Four sisters under the age of 6 and their mother died in a house fire Wednesday morning in suburban Des Plaines. The fire broke out in a two-story duplex before 10:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Oakton Street, Des Plaines Fire Chief Daniel Anderson told reporters at the scene. "This is a terrible day, a tragic day, it's a sad day for Des Plaines," Anderson said. "I've been doing this for 30 some-odd years and this is by far my worst day." The sisters were identified as Grace Espinosa, 1, Allizon V. Espinosa, 3, Genesis A. Espinosa, 5, and Renata P. Espinosa, 6, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. The children were taken to Lutheran General Hospital and pronounced dead, while their mother, Citahaly Zamiodo, 25, died at the scene, officials said. Their father was at work at the time of the fire, a neighbor said. A man called 911 to report smoke coming from the second floor, where most the victims were found, Anderson and Marrero said. The blaze spread to three of four apartments in the duplex, sending other uninjured residents from the home.  

Aldermen and Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday paid tribute to retired Chicago Fire Department Lt. Dwain Williams, who was gunned down last month during a carjacking attempt outside a popcorn shop in Morgan Park. "This young man gave his all to the community in where he lived, and the 34th Ward as a whole," said Ald. Carrie Austin, whose Far South Side ward is where Williams lived. Williams, 65, was leaving the Let's Get Poppin popcorn store at 11758 S. Western Ave. on Dec. 3, and was walking to his vehicle, when a four-door dark-colored sedan pulled up and four males got out and bum rushed him. The carjackers fired at Williams, and Williams returned fire. Williams was shot in the abdomen and was later pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) said it was devastating to see a man who had dedicated his life to his city and his family gunned down in a carjacking attempt.  

Several residents are rescued in an afternoon fire Wednesday in Rockford. Around 1:30 p.m. the Rockford Fire Department responded to the 1100 block of South 6th Street for reports of a house fire. Fire crews arrived to smoke showing from the second floor of a two story home. Officials said two handicap residents on the first floor were assisted in the evacuation. Firefighters located two fires in separate locations on the second floor that were later determined to be connected. The fire spread to an outside wall and attic of the home, resulting in structural damage. The cause was determined to be accidental and the result of improperly disposing of incense cones. The home was ruled uninhabitable by the building inspector until repairs can be made.  

Peoria Firefighters were called to Landmark Apartments Wednesday just before 2:00 p.m. on reports of smoke inside the building. Upon arrival, nothing was showing on the outside of the building. However, maintenance staff on scene directed crews to the back side of the complex, where crews found light smoke, according to Battalion Chief Ralph Phillips. Crews found no fire in the apartment they were directed towards, so they searched an adjacent apartment where they found a scorched outlet and light smoke coming from the roof vents. Firefighters found insulation and a rafter had been smoldering for some time in the attic, according to Phillips. "The fire had been smoldering for awhile, because it did burn all the way through that rafter," said Phillips. "That wire could have been smoldering up there for maybe 45 minutes before we were actually called."  

Three Kankakee County engineering and construction companies are seeking the project manager role for the proposed construction of a second fire station in Bradley. The three companies are Piggush-Simoneau Inc. of Kankakee, Johnson Downs Construction Co. of Kankakee, and Bear Construction Co. of Bradley. Bradley Fire Chief Don Kaderabek announced at Monday's Bradley Village Board meeting the companies have submitted requests to be considered for the project. The selection of a project manager will likely take place within the next 30 days, Kaderabek said. The village is looking to construct a second fire station at 1690 Newtowne Drive, the location which was at one time the home of the Bradley-Bourbonnais Chamber of Commerce office. Expected additions to the site include a 3,500-square-foot garage to house a fire engine and an ambulance so that the department can better serve the north and northeast portions of the village.  

VIDEO: A female FDNY EMT was assaulted at the scene of a three-alarm fire in the Bronx that damaged seven businesses. The fire broke out on Westchester Avenue in the Parkchester section just before 6:30 a.m. Thursday, right near the elevated subway tracks. The fire appears to have started in a 99-cent store. While no one was injured in the fire, an FDNY EMT was assaulted at the scene. Heavy smoke spread over the neighborhood and across an adjacent elevated subway line, where passing trains were slowed. FDNY Chief of EMS Operations Lillian Bonsignore released a statement calling the incident, "unbelievable and despicable." "We are out here ready to save the lives of the people who depend on us, out in the freezing cold while our firefighters are fighting this fire," she said. Bonsignore says the female EMT was flagged down by someone who said they were in need of help. The 32-year-old EMT saw the man collapsing on the sidewalk.  

VIDEO: One NASA Kennedy Space Center firefighter went above and beyond in his rescue back in October. A broken scaffolding left a team of painters hanging on the side of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. The painters were dangling 375-feet above ground while painting the flag on the VAB. They had already been stuck a couple of hours when Kennedy Fire Rescue got the alert. Firefighter Andrew Morgan scaled down to the rescue once he reached the scaffolding, strapped one of the men to his body and the two were hauled to the roof.  

The Bourne Fire Department has been selected to take part in a nationwide program with a goal of building a digital tool that will share information on community risk factors. Assistant Fire Chief David S. Pelonzi announced that Bourne Fire/Rescue and Emergency Services was selected by the National Fire Protection Association to participate in the second phase of the pilot program. The program focuses on the concept of community risk reduction, or CRR. CRR is a process that identifies and prioritizes risks and ensures impactful mitigation initiatives, Asst. Chief Pelonzi said. The idea has been gaining traction across North America for more than 20 years, he said. "NFPA's CRR tool works to help fire departments aggregate and disseminate data that pinpoint where risks exist within a given community," the assistant chief said.  

Scientists around the world are on the lookout for new COVID-19 variants, which are caused by mutations of the virus when its replication machinery makes an error. Experts say these mutations and the new variants are normal and to be expected. In recent months, so-called variants of concern have been identified in the U.K., South Africa, Brazil and in the U.S. And it's not a coincidence they're appearing in these countries, which have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of COVID-19 cases. Finding variants by screening COVID-19-infected patients with genomic sequencing is the easy part. The difficult part is then figuring out what these mutations mean. Researchers are studying the variants daily to gain a better understanding of their differences. While we still don't know a lot about how the mutations in these variants change the virus, we do have evidence that some might be more transmissible.  

When we need help, first responders are the ones who answer the call. Firefighters, EMTs, and police officers put their health and lives at risk every day to serve those in their community. During the pandemic, those risks have only become more pronounced as first responders venture into dozens of homes each week, many of them for COVID-19-related calls. "This last year, we had a lot of growing pains together, and from those growing pains came this really positive light that we can get through it together," said Cpt. Brac Heiss with the Denver Fire Department. Cpt. Heiss has been with the Denver Fire Department for 15 years. It comes as no surprise that some of his career's biggest challenges have come since last March. "Everybody is a potential COVID patient now. Everybody is presumptive COVID positive until they're not," he said.