Three correctional officers were treated for smoke inhalation after a small fire broke out at Cook County Jail Sunday afternoon. Firefighters responded to a call of smoke in one cell of Division 9 around 3 p.m. at the jail in the 2600 block of South California Avenue, according to the Cook County sheriff's office. The fire was struck out shortly afterward, the Chicago Fire Department said. Three staff members suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to Stroger Hospital, where they were treated and released, the sheriff's office said. The two detainees in the cell were seen by onsite medical staff, the sheriff's office said. One was cleared to return, and the other was being further evaluated at the jail for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire was under investigation, officials said.  

A 33-year-old Alton man is dead following a crash Sunday morning on Brown Street in Alton. Police and fire crews responded the 800 block of Brown Street at about 6:30am. Keith D. Brenner has been identified as the victim. The preliminary investigation revealed that the driver (Brenner) and sole occupant of a white Chevrolet S10 was traveling southeast on Brown St., from the area of Union St. The S10, for an unknown reason, crossed over the opposing travel lanes in the 800 block of Brown St., and partially overturned. The S10 collided with a wheelchair ramp which was attached to a residence in the 800 block of Brown St., as well as a tree. This S10 sustained extensive damage. Life saving measures were attempted on the driver, but unfortunately the driver died.  

Firefighters battled a massive 2-alarm fire that broke out at a pallet business in South Los Angeles Sunday morning. According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, calls of a fire near East 108th and South Alameda streets began coming in just before 5 a.m. It happened at the Best Wood Work Pallets located in an unincorporated part of Watts. It's been in business in the area for more than 20 years. The owner of the business says he's fortunate enough to have insurance, which offers some solace. Authorities say Urban Search and Rescue crews were called to the scene, which is standard protocol. Video obtained by Eyewitness News early Sunday morning shows large flames as crews were getting to the scene. Crews knocked the fire down by 10 a.m. and prevented it from extending to nearby homes. No injuries were reported.  

Gary Weiland has set a new goal for himself - to become an American Ninja Warrior. Weiland is a Denton firefighter who beat the odds by returning to duty 10 months and 6 days after his leg was amputated. He's a full time Denton firefighter and father of four, and he is now vying for a spot on American Ninja Warrior! Since then, he's become a motivational speaker and children's book author. "You're not going to believe this, but it's about a firefighter who gets injured on the job and returns to duty," said Weiland about his book. "I'm going to compete in the show in a couple of weeks on March 23rd in San Antonio," said Weiland. To become a ninja, you must train like one. "People are like, man, you've been training three hours a day, seven days a week getting ready for American Ninja Warrior," said Weiland. "And I'm like, man, I'm 42 years old! I work out for two hours and I'm exhausted for three days! What do you mean?" Gary's leg was amputated in 2018 because of a post-surgery complication.  

Firefighters, EMS and police nationwide are taking notice of the Village of New Haven's fire department, as the facility has been authorized as a National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) training center. "We are the only NAEMT authorized facility in metro Detroit," New Haven Fire Chief Daniel Stier said. "This allows us to teach NAEMT's accredited TECC course. There are others in metro Detroit who teach TECC, but their programs aren't accredited and don't give the students continuing education credits towards their EMS licensure. Our program will give EMS providers 16 continued education credit hours. This is more than half of the C.E. credits needed for an EMT to renew their license every three years."  

VIDEO: Authorities in Cedar Rapids released body camera footage showing what happened inside Geneva Tower during the Feb. 20 fire that displaced more than 100 residents. It is clear from watching the video one of the major challenges in evacuating the building was the many people with disabilities and mobility issues. Geneva Tower is an income-based housing property for seniors 62 and older as well as adults with disabilities. There are several points in the video in which police officers offer help to residents who are struggling to breathe or walk. At two points, people were physically carried down a stairwell. Firefighters focused on the flames while police officers worked on evacuating residents. They knocked on people's doors and even knocked some doors down.  

Things seem to be looking up as the US crosses into year three of the Covid-19 pandemic. Vaccines still do a good job of keeping people alive and out of the hospital. There's increasing access to tests and treatments. The numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are heading in the right direction. If living in a Covid world has taught us anything, however, it's that the coronavirus can surprise even the smartest public health experts, and the world certainly isn't out of the woods yet. A new variant could easily develop and slip past the protection of current treatments and vaccines, setting us back to what life was like in 2020. That makes it hard to predict what happens next week, let alone in a few months. However, based on what they're seeing now, here's what the experts think could happen in the next year of the pandemic. Each of these predictions has an unspoken "variant depending" at the end.