VIDEO: A million-dollar, one year agreement between South Beloit and the Town of Beloit helps Sonya Hoppes rest easier. "I'm going to be sleeping much better when I know that our department in the City of South Beloit is going to be staffed with full-time people all the time," says Sonya – South Beloit's city administrator. The official states it's taken over a decade to accomplish a deal sharing emergency services. In March, South Beloit city council approved an agreement between the cross-state line communities letting the Town of Beloit manage and staff its fire department. Over the years, Sonya says the department's been "hanging by thread" due to recruitment and scheduling struggles: the city offered part-time positions but couldn't maintain a full-time station.  

VIDEO/PHOTO: On Tuesday, first responders hurry to extinguish a garage fire at a southeast Rockford residence. Around 7:30 a.m., Rockford firefighters responded to a residential fire on the 1100 block of S. Sixth Street. First responders on the scene reported fire showing from the attached garage. Firefighters worked to prevent the blaze from creeping into the rest of the home and rescue residents. Rockford Fire Department rescued five residents and 11 animals from the fire. No injuries are known at this time. The fire is under investigation. The Rockford Fire Department estimates the fire caused $60,000 in damage.  

PHOTOS: An explosion was reported as a fire ripped through an RV Tuesday in Peabody, Massachusetts, sending three people to hospitals. Video shared with NBC10 Boston showed flames erupting from a vehicle, and footage from Walker Road showed firefighters surrounding an RV that was nearly completely gutted by fire. Peabody Fire Chief Jay Dowling said Tuesday afternoon that firefighters responded to multiple calls reporting an RV explosion. Crews arrived to find the RV fully involved, with a concern that the fire could spread to nearby houses. Dowling said two victims were airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, while a third was brought to Lahey Hospital in Burlington. He did not give any information on the victims' conditions.  

VIDEO: Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs joined Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski and others to promote fire safety ahead of the Fourth of July. There are over 10,600 home fires that are started by grills each year, according to the National Fire Protection Association. During the summer, and especially in the upper Midwest, data also shows a significant increase in homeowners' insurance claims due to fires started by grilling activities. "Fire is a good thing if you control it," Lipski said. "We keep the grills from the home. We don't keep the grills unattended, have a garden hose at the ready. Simple basic things." Tuesday's gathering was part of USAA's "Huddle Up for Home Fire Prevention & Safety" campaign. Jacobs wore a fire-safe coat to demonstrate how to safely extinguish flames in the event of a fire.  

VIDEO/PHOTO: July 6 marks the 80th remembrance of the deadliest single building or building complex fire in Connecticut history. The infamous Hartford Circus Fire happened on July 6, 1944. An estimated 168 people died that day, and experts say there were almost certainly more who lost their lives. Natalie Belanger, a public programs manager for the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, estimates there were between 8,000 and 9,000 people under the big top that sweltering summer afternoon. "They're really only a few minutes into this matinee show when a fire breaks out on one of the sidewalls of the tent," Belanger said. "Some people thought it was part of the act. Some people just thought, ‘well, there's a fire, but they'll put it out. Let's stay put.'"  

Violence and mass shootings often surge in the summer months, especially around the Fourth of July, historically one of the deadliest days of the year. A flurry of shootings around the holiday a year ago left more than a dozen people dead and over 60 wounded. Just two years ago, another mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade left seven people dead near Chicago. The Gun Violence Archive, which tracks mass shootings involving four or more people regardless of whether they died, shows June, July, and August have had the highest total number of mass shootings over the past decade. The lowest totals were from December through March. Independence Day topped the list with 58 mass shootings over the last 10 years — closely followed by July 5, according to the archive.