VIDEO: A husband and wife escaped a massive house fire in the Metro East Monday morning. Firefighters in Alton were called out around 4 a.m. to the intersection of Donald and Main in response to a house fire Monday. When crews got there, the back of the home and a detached garage were fully engulfed in flames. "I'm sorry about the house, but that can be replaced," Jody Price, the homeowner's brother, told First Alert 4. "People can't." Fire crews told First Alert 4 that a powerline connected to the house detached and fell on a fire truck across the street. Ameren crews were on the scene turning off power and removing the detached line. The fire truck was not damaged. The homeowner told First Alert 4 that two people walking by witnessed the flames and began banging on the windows and doors of the home to wake up those inside.  

VIDEO/PHOTO: Apparent explosions destroyed a West Peoria home early Sunday morning, but the fire chief said an exact cause can't be determined because crews had to demolish the home for safety reasons. West Peoria Fire Chief Terry Schadt said firefighters were called about 4:45 a.m. after a resident and neighbor reported "multiple explosions" from the home in the 2100 block of Martin Luther King Drive. The chief said he saw the home fully involved in flames when he arrived. He said two family members and a guest made it out safely, according to Schadt. Schadt is listing the fire as accidental but said investigators can't be sure of an exact cause because the building had to be torn down immediately to prevent a further collapse.  

Six people are currently missing after a large ship collided with the I-695 Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore overnight, sending it tumbling into the Patapsco River. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the ship named DALI was carrying cargo for Maersk from Singapore to Colombo. A preliminary investigation revealed the 948-foot vessel lost propulsion and collided with a bridge support beam causing its collapse. At the time of the crash, the bridge was undergoing construction with multiple cars passing through, causing several people to fall in the water. The University of Maryland Medical Center said they're currently treating one patient at Shock Trauma, but were unable to provide their condition. All 22 crew members aboard the ship, including two pilots, have been accounted for with no reported injuries.  

VIDEO: Tuesday marks 10 years since a deadly Back Bay fire claimed the lives of two Boston firefighters. Lt. Edward Walsh and firefighter Michael Kennedy were killed while fighting a wind-fueled, nine-alarm fire at 298 Beacon St. on March 26, 2014. The two men went inside after they were told someone might be trapped in the basement, then became trapped themselves. Kennedy, 33, was a veteran of the Marine Corps and lived in Hyde Park. He had been with the department for 6 ½ years. Walsh, 43, had been with the department for 9 ½ years. He lived in West Roxbury with his wife and three young children. "We lost two heroes. It makes me proud to be mayor of the city of Boston after watching how the men and women of the Boston Fire Department worked today. These two heroes ran into a burning building and got people out," then-Mayor Marty Walsh said in 2014.  

Federal legislation calling for studies on vessel fires within three nautical miles of the shoreline to reduce vessel and waterfront facility risk to local communities was passed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee recently. The bill was introduced by Congressman Rob Menendez (NJ-08) in response to the tragic vessel fire that occurred in Newark in July 2023, which claimed the lives of two Newark firefighters, Augusto "Augie" Acabou and Wayne "Bear" Brooks Jr. According to reports, firefighters, including from Bayonne, Hoboken, North Hudson, and Paterson, arrived at the site to find five to seven vehicles fully engulfed on the 10th floor of the massive cargo ship. The blaze spread to the 11th and 12th floors as firefighters battled the intense heat.