VIDEO: A fire ripped through the back of a residential building in the Avondale neighborhood late Thursday. Flames were raging as of just before 5 p.m. in the back of one-and-a-half-story wood-frame home at 2941 N. Sawyer Ave. – just off Wellington Avenue. CBS 2's Kris Habermehl reported the fire broke out on the upwind side of the structure and got in under the roof. The building has an attic bumpout – or an additional living space that was built under the eaves of the attic, and the fire burned between the old roof and the roof of the addition. The entire back of the structure was engulfed at one point. There were no reports of injuries.  

The Decatur Macon County Ambulance group has started reviewing proposals from companies interested in providing ambulance services to Decatur and Macon County. Interested companies are encouraged ot finalize and submit formal proposals so the review process can continue, and City licensure can begin. "We are happy with the quantity and quality of the interest and proposals we have received so far," said Decatur City Manager Scot Wrighton. "These are high-quality regional ambuance companies, and we are confident they will be able to step in to provide protection for all citizens of Macon County." The City of Decatur can only issue a license to operate ambulance services for Decatur. But the ambulance working group said it has a regional focus. The goal is to find equitable EMS coverage and protection for all Macon County citizens.  

A Rockford resident called for help Thursday after their smoke detector warned of a fire in their building. First responders dispatched just after 12:30 on Thursday to apartments in the 4200 block of Beach Street. When they arrived, they found smoke billowing out of a first floor floor unit. The fire was brought under control and contained in the apartment where it started. The caller, who lives on the second floor, knew something was wrong, but couldn't see where the smoke was coming from. Firefighters evacuated the building, and thankfully, no one was hurt. Residents of the apartment involved in the blaze were not home at the time. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

Kristen Sakoulos McGonigal was at the Hinsdale train station in September 2006 when a pipe bomb lit a trash can on fire. Authorities said it exploded. Sixteen years later, she is expected to be a witness in the trial of the suspect, 69-year-old Thomas Zajac. On Sept. 1, 2006, McGonigal, then 24, was waiting to pay for her monthly train station pass before she was to depart for her downtown Chicago job. Then she saw smoke. At first, she thought nothing of it. Maybe it was because of fireworks, she reasoned. But then she saw flames up to 4 feet high from the trash can. A lot of people stood close by, many of them men, she recalled. One nonchalantly put coins in a newspaper machine. No one stepped up. McGonigal thought she should move the garbage can from the building, so the fire would not spread to the structure.  

PHOTOS: Springfield fire crews are on the scene of a structure fire at the 1200 block of Ledlie Street. According to officials the fire was quickly extinguished and investigators from the fire safety division are still on scene investigating the cause and origin. Noticeable damage to the house was sustained in the fire.  

VIDEOS/PHOTOS: A packed Orange Line train transporting commuters on a bridge that runs over the Mystic River in Somerville caught fire on Thursday morning, sending hundreds of people scrambling for safety. Video shared with Boston 25 News showed flames shooting from a train car and thick smoke billowing into the air. An MBTA spokesman said the train was approaching Assembly Station when it caught fire around 6:45 a.m. About 200 people were forced to evacuate the train, including a woman who jumped into the river and others who climbed through smashed windows. The woman who jumped off the train bridge swam to shore and declined medical attention, according to the MBTA. There were no other injuries reported.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Brad Hillegass had operated a crane plenty of times but never with the lives of nine men in the balance. That changed July 24, 2002, when nine miners were trapped 240 feet underground at the Quecreek Mine in Somerset County and his job was to safely lift them to freedom one-by-one in a slim, yellow, metal capsule through a precariously narrow shaft dug by rescuers. Hillegass' challenges were many, not least of which was that the rescue capsule, which had never been used before, might get hung up on the shaft. There also were concerns that hoisting the miners too quickly might result in decompression sickness. With all that on the line, Hillegass practiced — over and over again — with the rescue capsule until the call came that the hole to the miners was completed and rescuers had spoken with the trapped men. It was time.  

VIDEO: Staffing shortages are being felt in every office across the country. Many companies have come up with new and creative ways to get people in the door. The Wilson County Emergency Management Agency is one of them. "We're basically starting over again, with a new curriculum. A lot of our administration a lot of our in house instructors have worked very diligently to set this up. And we're looking very forward to seeing how this goes," said Colton Young a firefighter and EMT for Wilson County and also the vice president for the Wilson County Firefighters Association. He says there are about 32 openings for the position. In Wilson County, it's a hybrid position where personnel serve as both firefighters and EMTs. The Department of Emergency Management Agency needs to fill these spots and decided to allow uncertified applicants to apply.  

California Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery (CalDerm), the leading voice for Dermatologists, announced the launch of the Firefighter Skin Cancer Prevention Screening Program in California in partnership with the Firefighters Cancer Support Network. CalDerm, alongside our partners at the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, is pleased to utilize the framework built by their professional colleagues in Boston and offer their expertise in skin cancer prevention and screenings to firefighters on the firelines in California. Recent studies have demonstrated that firefighters are 9% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 14% more likely to die of cancer compared with age-matched cohorts. "Fire seasons in California, especially Northern California, are longer each year, requiring that firefighters have lengthened exposure to the most hazardous carcinogens that cause Melanoma," said Dr. Ann Haas, Board Member, CalDerm.  

VIDEO: When you call 911, you expect an ambulance within minutes. But Thursday, emergency services providers offered a bleak prognosis to state lawmakers. "You can sum it up in two words," said Bruce Baxter, president of the Connecticut EMS Chiefs Association. "It's a financial concern and a workforce concern." EMS providers, lobbyists for cities and towns, and hospital groups all weighed in before the General Assembly's Public Health Committee. All agreed the situation is nearing a breaking point, especially in rural areas. The problem? Not enough money and not enough workers. "Some towns saw a drop of half of their voluntary EMTs during this time – up to a third in some other towns," said Betsy Gara, president of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns.