The Interstate 80 stretch through Joliet was closed to traffic on Saturday morning after a semi-trailer veered off the eastbound lanes, crashed and caught fire. Illinois State Police said the driver of the semi, identified only as a 54-year-old man from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was killed, but no one else was hurt. Saturday morning, Joliet Fire Chief Greg Blaskey initially said authorities could not locate the driver, but he was presumed to be in the wreckage. State police said traffic was slowing due to construction on eastbound I-80 just east of Larkin Avenue around 6:30 a.m. when the man's 2018 Peterbilt semi hit the back of a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The Highlander was occupied by three Plainfield residents, including a 46-year-old woman who was driving, a 47-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman.  

VIDEO: A local fire department hosted a fight till the finish Sunday, but winner or loser, each player walked home soaked. "We got wet, we thought we came to watch the firefighters fight each other but next thing I know they are pulling us into it," said Dave Utt. The Timber-Hollis Fire Department hosted water fights at the Kingston Mines park Sunday. Firefighters said it's like tug-of-war, but with fire hoses. "Push the bucket to one side, you get a point," said firefighter Joe Denson. Dave and Amber Utt tried their hand at the game and said it's not as easy as it looks. "It's heavy I expected it to be heavy but yeah it takes a lot I mean once we started to move with it I realized man these guys they have to be strong to do that haha," said Dave Utt. 20-year-old firefighter Joe Denson said it's a great learning opportunity and is fun too. "I've probably gone about 6 times this is actually my first water fight," said Denson.  

One person was found dead in a structure fire early Saturday morning in Peotone, according to a press release from the Peotone Fire Protection District. At approximately 12:22 a.m., PFPD responded to a reported structure fire in a multi-family apartment building at 501 S. Schroeder Ave., the release said. The first units arrived within five minutes of the initial dispatch and crews reported smoke showing from the second floor, according to the release. Additional personnel and equipment were called. Firefighters reported entering the second floor and found heavy smoke conditions. As crews searched, they found a victim deceased in the bedroom, according to PFPD. The identity of the individual has not yet been released. A search of the remaining units confirmed no other people were inside.  

An Oxford Battalion Chief's quick action saved a man's life Saturday afternoon after the lift the man was on caught fire. Oxford firefighters said at 2:50 they responded to a call at Hooligans Harley Davidson on Davis Loop to a man on a lift that had caught fire. The lift had made contact with the power lines and the man was trapped approximately 25 feet off the ground. Fire crews said when they arrived there was no way to get the man from the lift until the power was cut off. OFD personnel made the decision to create a makeshift life safety net out of a tent. As the fire grew the man decided to jump, and that jump saved his life. The man was flown to UAB with a leg injury and smoke inhalation.  

You would think rushing into a burning building to save the lives of people trapped inside would merit a living wage - at a minimum. While firefighters can hit salaries of anywhere from $12 to $50 an hour, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average is about $27 an hour. In the Lowcountry, that average falls to $19.77 an hour or about $41,130 a year. However, those hourly rates can be extremely misleading. The unique nature of the firefighting profession and those who opt into it is underscored by an even more unique schedule. Generally speaking, firefighters work 24-hour shifts, three days a week with overtime built into their 28-day pay periods. The typical office employee is scheduled about 2,080 hours a year, while firefighters working this 24-48 (24 hours on, 48 hours off) shift will end up working nearly 900 hours more a year.  

VIDEO: A home being renovated in New Castle, Lawrence County caught fire Sunday morning. The fire broke out at the N. Mercer Street home around 5:30 a.m. Pittsburgh's Action News 4 was told a family living a few blocks away saw the glow in the sky. They woke up the next-door neighbors of the home that caught fire and got them out of their house. Fire departments sprayed water on the neighbor's home as well to keep it from catching fire. No one was hurt but firefighters say the house is a total loss. City of New Castle Fire Chief Mike Kobbe says the home being renovated did not have its utilities turned on. The cause is now being investigated.  

Vaccine makers are preparing for a next possible phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout: booster doses. The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized third doses of both the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines for certain immunocompromised people: solid organ transplant recipients or "those who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise." The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has signed off on the authorization and now recommends an additional dose of vaccine for these certain people. But these doses will be considered part of the initial vaccination series for people who have not mounted an adequate immune response. A booster dose is something different. It helps refresh a waning immune response, or helps the body fight an evolving pathogen. And many Americans who aren't now eligible for an additional shot are wondering when it will be their turn.