PHOTOS: Firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire early Sunday morning at a chemical plant in the Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side, Chicago fire officials said. According to CFD, around 12:33 a.m. crews were dispatched to a building fire at the Imperial Zinc Corporation in the 1000-block of E. 103rd Street. Hazmat teams were called in because of the chemicals inside the plant, CFD said. The fire department tweeted out a photo Sunday morning showing the roof of the building had collapsed. Crews were able to put out the flames a little after 2:00 a.m., CFD said. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.  

A Joliet family safely escaped a fire at their house early Sunday morning in the 1200 block of Alene Drive. The Joliet Fire Department sent fire engines from stations, 7, 8, 9 and 10 to the house at 1217 Alene Drive at 3:58 a.m. Fire Chief Greg Blaskey said the family was awoken by the smell of something burning outside. The family learned that their back deck was on fire. "All members of the residence were able to escape unharmed. Upon arrival by fire crews, they found the deck and rear of the home on fire," Blaskey said. The fire spread from the inside of the house and it also damaged the next door at 1215 Alene Drive. The Joliet Fire Department got the blaze under control at 4:11 a.m. The house a 1215 Alene Drive sustained exterior damage, but the house at 1217 Alene is no longer liveable. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Blaskey said.  

Whiteside County Board member and former Twin City Joint Fire Command Deputy Fire Chief Bill Milby died Thursday at Northwestern Medical center in Rockford from complications of renal cancer. He was 60. Milby retired Sept. 30, 2018, after 33 years with the Rock Falls Fire Department'. A 1978 graduate of Rock Falls High School, Milby was elected to the county board in 2006; he was chairman of its Judiciary and Wage and Salary committees. Among others, he is survived by his wife, Kathy; his children: Amber Peugh, Angela Dunagan, Mariel Kester, Mariah Menchaca and Vicente Menchaca; his mother Leta Milby; his sister Connie Carter; and13 grandchildren. Visitation will be from from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at McDonald Funeral Home in Rock Falls. Masks and social distancing requirements will be in effect. His funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at RB&W Riverfront Park; fire department chaplains and the Revs. Brian Tribley and Roger Carlson will officiate. The service will conclude with ceremonial ringing of the bell by the fire department Honor Guard.  

Engine 1318 has become Ladder 307 with the Witt Illinois Volunteer Fire Department. Witt is a village northeast of Litchfield and Hillsboro. Edwardsville Fire Department sold the 1998 Pierce 65-foot snorkel truck earlier this month, after buying the department's first new truck in 20 years to replace the '98. The new truck arrived this spring. "We closed [on] the fire truck sale Wednesday at three p.m.," said Fire Chief James Whiteford. "The Witt Fire Chief and a few others picked up the truck at Fire Station 1 and drove it back to Witt." Witt fire officials posted photos and details about their new purchase on the department's Facebook page Thursday, garnering immediate praise from commenters. "We would like to thank the City of Edwardsville, Chief Whiteford and FF Joey Cruz for their hospitality and professionalism throughout this process," read part of the post.  

VIDEO: On Saturday morning, the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association tweeted a photo of a collapsed ceiling on ambulance at Fire Station 49. The post accused the City of Houston of years of neglect of the department's fleet and facilities. No one was hurt during the collapse. "Now is the time that this city needs to prioritize not only the fleet [and] facilities, but the health and wellness of the men and women that we are asking to continue to go out there and put themselves on the frontline, not only during this pandemic but on a daily basis," said Marty Lanction, HPFFA President. In response, the mayor's office sent FOX 26 the following statement: "We are grateful that no one was hurt and the General Services Department responded immediately to begin making repairs. Mayor Turner and city council have heavily invested in Houston Fire Department personnel training, equipment, and facilities."  

VIDEO: Firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire early Sunday morning at a chemical plant in the Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side, Chicago fire officials said. According to CFD, around 12:33 a.m. crews were dispatched to a building fire at the Imperial Zinc Corporation in the 1000-block of E. 103rd Street. Hazmat teams were called in because of the chemicals inside the plant, CFD said. The fire department tweeted out a photo Sunday morning showing the roof of the building had collapsed. Crews were able to put out the flames a little after 2:00 a.m., CFD said. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.  

A Seminole County employee was killed and three firefighters were injured in a sidewalk collapse in Lake Mary Friday, according to the Seminole County Fire Department. The county environmental services employee was identified as Tomasz Sajkowski, a utilities operations distribution mechanic, by Seminole County spokeswoman Ashley Moore Friday afternoon. Firefighters responded to the 200 block of Chiswell Place at Heathrow Woods about 10:30 a.m. Friday, Seminole County Fire Chief Otto Drozd III said at a press conference. Sajkowski had been working on a water main repair when the sidewalk collapsed. Drozd said officials believe the water main leak created a void under the ground, causing the sidewalk to collapse and trapping Sajkowski. Upon arriving, firefighters decided to use the "Jaws of Life," a hydraulic extraction tool, to try to remove the concrete slabs from him, Drozd said.  

Following two shootings in a little more than two months, an Elizabeth City fire station is on track to get bulletproof walls. Shots were most recently fired July 15 near the station on Harney Street, which is manned 24-hours a day. At least one round went through a wall, into its sleeping and eating areas. "If somebody had been standing at the kitchen stove, they would have been hit," said Elizabeth City Fire Chief Chris Carver. Shots previously entered the building on May 12 and at least two other times going back to 2015, he said. The May 12 bullet just missed the living quarters. The shots appear to be random and not necessarily directed at the fire station. No one has been injured. But firefighters who spend long shifts there working, eating and sleeping are vulnerable — and worried. "We have to make our guys safe," Carver said.  

The Hilton Fire Department is now training to take its rescue efforts to the clouds, with the help of drone technology. Department heads say it's among the first in the area to bring use the drones for certain calls. The idea was the brainchild of fifth-year firefighter David Olney, who is a trained drone pilot himself, he says it was a no-brainer, as the drones could be a real boost for the department, and the community. Right now- they have four firefighters in training, with each person using a training drone, the plan is to purchase a more official drone by the end of the year. Each pilot has to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. "It's really exciting, honestly." Olney said "We're adopting new things that are going to keep them safe." The idea is to take the drones from the fire house, and out in to the field where they can be used for life-saving search and rescue missions among other tasks.