The expectation for high winds Wednesday along with dry conditions has fire crews on high alert. The National Weather Service issued a Fire Weather Watch for Boone, DeKalb, Lee, Ogle and Winnebago counties effective all day Wednesday, April 12. A Fire Weather Watch is issued when conditions are right for fires to start and spread rapidly. Fire officials are urging residents to avoid outdoor burns, like bonfires, prairie burns, yard waste burns and outdoor cooking until the watch has passed. According to the National Fire Protection Association, the majority of wildfires are caused by human activities and include sources like discarded cigarettes, unattended campfires, burning waste or equipment malfunctions.  

Fire crews were on scene for hours battling a fire just west of West Frankfort Tuesday night. West Frankfort fire crews got the call around 7:20 p.m. for a structure fire on Rome Road. Upon arrival, fire and smoke were seen coming from a barn, roughly 30 feet away from a house. Mutual aid arrived on scene from area fire departments to help with the fire. Smoke and fire were seen from miles away. A West Frankfort fire member said they were on scene for three hours due to water supply issues. He said the structure a total loss. The fire didn't spread to the home.  

PHOTOS: More than 2,000 residents are under an evacuation order after a large fire broke out at an Indiana recycling plant on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Any resident within a half-mile radius of the plant in Richmond, Indiana, has been ordered to evacuate due to the "large industrial fire," local officials said. The evacuation zone impacts approximately 2,011 residents, according to a representative from the Wayne County Emergency Management office. Anyone downwind of the incident should shelter in place, according to officials. "The smoke is definitely toxic," Indiana State Fire Marshal Stephen Jones told reporters during a press briefing. "We don't want the residents in the smoke. As the wind changes we may change the direction of the evacuations."  

VIDEO: A legacy FDNY firefighter took his final ride with his Brooklyn firehouse after 40 years on the job. Throughout his career, 65-year-old Robert Thomas broke barriers and turned his job into a family affair. "I said when I'm leaving I'm going to have claw marks on the floor," Robert Thomas said. On Monday, his journey with the New York City Fire Department 40 plus years in the making came to an end after reaching the mandatory retirement age. He's leaving a mark in more ways than one with three adult sons following in his footsteps as members of the FDNY. The Thomas family is believed to be one of the largest legacy families of color on the force. "The single most important memory was having my boys on the back step," Robert Thomas said. "The things we did that entire day are priceless."  

VIDEO: A new alerting system has been installed across all Spokane Valley Fire Department stations, with the goal of reducing response times and improving overall firefighter health. "It's easy when you love the job. We love what we do, certainly there are stressors," SVFD Station 7 Firefighter/Paramedic Jeff Smetzler said. Being a firefighter isn't an easy job, you must love it entirely to stick with it, and that's something Smetzler knows well – he joined the SVFD team in 2001. After a few months of installation, a new alert system is up and running across all ten valley stations. It's called Phoenix G2; the difference between the previous system and this new one is that instead of speakers and lights coming on abruptly when dispatch calls come in, they are gradually increased under the G2 system.  

VIDEO: Like many states, Texas still faces a shortage of people in emergency medical services. As a way to help get more to join the field, Acadian Ambulance is offering a short 11-day, entry-level course. "The more credentialed individuals that we have on the street means that there's more trucks on the street. We can get to our community a lot faster," Kristine Koerner, a recruiter for Acadian Ambulance, said. She said since the pandemic, there has been a nationwide problem with finding people to join the EMS field. "With the economy the way that it is, I think that it's going to be a battle that we see for the near future at least," Koerner said. In December, KSAT 12 News reported about the Texas legislature setting aside $21.7 million for EMS education and retention as a part of Senate Bill 8 to help combat the shortage.  

A November investigation by the United States Department of Labor has uncovered that a Pennsylvania Dollar General willfully exposed workers to dangerous safety standards. The store, located in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, subjected workers to safety hazards that included blocked emergency exit routes and electrical panels. "Exposing employees to these hazards can be dangerous, especially in an emergency," said OSHA Area Director Mary Reynolds in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. "Dollar General Corp. has a substantial history of the same violations and hazards found at stores all around the U.S. They must end their repeated failures to correct these violations before an emergency turns tragic." Findings like this aren't new to the retail chain as Dollar General has generated nearly $15 million in penalties since 2017.