A fire displaced four residents after a fire at a quad-plex home Thursday. According to a Normal Fire Department press release, Normal firefighters responded to a fire near 208 Parktrail Road at approximately 12:42 a.m. Upon arrival, firefighters reported a working fire on the second story of the quad-plex and upgraded the alarm, which called in off-duty Normal firefighters and requested a Rapid Intervention Team from the Bloomington Fire Department. Firefighters fought the fire upstairs while other crews searched the residence, but did not locate anyone. All residents had evacuated safely. The fire was reported to be extinguished at 1:14 a.m. No injuries were reported. The exact amount of damage is unknown at this time.  

The president of the Normal firefighters union says they will find a new beneficiary for proceeds from their gun raffle, after The Baby Fold raised concerns and distanced itself from the annual fundraiser. The Normal Firefighters Local 2442 has done the raffle for about eight years and, most recently, has sent the proceeds to The Baby Fold as part of its Christmas Rescue Run. It's marketed as a gun raffle — with one gun raffled off per day in February, including semiautomatic rifles and pistols — though winners are, in reality, given cash or gift cards to sporting goods stores. The Baby Fold recently heard some complaints from the community about the raffle, said Aimee Beam, vice president of development and public relations at The Baby Fold. Beam said she wasn't personally aware of the raffle until recently and that the organizations don't coordinate it together.  

The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has joined the investigation into a massive warehouse fire Monday morning in Chicago Heights. A spokesperson for the south suburb declined to say whether investigators have found any evidence that causes them to suspect arson. Instead, the spokesperson released a statement that says in part: "Given the scope of the blaze and the depth of the agency's resources, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) will lead the investigation in conjunction with the Illinois State Fire Marshal. Chicago Heights' fire and police department personnel will also be working with the ATF and State Fire Marshal's investigation into the cause of the fire." The blaze broke out Monday around 6 a.m. at the Morgan Li manufacturing plant and flames quickly consumed the 500,000-square-foot facility. No one was inside the plant at the time and no injuries were reported.  

Rockford police and firefighters raced to Kishwaukee Street and South Avenue after a car went off the road and into a tree. Pictures posted by the Rockford Fire Department show a car visibly stuck in a tree. RFD says a person had to be extricated from the car. Th Rockford Police Department says that person has unknown injuries at this time. The road is closed down while first responders work the scene.  

Nine cars were destroyed after a massive fire ripped through a carport in Hollywood overnight. The fire was reported around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday on Laurel Canyon near Hollywood Boulevard, authorities said. Firefighters rushed to the scene to extinguish the inferno. Video shows the flames engulfing the structure and vehicles, though they were confined to the carport and did not spread. They did, however, reach the power lines above the carport. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire unknown. This comes after another carport fire that broke out less than a mile away on Fountain Avenue in West Hollywood Tuesday night. Three cars were burned in that incident. It's unclear if the two are related in any way.  

VIDEO: The Pikeville Fire Department received its newest addition to the fire and rescue fleet this week, as firefighters work to learn the new tech of a $1.2 million investment in community safety. Tower 1, the new fire and rescue truck with a 100-foot ladder, is a custom-built truck which pushes out around 2,000 gallons of water per minute. According to Lt. Nicholas Fleming, PIO for the department, the truck is built to the city's needs and will be the perfect addition to the station. "We want to keep our ISO rating as low as possible, so it is an investment in that as well as the ability for us to do the job that we're required to do," he said. "So, if we need to get to someone- if we need to extinguish a fire- this truck is essential for that." The truck, built from the ground up by Sutphen Corporation, was delivered this week to the Appalachian Wireless Arena.  

PHOTOS: At one point you're mowing your lawn and the next you're unconscious, on the ground, suffering a heart attack. That's what happened to 63-year-old Jack Fong. But due to Germantown Fire Department's implementation of Neuroprotective CPR, Fong survived his March 2022 heart attack with little to no neurological issues. Fong awoke in the hospital where doctors discovered he had an artery block. "I didn't realize they had specialized equipment that can do (CPR) now," Fong said at a media event Wednesday inside Germantown Fire Station #4. "They prop you up and have these compression things... and they (started) it in 2020. If (my heart attack) was anytime before that, I would've been done." Dr. Joe Holley, Tennessee EMS medical director, said Germantown Fire Department is the first in the state to use Neuroprotective CPR — which consists of a mechanical compression machine, an elevation machine for the head and a breathing tube.  

VIDEO: As Fred lifted his pants leg he winced in pain. His jeans, damp from the freshly fallen snow, stuck to the open scab that stretched from his knee to his ankle, peeling away bits of skin as he revealed his wound. "It's amazing how fast it spreads. My leg actually looks like I got eaten by a zombie," he said. Fred knew this was the result of something he took. He struggles with drug addiction and turns to opioids to make life on the streets of Lowell a little easier to bear. He had no idea what caused the weeping and bloody wound on his shin until he went to the hospital. There he learned the substance he took was laced with Xylazine, a sedative used by veterinarians to sedate large animals and livestock. In humans, the drug can cause abscesses, ulcers, and prolonged periods of sedation. "From what I've seen and what I experienced myself, it's definitely a totally different drug," he said.