PHOTOS: No one was injured after a three-alarm fire destroyed a garage and a house in unincorporated Lake Villa Tuesday afternoon. The Lake Villa Fire Protection District and Lake County Sheriff's Office responded around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday to the 39300 block of North Cedar Crest Drive in unincorporated Lake Villa for a structure fire. Firefighters arrived to find two structures – a detached garage and a two-story house – engulfed in flames. Lake Villa Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Dane Costello told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that all the residents were able to evacuate. Fire officials believe the garage was the first to catch fire, spreading to the nearby house. A large column of smoke was seen in the distance. Crews conducted defensive fire operations the entire time but did enter the structure at least once, Costello said.  

VIDEO: Two members of the Peoria Fire Department will be honored by the state for their life-saving actions last year at a Peoria house fire. Capt. Nick Hansen and Tobi Roderick will receive the Firefighting Medal of Valor which is awarded by the Illinois State Fire Marshal's office. Such a recognition is very rare, with the last such medals coming close to 20 years ago. The department will hold a press conference on Tuesday, March 26 at the central fire house to honor the two men, who will also get kudos again during the 31st annual Firefighting Medal of Honor awards ceremony, held in mid-May in Springfield. Both were nominated for their rapid rescue of an unconscious victim in a house fire on April 17, 2023. Their fast intervention, tactical skills, and zero hesitation in risking their own lives saved the victim's life, according to the Peoria Fire Department.  

Flames and thick smoke could be seen coming from the clubhouse of a 55-plus community in Montgomery County Wednesday morning, leaving residents without one of the vital places in their lives. Firefighters could be seen pouring water onto the fire at the community center at the Village of Neshaminy Falls off Stump and Horsham roads in North Wales, Pennsylvania. There are hundreds of people living in the senior community, a resident told NBC10's Katy Zachry. Some of them witnessed flames coming from the clubhouse around 5:30 a.m. and called 911, Montgomery Township Fire Chief Bill Wiegman told NBC10. The rec center -- a lifeline for some residents where they gather do aerobics, play cards and gather for other activities -- had yet to open for the day when the fire began.  

VIDEO: Foxboro firefighters are now trained on a new tool to help patients while in the back of an ambulance. The ultrasound device is now equipped with artificial intelligence to better pinpoint someone's organs. "Ultrasound images inherently aren't clear pictures of what's going on inside, so having that quick step to say okay the algorithm in the computer is seeing what I'm looking at – now I know I'm in the right place," said Brian Foley, a Foxboro firefighter paramedic. The AI will actually label the organs on the screen of the iPad, so a paramedic can determine how severe an injury is more quickly, which is crucial when every minute could mean a matter of life or death. Foley says the AI allows them to pass along information to the hospital quicker as well to get the OR ready for a trauma patient.  

Ohio has launched the first program in the country to collect and destroy PFAS-laden firefighting foam. The takeback program is a statewide effort for fire departments to dispose their stores of Aqueous film forming foam, otherwise known as AFFF – one of the most pervasive sources of "forever chemicals." Until now, Ohio fire departments have had no way of getting rid of their stores of foam, which can risk residents' health if the foam contaminates soil and drinking water. While there are no official figures, state officials estimate there are tens of thousands of gallons of the foam in Ohio, which has been piling up while waiting on a solution. AFFF is a firefighting tool that's been used since the 1960s. It also happens to contain PFAS, which are man-made chemicals coming under increased regulatory scrutiny for its links to certain cancers, increased infertility, and other health risks.  

VIDEO: A national non-profit organization that teaches veterans, first responders, and active military members the art of beekeeping is looking to expand its local operation this year. At Hives for Heroes, veterans in Rapid City get paired up with an experienced mentor who teaches them about the hobby. This non-profit organization brings people together through beekeeping, providing connection, purpose, and healthy relationships. "It's kind of a unity thing to say we're working on something bigger; we're just one part of this bigger organism, and it's the same with those who have been in the military, the police department, the fire department, ambulance crews; you're just a small part of it, and coming here, it's the same thing, and we're all working for the same outcome," said Brian Maschino, mentor at Hives for Heroes.