Chicago fire officials said three people were injured, two critically, in an apartment fire Tuesday evening. The third person was in serious condition, CFD said. Firefighters were called to a high rise building in the 4600-block of North Sheridan between Lawrence and Wilson shortly after 5 p.m., a Chicago Housing Authority senior building called the Ella Flagg Young Apartments. Firefighters could be seen inside a fourth floor unit with a window that had been broken out. Officials said the fire was contained to that unit. The immediate concern for first responders were the elderly residents of the high-rise and their mobility, and if they needed to evacuate anyone. Not many residents were outside the building, so it's possible the fire department had residents shelter in place. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but it was put out by 6 p.m.  

An 83-year-old woman is being treated at a Rockford hospital burn unit after a house fire early Tuesday morning destroyed her home. A volunteer firefighter with the Limestone Fire Protection District also suffered a broken wrist while trying to put the fire out at the house, located in the 2100 block of West Barker Avenue, according to Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins. The cause of the fire, the sheriff said, appears to have been from the woman smoking in bed near her oxygen tank. She and her son, 49, were transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation, the sheriff said. According to a report filed at the Peoria County Sheriff's office, the woman and her son were found by a deputy sitting on the porch. Inside the house, the report said, was black smoke. The deputy brought the woman to his squad car for her to sit.  

A house exploded early Tuesday morning in a West Park neighborhood, reducing it to rubble. It happened in the 5200 block of Southwest 20th Street, just south of Pembroke Road. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue received word of the blast around 12:30 a.m. When firefighters arrived there was no fire, but there was debris all over the place. "The home was completely destroyed," said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane. "At this point, we don't know the source of the explosion, we just know that the explosion was caused by some type of gas," he added. The explosion could be heard for miles. Those who live in the neighborhood where it happened were stunned.  

On Tuesday, Dec. 19, the Springfield City Council wasted little time in unanimously approving a set of four bills that joins the city with a statewide pool of funding that provides benefits for firefighters who get any of the 17 different types of cancer the program covers. Known as the Missouri Fire Fighters Critical Illness Trust and Pool, the program was established by a pair of Senate Bills in 2021 and 2022 led by local State Senator Lincoln Hough. As part of the statewide pool, Springfield will contribute an estimated $28,545 to be enrolled for one calendar year. Springfield firefighters can receive up to $300,000 in benefits, the maximum amount available through the program. The cancers covered in the MFFCIP are bladder, brain, breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, lung, melanoma, mesothelioma, multiple myeloma, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, prostate, rectal, skin, stomach, testicular and thyroid.  

VIDEO: Fire officials have rescued a man who was trapped under material at a Paulding County concrete plant. The incident happened Tuesday at Wayne Davis Concrete along Hailey Path in Dallas, Georgia. Paulding County fire officials confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that a man in his mid-30s became stuck in a hopper. Emergency crews were up against time during the dramatic rescue. Their skills played a huge role as they rescued a worker who was nearly neck-deep into three tons of sand. "We got here and we couldn't actually see the top of his head," said Lt. Josh Collier of the Paulding County Fire Department. Not long after that, there was a second collapse of material burying the man even deeper. "You can see it's approximately 20 to 25 feet down. He had material on top of him and underneath him so he was trapped," Collier explained.  

VIDEO: A local fire station is using a unique tool to educate the public on fire safety. The Emporia Fire Department has a new inflatable safety house. The department was awarded a grant from Clint Boyer's 79 Fund in the summer, and now is ready to show this fire safety house to the public. Boyer's 79 Fund is a grant supporting education, health and safety. "We were looking at ways we can improve our public education and came across it," Emporia Fire Department Training Officer Matt Luder said. "It's lot more engaging and captures people's attention a lot more than just simple question and answer sessions." It comes with a lot of things like any standard house would, but with some educational aspects. "So it's laid out kind of like a house; there's a kitchen area, living room, bedroom areas and on the walls there's pictures of different things," Luder said.