PHOTO: Just before the final bell of the day at 3 p.m. Thursday, a fire was detected in the Glenbrook South High School woodshop causing an alarm to sound and the evacuation of the large building in Glenview. Photos from inside the building, shared with the Journal & Topics, show fire in a room nearing the ceiling in the woodshop. Glenview Fire Dept. officials said no injuries were reported. District 225 officials canceled after-school activities Thursday. They also canceled classes and closed the building for today (Friday), but are allowing students only into the building today to retrieve possessions. Glenview fire officials said the first fire companies arrived at the school at 3:10 p.m., upgraded the fire to a confirmed fire at 3:12 p.m., and had water on the blaze at 3:17 p.m. The fire was reported under control at 3:22 p.m. Glenview firefighters were assisted in their response by Niles, North Maine, Morton Grove, Elk Grove, and Skokie firefighters.  

An apartment building was demolished and two other buildings were badly burned after a garage fire in Rockford overnight. According to the Rockford Fire Department, firefighters sprung into action around 3:30 a.m. Thursday morning and arrived 3 minutes after the fire was reported, in the 700 block of 8th Street. A detached garage had caught fire, but the flames extended into a three-family apartment building to the south and a two-family home to the north. Multiple fire engines were called to assist in fighting the blaze, officials said, with five crews ultimately bringing the fire under control. During the incident, firefighters had to evacuate from the three-family apartment building and fight the fire from the outside after flames moved quickly through the second floor.  

A massive three-alarm fire engulfed an industrial warehouse in Commerce Friday, sending thick smoke into the air and destroying what is believed to be a plastic manufacturing plant. The blaze erupted at about 3:40 a.m. in the 6500 block of Flotilla Street west of Davie Avenue. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews encountered flames leaping into the air, creating a massive plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles. Smoke was visible from more than 10 miles away. The roof of the structure quickly collapsed as flames ripped through the building, which is believed to house a textile business that manufactures plastic benches. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and it was unclear what sparked the blaze.  

The Georgetown Fire Department is now the first in Kentucky to offer a specific type of cancer screening test to its firefighters. It's called the Galleri test and it can detect more than 50 types of cancer, even in the earliest stages. "We always want to try to figure out ways that we can take care of our members," said Chief Tim Thompson, Georgetown Fire Department. The partnership for the tests is with Grail, LLC which created the multi-cancer early detection test. Chief Thompson says he's excited about what it can do for the men and women in the department. "The test is a simple blood draw. They'll come take blood from us and send it off. What it does is it actually detects DNA breakdown if there's cancer in the body," said Chief Thompson. Chief Thompson says if a cancer signal is found in the blood, the Galleri test can pinpoint, with a high level of accuracy, the source of the signal in the body.  

While the Lake Norden fire department has received offers of help after a Wednesday morning fire destroyed much of its equipment, the long-term replacement will take time and money. Four of the department's five fire vehicles were destroyed in the fire as well as the two ambulances, said Tony Aas, the city's police chief. Area fire departments will help cover fires and related emergencies for the fire department. The state and others have stepped in to provide equipment and vehicles for ambulance service, Aas said. "It's 18 months out with any public safety vehicle, for new. It's going to be a long process," Aas said. The fire destroyed two tanker haulers, a brush truck and one engine pumper, Aas said.  

Volunteers at the Thibodaux Fire Department are getting floats ready to roll for Sunday's morning Firemen's Fair parade, one of the longest-recorded parades in U.S. history. When you rewind and travel back in time for a peek at pictures from past parades, you'll learn the parade has been rolling through Thibodaux since the 1800s. Our research indicates the parade started in 1860 and ran non-stop, except for two times throughout the 160-year history: World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic. It's the parade that keeps going and going, celebrating a longstanding tradition in Thibodaux, and recognizing the hundreds of volunteers that make up the Thibodaux Fire Department. With a float from all eight companies, the real proof is in the people: the people in the parade and the ones waiting and watching, so proud to know that the biggest volunteer fire department in America has Louisiana roots.  

VIDEO: When Michael McAllister of Turtle Creek is not on the football field, he's fighting fires. Now, the 23-year-old is heading to California as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams! He became a volunteer firefighter for the Turtle Creek Volunteer Fire Department when he was 16. "I fell in love with it at a young age, and I've always made time for this place. It's like a second home to me," McAllister said. "I just like the idea of volunteering in the free time that I had." His free time was limited because of the passion he found long before he put on his firefighter helmet. "Since I was 9 years old, I told people I was going to play in the NFL," McAllister said. As of 8 p.m. last Saturday, he got one step closer to proving it. "I was a free agent for all of about an hour," McAllister said. That's when he got a call from the Rams.