Dozens of Chicago firefighters responded to a fire on the South Side on Saturday night. The fire started in an apartment building at 81st and Drexel around 7 p.m. Residents hustled outside and firefighters searched to make sure the building was completely evacuated. No one was hurt. The fire started in a fourth floor apartment that was vacant, though squatters may have been living inside. Crews were able to extinguish the fire in about 20 minutes, witnesses said. "I woke up to people screaming, ‘Fire! Fire!'" said Obatula Moore. ""I'm happy we got out safely."  

After last year's staffing shortfall, Peoria first responders are working to increase those numbers and one department is implementing new methods to bring more people on board. Peoria Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger said it's been a rocky road trying to get the department's staffing up to levels of the past. "It's been a struggle, there's really no other way to put that," Sollberger said. "We had 38 people apply, so it's a challenge." Sollberger said the department lost 37 positions over a four-year period and also added 11 personnel thanks to a SAFER grant. He said at one point staffing dipped down to as low as 160 and now the department has 171 firefighters on the streets. He acknowledged that interest may have faded in the field.  

No one was hurt after a fire in a Rockford home Sunday morning. The Rockford Fire Department says crews were called to a home in the 600 block of Island Ave. just after 9 a.m. Sunday for a report of a fire. First responders saw smoke coming from the home as they were getting to the scene. Everyone inside the home had gotten out when firefighters got to the house. Firefighters got the fire under control, putting out the fire in about 20 minutes. According to RFD, there was fire damage on the home's first and second floors along with smoke damage throughout the house. No one was hurt in the blaze.  

Streamwood firefighters rescued two dogs trapped inside a house during a fire in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago early Sunday. The Streamwood Fire Department responded to a garage fire in the 1200 block of Gulf Keys Road around 1:50 a.m. The garage was attached to a two-story home. First responders reported heavy fire coming from the garage upon arrival. Fire officials say the occupants of the home had already got out when they arrived, but two dogs were stuck inside. Firefighters found and rescued both dogs who appeared unharmed and put out the fire. There were no reported injuries, but damage to the building was significant. The damage is estimated at $100,000.  

A fire caused a home on Galena Road to have to be destroyed. Peoria firefighters say crews were called to a home near Galena and Derby Roads at 10:00 p.m. Friday, and spent two and a half hours getting the blaze under control, as the one-story home was fully engulfed in flames upon their arrival. They say they had to use a defensive attack to keep the blaze from spreading. No one was home at the time of the fire, but authorities say three dogs lost their lives. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but an emergency demolition was ordered. A portion of Galena Road was shut down well into the overnight hours.  

VIDEO: A tractor-trailer fire caused delays on Interstate 495 in McLean, Virginia, on Sunday, authorities said. The truck was at mile marker 43.5 on I-495. All lanes were closed, causing traffic to be backed up for about 1.3 miles, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Traffic was being diverted to Georgetown Pike. Vehicles that remained on the road were also turned around and directed to Georgetown Pike to clear some of the traffic, according to VDOT. The tractor-trailer was traveling southbound on I-495 when it crashed near Exit 44. Police responded to the crash at about 1 p.m. The impact of the crash caused the vehicle to catch fire, according to a Virginia State Police release. The driver was taken to the hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening.  

VIDEO: Officials are investigating a fire that broke out in the back parking lot of Pacific Beach Fire Station 21 on Mission Boulevard. According to SDFD, several personal vehicles belonging to firefighters were damaged. Additionally, some lifeguard equipment and an ATV were burned. The fire broke out around 4 a.m. Saturday. A Metro Arson Strike Team is actively investigating and searching for who is responsible. Officials are looking into possible surveillance video which may assist in the ongoing investigation. Anyone with any information is urged to contact Fire Department 21.  

Jane Clockadile is the daughter of an Abington firefighter and granddaughter of a fire chief. She can trace a long line of firefighters back to her forefathers in the late 19th century, such that her family history and the history of the Abington Fire Department are virtually indistinguishable. Today, Clockadile is leading an initiative to restore a fire truck purchased new by the town in 1948 for $12,500. Though she has already done a lot to locate the truck and return it to Abington, significant challenges lay ahead. "I've come this far," Clockadile, whose birth name is Whitman, said. "I'll keep on going." When her cousin, a former firefighter, challenged her to track down Abington's 1942 Seagrave engine several years ago, she put her heart and soul into the investigation. "You can see why I am doing this restoration - in memory of family members," Clockadile said.  

A new program in Omaha is helping future firefighters get more hands-on experience as they finish their studies. "Every class you learn a lot, you know, book knowledge, but out here, you're really putting it to use," says Michael Molacek, a student at Metropolitan Community College studying fire science. Molacek is one of around a dozen who are involved in a new internship designed by the fire science program at MCC that partners with Bennington Fire & Rescue. "We are the only school and fire district that have an internship program similar to this, they actually work here alongside an active fire department and the crew thats on duty 24 hours a day," says Jeff Strawn, the Fire Science Program Director at MCC. Several times each month, students will spend a full shift at Bennington learning from the staff and volunteers.