VIDEO: Two people were killed in a fiery head-on crash in Will County on Tuesday, Illinois State Police said. The crash happened just south of Wilmington on Route 113 near Bauer Road, police said. The crash involved two vehicles, a pickup truck and a passenger vehicle, which were fully engulfed in flames after the collision. Two people in the pickup truck were pronounced dead, police said. One person in the passenger vehicle was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Emergency crews were still on the scene at 6 a.m., and Route 113 is closed between Irish Lane and Bauer Road while officials investigate. Authorities did not immediately provide further information about the crash.  

VIDEO: A massive fire broke out on Chicago's South Side on Monday night, fire officials said. Flames engulfed a home in the Back of the Yards neighborhood's 5100 block of South Union Avenue, causing it to collapse. It is not yet clear if anyone was hurt in the fire. The Chicago Fire Department said no searches were conducted due to the collapse. Officials did not immediately provide further information about the fire.  

Local police and fire departments who may have trouble with recruitment may be in luck if a bill in the Illinois House of Representatives gets enough support from state lawmakers. State Rep. Dave Vella (D-68) introduces a new bill that could add more police and fire personnel locally through a two-year program at community colleges like Rock Valley College. This is something Vella's been working on for more than a year and a half. "I realized from talking to a lot of police officers, I left friends who are police officers, that the numbers of people applying are down and then start talking to firefighters, it's the same thing." Currently, high schoolers can take a fire safety and public safety course during their senior year.  

Peoria Firefighters are working to battle several house fires after an explosion near Monroe St. It happened just before 10:00 p.m. Monday night. Peoria Fire Chief Shawn Sollberge confirmed the explosion and working fire. According to the Peoria fire department, when they arrived on scene there was a working fire at a two-story apartment structure that was extending to the apartment structure next to it. Shortly after their arrival two explosions occurred. As of now the fire department does not know the cause of the explosions. The estimated cost of damages amounts to $250,000. No Injuries have been reported as of the time of this update.  

Sick and Tired. That's been the experience for staff at Danville's Fire Department. While on shifts, firefighters need to be available for 24 hours. The Danville Fire Chief, Aaron Marcott, said his staff needs to rest after working several days a week for that long. "The average firefighter works about 56 hours a week just as their normal schedule," Chief Marcott said. The Danville Fire Department has 13 of 12 firefighters required by law to cover a shift. But if one or two firefighters get sick or injured, someone has to cover an extra shift, which can put them under stress. "The loss of sleep, the heavy firefighter activity. Things like that just wear you down," Marcott said. "Of course, the PTSD element of it all [from] just being exposed to that many more calls than you should be."  

VIDEO: As lithium-ion battery fires continue to break out across New York City, Congressman Ritchie Torres is proposing new legislation to establish safety standards at the federal level. Torres, a Democrat representing parts of the Bronx, says that the proposal is aimed at preventing fires like the five-alarm inferno that tore through a borough supermarket on Sunday when an e-bike battery burst into flames. That blaze left seven people injured and took more than 200 firefighters to extinguish. The legislation would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish federal safety standards for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in personal mobility devices, like e-bikes. Torres is set to introduce the legislation Tuesday morning.  

VIDEO: The FDNY is still putting out hotspots after a fire destroyed a supermarket and laundromat in the Bronx over the weekend. Investigators were working Monday to try to figure out if the lithium-ion battery responsible for a fire that burned through a supermarket and homes in the Bronx was not approved. "There is nothing left and it is all because of this one single bike," FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said. As the sun came up Monday morning, the light poured into the Concourse Food Plaza and laundromat next door, showing nothing but debris and charred rubble. Officials say it was the result of an e-bike lithium-ion battery fire that started Sunday. "We have seven injuries, five firefighters, one member of EMS and one civilian, everyone is stable but this really shows you how incredibly serious this can be," Kavanagh said.  

President Joe Biden made history March 6 when he addressed hundreds of IAFF members at the 2023 Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference. It was the first time in 25 years that a sitting president spoke at an IAFF conference. Biden, a longtime supporter of the fire service, expressed his profound appreciation for firefighters and EMS professionals, remarking, "People don't appreciate you until they need you. When that bell rings … you jump in the truck, no matter what." Biden's commitment to firefighters has been evident throughout his career. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his American Rescue Plan helped cities hire firefighters and avoid massive layoffs. "You all know, the only thing that protects you is more firefighters," he said to a round of thunderous applause and a standing ovation.  

VIDEO: Mitchell LeRocque's 6-month-old son has a big smile on his face, and hair that's almost as red as the fire truck daddy rides in. He doesn't yet know how close he came to losing his father on Friday in those powerful storms that ripped through central Kentucky. "It's very unfortunate that it had to come to this with our station, but I feel very fortunate," LeRocque said 72 hours after his near-death experience. LeRocque was sitting inside Station 12 in Mercer County on Friday when the roof was blown off the top. "I heard a loud crack and initially I thought the building got struck by lightning. Then I looked up and saw bright light and saw there was no roof," he explained. The debris field from this damage stretches over several hundred yards.  

VIDEO: A St. Lucie County firefighter is breaking barriers and making history in the male-dominated sport of spearfishing. "I have been spearfishing since I was a kid," said Julie Higgs, a firefighter and paramedic with St. Lucie County. "I was 7 years old. I shot my first fish when I was 13." ulie Higgs comes from a family of first responders. "My dad is a retired fire captain from Palm Beach County. My mom worked for the fire department for a little while. My stepmom is a nurse. My sister is a nurse," said Higgs. She said what she learned on the water is what prepared her to be a firefighter. "When I grew up on the boat with my dad, I was his first mate. I did everything," said Higgs. "There are several things we do in our physical agility test, one being hoisting a rope over a rail, five stories tall; normally weighs about 45 pounds. I would watch people struggle with that, and I would think I've been pulling heavy anchors on a big sailboat my whole life. This is easy for me."