Firefighters responded Monday evening to a Springfield structure fire. Responders with the Springfield Firefighters Local 37 union on Facebook said the fire is at a building in the 2500 block of Empowerment Road. The initial report was for a dryer on fire. An attack line was used to attack fire on the inside of the structure. Residents have been evacuating the building. The fire was reported to be out after 6:10 p.m. Monday. A light haze was reported after that time on the building's third floor.  

40 years ago today, an Illinois National Guard plane exploded mid-air and crashed in McHenry County, killing all 27 military personnel on board. A KC-135A Stratotanker, assigned to the 126th Air Refueling Wing (AREFW), departed from northern Michigan en route to O'Hare Airport on March 19, 1982. The aircraft was 40 miles northwest of O'Hare and had just been cleared for descent when an explosion caused the aircraft to disintegrate. The plane's fuselage broke apart and all four engines separated. The remains of the plane, which was 13,000 feet in the air, crashed down into an open field in McHenry County near Greenwood. The four crew members on board were assigned to the 126th AREFW, while the 23 passengers were members of the 928th Tactical Airlift Group (TAG). All 27 members were killed in the incident. The last body was recovered two days after the incident.  

First responders and 9-1-1 dispatchers were honored Monday morning for their efforts to save a 4-year-old's life. Three Pekin Police officers received a medal of valor and a life-saving award. Pekin Fire's Deputy Chief Tony Rendleman received a commendation award, the department's professional excellence award and a life-saving award. Five Tazewell County 9-1-1 dispatchers received commendation letters and certificates. Four citizens were also recognized for their efforts that day - by calling 9-1-1 and keeping dispatchers informed and having a rope out and being ready to go if needed. First responders were dispatched February 28 to Meyers Lake on reports of a child in the water.  

A 6-year-old North Chicago girl battling cancer had her wish granted on Sunday thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the North Chicago Fire Department. Amy Velazquez, 6, is battling leukemia, according to North Chicago city officials. Amy's wish was to have her room made over, officials said. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was able to make that wish come true along with another wish with the help of the North Chicago Fire Department. The fire department and Make-A-Wish Foundation showed up Sunday afternoon to surprise Amy at her home on Argonne Drive in North Chicago. Mayor Leon Rockingham, Alderman Michael Jackson and Alderman Carl Evans were also in attendance. The fire department made Amy, who wants to be a firefighter when she grows up, an honorary firefighter.  

Most of the early day buildings around the Enid downtown square in 1901 were built of southern hard pine. A few painted walls and some brick walls were beginning to be used. Wooden sidewalks were the standard. According to the Enid Fire Department history, the Enid City Council on Dec. 28, 1893, approved the appointment of a fire warden and assistant fire marshal, plus each business around the downtown square would be required to keep a barrel of water for protection against fire and six fire hand grenades (glass spheres containing carbon tetrachloride) to help put out any fires that occurred. On Feb. 23, 1894, the city accepted the offer of the Pabst Brewing Company to buy Enid a hook-and-ladder truck. The summer of 1894 in particular was extremely hot and dry, which sparked fire concerns.  

The Coeur d'Alene Fire Department wants you to help it name some of its newest team members. Fire Rescue crews just got their two new water rescue training dummies and they need to be named. One of the dummies is child-sized and the other is adult-sized. The Coeur d'Alene Fire Department posted pictures of the new dummies to its Facebook page and asked for help picking out names.  

VIDEO: Brownsburg firefighter Jason Stumm, in the industry for more than 20 years, says each day is unpredictable. "There are days, weeks and months sometimes that you go on runs and it's not really stressful. It's a daily event, but then you have that one run in the middle of the month that you remember. There's never one that is the same," Stumm said. "At the end of the day, somebody's life is in the balance, and you are trying to help them out." Firefighters like Stumm are constantly faced with new challenges, and like many industries, are also dealing with changes and stress from the pandemic. Earlier this year, 13News spoke with two Brownsburg paramedics who were feeling that same fatigue. "We all have reached the point where we are just so burnt out and we are tired, and it's really hard because we are still trying to take care of people," said Ashli LaLond, a paramedic for Brownsburg Fire Territory.  

The omicron subvariant BA.2 is continuing to gain ground in the U.S., according to Covid-19 tests sequenced over the last two weeks. Helix, a San Diego-based genomics firm, has been watching the BA.2 variant since it first popped up in the U.S. in early January. Although it was initially slow to take hold, Helix now estimates that 50% to 70% of all Covid cases nationwide are BA.2. Will Lee, Helix's chief science officer, said this type of surveillance is essential and can help arm the U.S. health care system against future variants. Read More: Should I Be Worried About Covid — Again? Data from the U.K. — where BA.2 has already caused cases to spike — show the country's rise in infections began around the same time that BA.2 surpassed the 50% mark of overall cases.