PHOTOS: A fireball shot into the sky Thursday evening as an apartment house went up in flames in Pilsen. Firefighters were called to the scene at 8:15 p.m., and found flames raging at the two-and-a-half-story, multi-family frame house at 1355 W. 16th St., Chicago Fire Department Assistant 1st District Chief Jim McDonough said The building was vacant and was being remodeled at the time, he said. Firefighters immediately launched a blitz attack – directing two hose lines on the house while protecting nearby homes. The Fire Department raised a 2-11 alarm for additional equipment and manpower. A 2-11 alarm brings 32 pieces of fire equipment and just short of 100 firefighters, McDonough explained. The fire did spread to two nearby buildings to the east and west – both of them constructed from a wood frame with a brick veneer, and both of them occupied, McDonough said.  

PHOTOS/VIDEO: A fire heavily damaged two buildings on N. Wesley Ave. in Mt. Morris on Tuesday. At 1:32 p.m., a fire was reported at a two-story building located at 1 N. Wesley Avenue in Mt. Morris. Smoke and fire were seen upon arrival by Mt. Morris Fire Department. The fire roared through the aging, poorly maintained building, fanned by strong winds. Occupants told firefighters that everyone had safely exited the building. Nearby businesses at 3 North Wesley Ave. and 4 East Main St. were evacuated as a precaution. Firefighters used multiple hoses, monitors, and ladder trucks to bring the fire under control by 3:45 p.m. Due to the lack of a fire wall, the fire spread between 1 North Wesley Avenue and 3 North Wesley Ave. The fire was fully extinguished by 5:00 p.m. and most assisting fire companies released by 7:00 p.m.  

PHOTOS: A fireball shot into the sky Thursday evening as an apartment house went up in flames in Pilsen. Firefighters were called to the scene at 8:15 p.m., and found flames raging at the two-and-a-half-story, multi-family frame house at 1355 W. 16th St., Chicago Fire Department Assistant 1st District Chief Jim McDonough said. The building was vacant and was being remodeled at the time, he said. Firefighters immediately launched a blitz attack – directing two hose lines on the house while protecting nearby homes. The Fire Department raised a 2-11 alarm for additional equipment and manpower. A 2-11 alarm brings 32 pieces of fire equipment and just short of 100 firefighters, McDonough explained. The fire did spread to two nearby buildings to the east and west – both of them constructed from a wood frame with a brick veneer, and both of them occupied, McDonough said.  

VIDEO: Firetrucks in Pigeon Forge now have dash cameras, recording how crews respond to calls and helping them improve how they approach emergencies. Fire Chief Tony Watson said crews and fire department leaders can watch videos to learn how to better fight fires. He said the cameras cost around $130,000 and they help expand the station's training opportunities. "A picture's worth 1,000 words," he said. "I don't think there's a better thing that we can do than to be able to share some of the stuff that we're seeing out here on a daily basis." He said the videos can help save the lives of firefighters, making sure they approach emergencies prepared with vital information. "We can look at how we position our apparatus. We can look at the actions our firefighters do. You got to tell them, 'Okay, this is non-punitive, we're not gonna get you in trouble. Let's talk about how we can do this better,'" he said.  

VIDEO: San Francisco is marking the 118th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire that nearly destroyed the city. Every year on April 18, a moment of silence is observed at 5:11 a.m. at Lotta's Fountain on Market Street to remember those who lost their lives in the 7.8-magnitude tremor. More than 3,000 people died in the quake and fire, and hundreds of thousands lost their homes. Lotta's served as a meeting spot for citizens to reunite with their loved ones after the quake. It is the oldest surviving monument from that day. The ceremony also included 30 seconds of fire engine sirens at 5:12 a.m., during the exact moment the earthquake hit. As part of the ceremony, many who attend dress up in Victorian-era outfits. Former Mayor Willie Brown, SFFD, SFPD, San Francisco Sheriff's Office were there as well as the Emergency Management Department.  

VIDEO: Law enforcement agencies across four states were left scrambling following reports of major 911 outages that saw millions unable to contact authorities late Wednesday. Many of the outages — reported in Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota and Texas — were restored by the late evening. So far, there's no indication that the outages were caused by a cyberattack or other malicious act, law enforcement officials told NBC News on Thursday. While the Federal Communications Commission continues to investigate, the outages appear to be related to Lumen Technologies, a spokesperson for the communications and telecom company said. "On April 17, some customers in Nevada, South Dakota, and Nebraska experienced an outage due to a third-party company installing a light pole — unrelated to our services. We restored all services in approximately two and a half hours," Mark Molzen said. Lumen doesn't provide 911 services in Texas, he added.