A semi fire blocked lanes on the Tri-State Tollway during the Monday evening commute in the south suburbs. A vehicle fire broke out in the southbound lanes of Interstate 294 near Crawford Avenue in Midlothian, the Illinois Department of Transportation said. IDOT said two of four southbound lanes of I-294 were blocked at Crawford at 8 p.m. Flames and heavy smoke could be seen for miles as crews worked to get it under control. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, and there are no reports of injuries. Authorities did not immediately say when lanes may reopen.  

VIDEO/PHOTO: Firefighters braved dangerous heat Monday to battle an extra-alarm fire in an apartment building in northwest suburban Mount Prospect. Smoke surrounded a building at 1852 W. Palm Dr., off Golf Road within an apartment complex. Flames were seen coming out of the roof of the building. The building had a mansard roof — a style that originated in France in which the roof slopes down along every side of the building. It was not immediately learned whether anyone was hurt, or how many people were displaced.  

VIDEO: Those across Rockford's far west side walk down their driveways to fallen trees, lost power and more on Sunday afternoon. Around 3:30 p.m. on June 16, a strong storm swept across the area. In the hours after, reports of damage arrived into the WIFR newsroom. One such incident is the collapse of Mobil's canopy at 1021 S Meridian Rd, Rockford. There are no reported injuries at this time, but caution tape surrounds the property. Moreover, pumps appear beyond repair as roof rests on the ground. A few blocks over, near the 100 block of Garver Ave., Rockford, West Suburban Fire Protection District, alongside North Park crews, battled a house fire. "At one point we couldn't see anything. We just saw rain, wind, we saw trees coming down," says Sarah Irving, who lives next to the enflamed home.  

A vacant building in northwest Atlanta caught fire late Monday afternoon, according to Atlanta fire officials. The fire was reported at 350 Troy St. NW, near Joseph E. Boone Boulevard NW. First Alert Chopper captured scenes of the massive fire, including most of the flames being put out. Atlanta fire officials said crews launched a "defensive fire attack," which officials said is for when fire conditions prevent firefighters from getting inside a building. Smoke from the fire could be seen from West Midtown. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Officials said no injuries were reported.  

VIDEO: For first responders, the difference between life and death can be a matter of seconds. For some fire and EMS departments in North Texas, an app can now help them treat patients more quickly. At North Richland Hills, crews are launching the Pulsara app. It starts with a coded wristband for each patient. Scanning the band pulls up an online form for patient information. "Overdose, trauma, stroke, we can select what we need to alert the hospital," explained Kennedy Kuper with the NRH Fire Department as she showed NBC 5 the app. Right now, crews call the hospital while en route to describe a patient's condition and give medical staff an estimated time of arrival. But instead of trying to describe injuries, Pulsara lets crews show them to doctors before they get there.  

PHOTOS: Firefighters responded to a call from their own as a blaze broke out in a Staten Island firehouse in Westerleigh late Monday afternoon. According to the FDNY, a "verbal alarm" was received just after 5:30 p.m. for a report of a possible electrical fire in the basement at 875 Jewett Ave. — the location of Engine Co. 163 and Ladder Co. 83. Twelve units and 60 firefighters responded to the "all-hands" fire and placed it under control by around 6:40 p.m., an FDNY spokesperson said. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, but no further information was immediately available on their conditions, the spokesperson said. A witness told the Advance/SILive.com that sparking wires from a blown transformer on a utility pole adjacent to the firehouse had swung down and led to the firehouse fire.  

Sarah Reasoner, Martha Fecht and Megan Roesler Turner have very different backgrounds and came to consider careers as St. Paul firefighters in very different ways. Reasoner was a track and field All-American and onetime bodybuilder and powerlifter who wanted a career with a deeper purpose. Fecht, a St. Paul fire captain, went to Montana for a vacation and became a paramedic there. A Maplewood native, she leapt at the chance to return. And Roessler Turner was inspired to become a paramedic by the firefighters who revived a heart attack victim in the coffee shop where she worked. She is now a trainer at the academy. All three survived the gantlet of training — men and women must meet the same physical requirements. But they know that many women get discouraged from trying.