A man and woman died in a West Side blaze Thursday morning that sent one man jumping from a second-floor window. A rear portion of home collapsed while firefighters worked to extinguish flames that engulfed the two-story home in the 500 block of North Lawler Avenue, according to police and fire officials. Crews spotted the first victim, a woman, dead in the home's attic, fire department spokesman Larry Langford said. Crews later uncovered a man dead on the second floor, he said. Their names and autopsy results haven't been released by the Cook County medical examiner's office. The man who survived the fire jumped from a second-story window and went to Stroger Hospital, Langford said. He was in good condition with a leg injury, police said. Crews responded about 9:15 a.m. to the blaze and extinguished the fire within 20 minutes, Langford said.  

Dwight Fire Protection District and Dwight EMS were dispatched to a vehicle vs. train incident at 10:27 a.m. on Thursday, January 21, 2021 located at railroad crossing at the cross streets East 3200 North Road and East 3300 North Road. Vehicle was rolled over in the ditch fully involved in fire upon DFPD's arrival. Dwight firefighters quickly pulled a line and began extinguishing the fire. DFPD Fire Chief Paul Johnson reported that it appeared as if the vehicle crossed the tracks and was hit by the train. Upon extinction of fire one male was found deceased in the driver's seat. Livingston county coroner was called to the scene. Identification withheld due to next of kin being notified. Gardner EMS received a medical refusal from Norfolk Southern Railway train engineer who reported no injuries. The railroad crossing appeared to be in working order.  

A fourth person has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a retired Chicago fire lieutenant during an attempted carjacking, police announced Thursday. Jaylen Saulsberry, 19, of Chicago Heights, was charged with one count of first-degree murder and on three warrants. According to Chicago police, Barron was placed into custody at approximately 5:15 p.m. Tuesday night after being extradited from Pennsylvania. The charges stem from the fatal shooting of 65-year-old Dwain Williams, a retired Chicago fire lieutenant, during an attempted carjacking on Dec. 3. A 20-year-old man, an 18-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy have also been charged in the shooting. Williams was shot and killed as he left a gourmet popcorn shop "Let's Get Poppin," located in the 11700 block of South Western Avenue in Chicago's Beverly Woods neighborhood, according to police.  

To help ensure safe working conditions for firefighters, state Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) is highlighting the availability of new training materials for fire departments, including a comprehensive safety and health compliance guide from the Illinois Department of Labor. "Firefighters often work in dangerous conditions as they respond to emergencies, and face additional risks to their health and wellness due to the pandemic," Stuart said. "These new resources provide practical advice to make sure fire departments are in compliance with occupational safety and health standards that exist to help keep their employees safe." The Illinois Department of Labor, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (IL-OSHA) recently issued an Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Guide for Fire Departments, which covers the fire department inspection process, training requirements, frequently asked questions and realistic best practices to enhance firefighter safety.  

An investigation launched last May after a massive fire gutted a downtown building and injured two firefighters has been handed over to Kewanee police detectives. A State Fire Marshall spokesman confirmed to the Star Courier Thursday that fire investigators, led by the Kewanee Fire Department, had concluded their investigation of the May 14 fire at 224 S. Second St. He deferred further comment to Kewanee police. Police Chief Nick Welgat confirmed later Thursday his department has taken over the case and that it is being categorized as an arson investigation. "There is an ongoing criminal investigation into the fire," Welgat said. "Once the investigation is concluded, any charges found to be valid will be presented to the (Henry County) state's attorney."  

VIDEO: A massive fire at a potato plant in Walden brought fears of an exploding ammonia tank, forcing the evacuation of nearly a third of the town for several hours. The fire broke out at the Washington Potato Plant around 5:30 p.m. in one of the dehydrators, according to Kyle Foreman with the Grant County Sheriff's Office. Employees that were in the building made it out safely as the flames spread, eventually engulfing much of the plant. Among the items in the burning building was large 5,500 gallon ammonia tank that firefighters worried could explode and send a toxic cloud over the region, and officials issued an urgent immediate evacuation notice for the surrounding area. Officials went door to door urging nearby residents to leave as firefighters asked for help from all fire departments in Grant County to help contain the flames. By 8 p.m., more than two dozen firefighting crews were at the blaze, Foreman said.  

Andrea Hall, a career firefighter and union leader from Fulton County, Ga., led the Pledge of Allegiance during the inauguration of President-elect Biden. Hall recited the familiar words of the pledge out loud and in American Sign Language. According to The 19th, a nonprofit news organization, Hall was the first Black woman hired and assigned to a station at the City of Albany Fire Department, and then the first Black woman to serve as fire captain at Fulton County Fire Rescue. She was a rare woman in an industry dominated by men — just 1% of firefighters were women when she transferred in to Fulton County, The 19th reports. "I just am intending to represent, my family, the city of South Fulton, women, African-American women, firefighters, and everyone in the nation, well," Hall told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Hall presented the pledge in sign language, which is unusual for an inauguration.  

State of the art technology that can help save lives when seconds count is now in Southwest Florida. A patient's information can be sent directly to a doctor in real time. We learned how this will help evaluate medical emergencies before arriving at the ER. North Collier Fire Control and Rescue District recently bought new technology that helps paramedics get patient information to hospitals before they show up. "The 65 and overs that arrived by an ambulance, 45% of them didn't even need to be admitted into the hospital," Deputy Fire Chief Jorge Aguilera said. "So if you can imagine what they determine is there's potential savings of over $559 million each year to the health care cost." Instead, when doctors receive information before the patient arrives in front of them, they could start assessing vitals, looking at injury diagrams or even see video from inside the ambulance to make real-time assessments.  

UC Irvine scientists are working on developing a vaccine that would attack all strains of COVID-19 as well as a potential breakthrough that would solve many of the problems related to distributing the medicine, a UCI professor on the project said Thursday. Lbachir BenMohamed, a UCI School of Medicine professor, said his team is developing what they envision will be a vaccine that could work on all strains in the SARS-CoV-2 family. The UCI vaccine would be a "backup" to the vaccines used now and anticipated to be approved shortly, BenMohamed said. "Our vaccine is not only focused on spike protein," to provoke an immune response, like Pfizer's and Moderna's, the professor said. There are two dozen other proteins that can prompt an immune response, he said. "Right now we are doing clinical studies," he said as the scientists prepare to monitor how the vaccines work on lab mice with that work expected to be done by this summer.  

Young adults who turn 19 this year were born after 9/11, the day in 2001 when planes flew into the World Trade Center and Pentagon killing around 3,000 people. These teens know it as Patriot's Day. It has been 20 years this coming September since the U.S. was attacked by air and hundreds of first responders, some fallen heroes, answered the call of duty to help at Ground Zero. Now, a group of nonprofits that were organized to honor those fallen heroes and first responders are celebrating the anniversary with a large traveling exhibit that includes a 3D replica of the World Trade Center complex. Honor365, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in coordination with "Hero 1," a 53-foot semi-truck trailer with HVMC Transportation LLC, Fallen Hero Network LLC, and The Honor Network (U.S. Honor Flag) have joined together in the national touring exhibit. The focus of the program and walk is to remember and honor the 9/11 fallen and local heroes of the state.