. About 40 homes, some as far as a mile away, were damaged by the gas explosion, and smoke could be seen for miles afterward. While there were no injuries, many were left hurting financially.  

Austin-Travis County EMS on Wednesday began housing medics inside Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to improve response times as a record-high number of passengers are flying in and out. EMS officials said that due to the increase in call volume to the airport, ambulances were unable to respond to other emergencies in the areas. Chief Robert Luckritz said many options were considered to address the number of calls it receives at the airport and determined that most patients did not need to be taken to a hospital by ambulance. "We looked at some creative solutions with our partners at AUS and came up with the idea to house paramedics inside the airport," Luckritz said. "Which will not only dramatically decrease our response time but also lessen the impact these incidents have on our overall system."  

A community on the North Shore is discussing an idea that would have police officers trained to become volunteer firefighters. The goal of the proposal is to help with recent staffing shortages in Manchester-by-the-Sea, but the firefighters union doesn't think it's a good idea. "The police department is understaffed," union president Bob Cavender said. "They're currently trying to hire more people. I don't see how taking on additional roles and responsibilities related to fire outside of their daily scope is a viable option." The once-robust group of volunteer firefighters that were there in the past no longer exists, according to the town administrator of Manchester-by-the-Sea. Firefighters said the town hasn't had one in about two years. The idea, Federspiel said, would be to have the volunteers help out at larger scenes where more resources are needed, not to replace career firefighters.