Chicago Fire Department Captain Ronald Regan Jr. was honored with a posthumous degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale Friday morning, Sept. 16. According to a release, Regan passed away on Dec. 19, 2021 at the age of 58 after a fight with COVID-19. Regan was just one semester away from earning his bachelor's degree in public safety management. During a ceremony in front of the Chicago Fire Academy, Regan was remembered by fellow firefighters, family members, friends, and SIU representatives. "Ron was not just a firefighter or captain, he was a friend," Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said. "He did so much for everybody else. He never thought about himself."  

A 71-year woman died early Saturday in a house fire that also injured a firefighter and a man in Roseland on the Far South Side, officials said. About 4 a.m., officers were called to the 10500 block of South Forest Avenue for a fire on the second floor of the home, according to Chicago police. The woman was found unresponsive and taken to Roseland Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said. She was identified as Patricia Farmer by the Cook County medical examiner's office. Another person in the house, a 77-year-old man, was listed in critical condition at the same hospital, Chicago fire officials said. A responding firefighter was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital with a knee injury from a fall, fire officials said. He was listed in good condition.  

A home in Freeport located on Wright Street and Float Avenue has been destroyed after it randomly catches fire early Friday morning. The home was owned by a 72-year-old man who lived with his five dogs. Freeport Fire Department states the man and three of his five dogs perished in the fire from smoke inhalation. Brittany Parsons lives a few houses down from where the home was on fire and had called 911 after she noticed the left side of the home was encased in flames. "Came about 6:30 in the morning to take my son to the bus and the side of the house was on fire," said Parsons. She says she watched as the 72-year-old's son ran around the home screaming for his father who was trapped inside. She heard an explosion and than a tree fell which compelled her to drive over to the fire station and demand for help.  

A car was destroyed by fire in Decatur late Sunday morning, but firefighters said they were able to stop the flames from spreading to a nearby home. Acting Battalion Chief Capt. Chris Downey said Decatur Fire Department crews were called to 2662 Grandview Drive at 11:42 a.m. to find a car parked on the home's drive already engulfed in flames and residents inside the home evacuated. "The fire basically burned up the car itself, which was a complete loss, and then melted siding on the front of the house," added Downey. "The car was probably 5 feet away from the home." He said firefighters had the flames extinguished within 10 minutes and before the fire could take hold of the house. "We checked for fire extension inside the house, and there was none," Downey said.  

A fire broke out Friday night at 2424 Shelts Lane in Quincy. Tri-Township Fire Protection District reported that the resident was working on a motorcycle in the garage when it backfired and caught fire at 6:54 p.m. on Friday. Firefighters said the fire started spreading, which caused heavy fire damage to the attached garage. Firefighters worked quickly and put out the fire before it could spread to the house. Firefighters reported that no one was injured. The Quincy Fire Department worked alongside Tri-Township Fire Protection District to put out the flames.  

VIDEO: Firefighters with the Anna Fire and Rescue Department wanted to show their community a new fire truck they recently acquired. The event gave an opportunity for people to view and interact with the new fire apparatus and talk with firefighters. Fire crew members also provided a fun atmosphere for families as they had bouncy houses there, a fish fry, and turned on the fire hoses for the kids. "We're trying to showcase this to the community and say thank you once again to the city council for voting to get this (fire truck)," Anna Fire Chief Mike Dammerman said. The city council recently approved the new fire truck for the fire station to help out firefighters with newer equipment which will help with incidents they are called to throughout the city.  

Five people will need somewhere to stay after a fire ripped through the third floor and back porch of a multi-family home in Everett, Massachusetts Monday morning. Firefighters with the Everett Fire Department spent hours battling the fire on Woodlawn Street Monday, where they were met with towering flames when they first arrived. Everett Deputy Fire Chief Sean Dattoli told reporters on scene that it was a "very labor intensive fire." Crews started with an interior attack, but had to back out, due to the heat and fiery conditions, Dattoli said. Firefighters were able to knock down the bulk of the fire with an exterior attack. As of around 6:45 a.m., crews were working on putting out hotspots on the inside. Five people have been displaced as a result of the fire, according to Dattoli, and the Red Cross is working on providing shelter for them.  

VIDEO: A Lauderhill fire rescue has been left damaged after someone shot at it while crews responded to a call. A paramedic saw the gunman, and it turned into quite a scare for the first responders. On Friday, the crew of Rescue 30 of Lauderhill Fire Rescue's fire truck was en route to help a person who was suffering chest pains when it was shot multiple times in the area of Northwest 19th Street and 31st Avenue. Three paramedics were said to have been inside the truck at the time of the shooting. "They saw someone aiming a gun at their truck and began shooting at their truck," said Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Jeff Levy. According to authorities, the damage the truck sustained was to the engine compartment, near the radiator.  

VIDEO: A Navy arson trial is about to get underway, more than two years after fire destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard. The trial comes as the Navy continues to unravel why the fire became one of the worst peace-time disasters in Navy history. Beginning on July 12, 2020, the USS Bonhomme Richard burned for nearly five days in the San Diego Bay. "It was horrifying. It was the biggest fire I've ever seen in my life," said Senior Chief Michael Robert Penny. "A lot of sailors did a lot of hard work to try and save that ship. And unfortunately, it was just too big. The fire was too large." Penny was off that Sunday morning. By the time he arrived at Naval Base San Diego the ship was in flames. Penny became one of the Navy investigators on the origins of the fire. He hasn't spoken publicly about the disaster until now.  

Chief William "Bill" Feehan kept a photo on his desk at the FDNY headquarters in Brooklyn. He and his young grandson Connor stand beaming in the photo on a fireboat in New York Harbor. The chief's burly hands rest on Connor's shoulders and the two brace a gust of wind that has made the boy's hair into a wild nest. Both wear FDNY memorabilia with logos prominently displayed. The sky is a bright blue, with only a few clouds to shadow the New York City skyline. The twin towers of the World Trade Center are behind them. The fabric of the Feehan family has been closely interwoven with that of New York's fire department for more than a century, and the journalist Brian McDonald has been entrusted with their stories. The resulting "Five Floors Up: The Heroic Family Story of Four Generations in the FDNY" is his deeply researched, intimate look into the lives of "New York's Bravest."  

VIDEO: The 36th annual International Association of Fire Fighters Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial ceremony returned to Colorado Springs Saturday. Approximately 8,000 guests were in attendance for the first of the event since the pandemic began. "The inability to be together took its toll on all of us," IAFF President Edward Kelly said. "In particular, families who suffered losses during covid that couldn't feel the warmth and love of those around them. Know that we don't forget. That their loss is our loss and we'll never forget their fallen." The annual memorial honors the sacrifices made by IAFF members who have given their lives in the line of duty. That includes those who died on the scene or succumbed to occupational illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and suicide.