VIDEO: One is dead and another is seriously injured after a fire broke out in south suburban Hickory Hills on Tuesday morning, the Robert Parks Fire Protection District said. The flames broke out around 1:30 a.m. in a nine-unit building on 80th Court and 87th Street, according to Roberts Park Fire Protection District Fire Chief Jeff Ketchen. Firefighters found two people, identified only as male, inside a first-floor unit's kitchen area. One of the victims did not survive. The other victim was taken to Advocate Christ Hospital in serious condition. "The area of origin was a bedroom. The fire was contained to the bedroom. The occupants were found in the kitchen. It's possible that they were trying to make their way out," Ketchen said. Smoke quickly spread, sending residents running for safety.  

VIDEO: It's been three months since a tragedy hit Teutopolis. On Sept. 29, a tanker truck carrying anhydrous ammonia got into a crash on Route 40, just east of the village. It caused around half of the 7,500 gallons of ammonia the truck was carrying to leak out, which killed 5 people. Since then, the small village in Effingham County with a population of around 1,600 residents has rallied together to organize events and give back to first responders. Jerry Runde of the Teutopolis Civic Club will never forget the day. He said someone warned him seconds before he smelled ammonia. "Somebody ran to the hall and ran right towards us and said they got a phone call, you need to evacuate, there's been an anhydrous spill," he told WCIA.  

Fire fighters here in the state are joining the fight against cancer. January is Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month, and the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois is partnering with groups to educate those about cancer prevention and survival. Chuck Sullivan, president of AFFI said occupational cancer is the leading cause of line of duty deaths in the fire service because of the exposure to many toxic chemicals. "We know when we take that oath that this is a dangerous job, there's no question about that, and we understand that we might make the ultimate sacrifice during a shift," he said. Each week the partnership is providing a different course of education including how they can protect themselves at the station, on fire ground and while they're off duty. The final week will be presentations from cancer survivors.  

The former Gault Middle School in Tacoma is on fire early Wednesday morning. The Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) responded to the building at around 4 a.m. Crews chose not to go inside because the building has been designated as "dangerous and derelict." The fire department has responded to multiple fires at this building since it was vacated over a decade ago. TFD said they do not know for sure if there is anyone inside, but there are no indications of that so far. The burn started in the back of the building, which was inaccessible to firefighters when they arrived. Instead, they waited for the roof to burn off and started attacking it from multiple ladders. The roof is completely gone in several places.  

There has been a barrier-breaking first on Long Island. On Tuesday, a fire department created back in 1898 swore in its first Afro/Latino fire commissioner. In a very diverse community, African-American leaders say that's reason to celebrate. Rasheen "Roc" Williams' extended family and his fire department family applauded him in a historic first. One of Long Island's most diverse communities, Brentwood is 85% Hispanic and Black, but has never had a black fire commissioner in its 125-year history, until now. Williams is Black and Latino. "I'm humble about it. I accept the mantle, but that's not what I ran for. I ran to do right by my community," Williams said. He began saving lives just out of high school. "Me and my cousins were walking by the firehouse and said, 'I wonder what's in there.' So they dared me," Williams said.  

VIDEO: Maury County first responders are getting more reports of car crashes - not from people, but from an emergency iPhone feature. It senses when you go from a high rate of speed to suddenly stopping and will automatically call 911. "We receive these calls very often," Maury County Fire Department's Savannah Maddison said. Deputy Fire Chief Richard Schatz said on New Year's Day a driver drove off the roadway, and crashed over rocks, before landing in a creek. The iPhone's crash alert system called 911 and relayed coordinates to emergency responders. "We were able to come upon a scene where a car was in the middle of a creek - thankfully the occupant inside the vehicle was able to get himself out safely, but if he had been trapped or unconscious, that iPhone notification absolutely would've saved his life," Maddison said.