VIDEO: Two firefighters were hurt in a house fire Monday morning in north suburban Evanston. Evanston Fire Operations Chief William Muno said the fire started shortly before 10 a.m. in the basement of a home in the 1100 block of Florence Avenue. A total of about 50 firefighters from Evanston, Chicago, and neighboring suburbs responded. The family who lives in the home was able to get out safe, and were able to rescue their dog and one of their two cats, but another cat died. Two firefighters were briefly trapped after one of them fell in a hole in the floor of the home into the basement, leaving the other cut off from an exit, but they both were able to escape. Both were taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries. Crews got most of the fire under control in 10 to 15 minutes, but were not able to reach some small spot fires because of damage to the floors.  

Illinois labor officials are issuing a series of statewide recommendations to improve firefighter safety following a two-year investigation into the death of a Chicago firefighter. Mashawn Plummer, 30, was critically injured the morning of Dec. 16, 2021, while battling an apartment building fire. Just six months after graduating from the Chicago Fire Academy, Plummer died five days after the fire. A civilian woman who was pulled out of the fire also died. Investigators with the Illinois Department of Labor's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (IL OSHA) found the primary cause of Plummer's death was a catastrophic malfunction of his self-contained breathing apparatus. The hose connecting Plummer's mask to his air tank tore in two places, rapidly depleting his only source of breathable air in heavy smoke conditions.  

PHOTO: The fire at a plant north of Lostant rekindled Tuesday morning. Just before 8:30, a call went out to the Lostant Fire Department to head back to LSC Environmental Products, formerly Phoenix Paper Products, for a rekindle. The Tonica Fire Department was called to assist. As fresh smoke billowed from the damaged business off Route 251, the highway was shutdown to traffic near the fire due to low visibility. The original fire broke out over the noon hour on Monday. Workers at the plant north of Lostant evacuated safely and even tried to put the fire out with extinguishers before firefighters arrived. About 20 minutes later, a mutual aid alarm was put out, seeking fire departments from at least four different counties to respond to the scene along Route 251.  

Freezing rain coated streets across the St. Louis region with ice overnight, resulting in several car accidents and ER trips for people attempting to traverse the dangerous conditions. Even first responders were not immune from Mother Nature's wrath, as videos recorded Monday morning show a fire truck from the Rock Community Fire Protection District spin out of control and nearly slam into homes in a Jefferson County subdivision. The crash happened in the 1700 block of Parkside Place, just west of Imperial. Firefighters were responding to a crash in the neighborhood. Neighbors Joe Lawson and Katelynn Voisey recorded videos of the fire truck losing traction on the slick, sloping road and turning a full 360 degrees before clipping a parked car.  

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. ("AST SpaceMobile") (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by everyday smartphones, recently announced strategic investment from AT&T, Google and Vodafone and aggregate new financing of up to $206.5 million in gross proceeds. In addition to the $155 million strategic investment, the company also plans to draw up to $51.5 million from the company's existing senior-secured credit facility. New investors AT&T and Google, joined by existing investor Vodafone, are at the forefront of wireless innovation, with products and services serving billions of people daily. This significant investment in AST SpaceMobile underscores confidence in the company's technology and leadership position in the emerging space-based cellular direct-to-device market, with the potential to offer connectivity to today's 5.5 billion cellular devices when they are out of coverage.  

Illinois labor officials are issuing a series of statewide recommendations to improve firefighter safety following a two-year investigation into the death of a Chicago firefighter. Mashawn Plummer, 30, was critically injured the morning of Dec. 16, 2021, while battling an apartment building fire. Just six months after graduating from the Chicago Fire Academy, Plummer died five days after the fire. A civilian woman who was pulled out of the fire also died. Investigators with the Illinois Department of Labor's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (IL OSHA) found the primary cause of Plummer's death was a catastrophic malfunction of his self-contained breathing apparatus. The hose connecting Plummer's mask to his air tank tore in two places, rapidly depleting his only source of breathable air in heavy smoke conditions.  

VIDEO: Firefighters at Tucson Fire Department say they see their workplace as family. For captains Crystal and Cyprian Ortiz, that sentiment happens to be true. Crystal and Cyprian are siblings. Crystal Ortiz had wanted to become a firefighter since she was a little girl. Her initial hesitation gave way when she thought her younger brother, Cyprian, would be a good fit. Cyprian credits his sister for guiding him into the position. "This job has definitely brought us closer together," said Crystal Ortiz. "Good times, bad times, he's my person who understands what I'm going through." The siblings, who have worked together for about nine years, emphasize the empathy they share due to their common experiences in the field. Memories of being partners on the same truck further strengthen their bond.  

VIDEOS/PHOTOS: An atmospheric river storm slammed California Sunday and Monday, dropping several inches of rain in the state and leading to flash flooding across San Diego. Floodwater ran off quickly and overwhelmed low-lying areas, causing creeks and rivers to rise quickly. With the higher snow levels, rain falling on fresh snow from last week also exacerbated inland flooding concerns. San Diego's mayor declared a state of emergency on Monday as record rainfall pummeled the city. Widespread flash flooding reports came in across the city and county. San Diego's fire department reported 24 water rescues from cars and hundreds from homes, with even more rescues in surrounding areas. San Diego's city website showed more than 70 roads were still either fully or partially covered by floodwaters early Tuesday morning.