Some people have spare keys hidden outside their homes in case they get locked out, but they may have another reason as well. The City of Decatur is asking residents to make sure first responders have access to their property in case of an emergency. It's part of their Key Box Program which installs a residential key box to your residence. It would be installed outside the main entrance and the key is then electronically secured in the fire apparatus. The fire department would be the only one with the key.  

Two dogs were rescued and a Rockford family is without a home after it caught fire Thursday afternoon. Rockford Fire officials say crews were called to the fire at a house in the 1400 block of 20th St. just after noon Thursday. As the first responders got to the scene within minutes of the call, firefighters found smoke and fire coming from the second floor of the single-family home. The fire was put out within 20 minutes, according to RFD. Two dogs were rescued from the burning home, but no one was hurt. The four people that live in the home have been displaced and will be staying with family members, RFD says.  

Investigators from the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office are trying to determine what caused a fire that destroyed an east Urbana home. Edge-Scott Fire Protection District Chief Steve Thuney said a family of two adults and six children living in the 2700 block of East California Avenue was displaced by a late-night fire Wednesday. No one was injured. Thuney said he believed a neighbor was the first to report the flames coming through the roof of the single-story ranch house about 11:15 p.m. "I'm told they were sleeping and the dog started barking. The mom went to investigate why the dog was barking, opens the door to the garage and sees smoke, then wakes everyone up and gets them out. She goes back to the garage and can see fire up along the ceiling level of the garage," he said.  

A garage is damaged after a late morning fire at Accolade Healthcare of East Peoria. Fire Chief Bobby Zimmerman says the fire was contained to the garage, and did not spread to any other building nearby. Chief Zimmerman adds staff did begin some evacuation, but everyone is now back inside. No one was injured or displaced. It is unknown what caused the fire. Damage estimates are unknown at this time.  

A stolen U-Haul went up in flames after a driver led police on a miles-long chase in west Houston early Wednesday morning, according to the Houston Police Department. This happened on the Westpark Tollway service road at Dairy Ashford. Houston Transtar cameras caught the end of the chase where the U-Haul truck caught fire. Houston police said this started when officers responded to a call that someone driving a U-Haul crashed into a vehicle and started firing shots into the car he smashed into before taking off. Police spotted the stolen U-Haul at about 1 a.m. When officers tried to stop the driver, they said he kept going leading officers on a slow chase all over the Westpark Drive area. Police threw down spike strips and hit most of the tires on the U-Haul. However, the driver just kept going at a slow speed, police said.  

Fire departments throughout Wisconsin will soon have the chance to safely dispose of firefighting foam containing toxic "forever chemicals" free of charge. The Department of Natural Resources announced the beginning of its foam collection program, which received $1 million in funding from the current state budget. Fire departments are not able to use foam containing PFAS, except in the case of emergencies or for testing at facilities equipped to prevent the foam from going into the environment or sewers. DNR Secretary Preston Cole said the foam collection is the first step the state can take to protect firefighters and reduce the cost to local governments. "It will also help prevent people from contaminating our groundwater, our rivers and our lakes," Cole said Monday during an announcement at the Appleton Fire Station No. 6.  

VIDEO: A northern Kentucky firefighter is recovering after a fellow firefighter stepped up to donate when he needed desperately needed a kidney. It started when Newport firefighter Bob Hug had been struggling with kidney disease and was in desperate need of a kidney transplant for well over a year. He had been on dialysis for six months and through many ups and downs with possible donors and matches, but none had worked out. That's when over 40 people who knew Hug, including fellow firefighter Ryan Whaley, stepped up to see if they would be a match. Shortly after, Whaley discovered he was a perfect match. After talking with his family, Whaley stepped forward to donate his kidney to Hug.  

Next week marks the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. During the height of the storm, one neighborhood in Greenwich was hit by a massive fire. News 12 Connecticut takes a look at how fire crews put out the fire in the midst of the storm.  

"Happiness is a warm puppy." That sentiment expressed by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz is just as true today as it was on April 25, 1960, when it first appeared in the comic strip "Peanuts." And the firefighters, paramedics and reservists who work at the Boulder City Fire Department would be among the first to agree. Earlier this year, Ryno, a golden retriever, came to live at the station whenever his owner/handler Walt West is on duty. But more than just bringing happiness, Ryno is a certified therapy dog whose presence helps reduce stress and anxiety among the firefighters and paramedics. Stress is a serious issue and mental health issues have been overlooked in the fire service, said Boulder City Fire Department Chief Will Gray. "Firefighters across the country have seen an uptick in (post-traumatic stress disorder) and suicide."