A man was rescued by firefighters Monday afternoon as he hung from the window of a burning two-flat in the West Pullman neighborhood. The "relatively small fire" started in the rear of a home about 1:20 p.m. in the 11800 block of South Union Avenue, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said. Crews entered the home and pulled the dangling man back inside the second-floor window, he said. The man was removed from the home and was underwent evaluation. Around six people were displaced from the home, he said. There were no other injuries. The fire was extinguished but its cause was not yet determined, Langford said.  

One Springfield firefighter was injured when a portion of the ceiling at the former Four Seasons Recreation in the 1900 block of Truman Road fell on his head during a fire there Monday afternoon. The firefighter was transported to Memorial Medical Center by ambulance. The firefighter was treated and later released, according to SFD Chief Brandon Blough. Crews encountered heavy smoke coming from the roof of the boarded-up structure when they arrived, Blough said. Firefighters made an entry into the building and had the fire extinguished in about 15 minutes, he said. The cause is under investigation, Blough said. Sangamon County sheriff's deputies and Springfield Police also responded to the scene as did City Water, Light and Power crews.  

VIDEO: No one really thinks of being a firefighter as a hobby, but that's exactly how Jeffrey Bruns sees it. "I never see myself unplugged from the fire service," said Bruns. "Once you're in it, it's like a lot of hobbies. You're in it for life." Bruns started his interest in firefighting when he was just 16 and could join an explorer program. At age 18, he became a firefighter. Fast forward more than a decade later, Bruns is working full-time on the railroad and spending roughly 12 or more hours a week at the Bethalto volunteer fire department where he serves as the president of the volunteer board. "Keeping everybody plugged in is the big thing because everybody's lives are so busy," said Bruns. That's partly one of the reasons why fewer people are volunteering, said Bethalto's chief Brian Buhs. He has served with the department for 15 years and just took over as the new chief. He said he's lucky to get paid less than full-time status for his service.  

A massive fire destroyed a barn late Monday night in Dickerson, Maryland. Approximately $1.5 million in damages was caused by the fire, according to Montgomery County Fire officials. Fire officials say no one was injured in the fire and 65 firefighters responded to the scene to battle the blaze. The incident occurred at 511 Peach Tree Road near Barnesville Road and firefighters extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time but fire officials say there was a lot of hay inside the barn.  

VIDEO: Up to 115 Austin firefighters were potentially exposed to asbestos during a three-alarm warehouse blaze in the St. John's neighborhood of north Austin on May 6, according to Austin Fire Department spokesperson Michelle Tanzola. The property, located at 7309 N. Interstate-35 at the corner of the service road and Blackson Avenue, is owned by the City of Austin, according to Travis Central Appraisal District records. The burned warehouse sits next door to a former Home Depot property the city also owns. "We're sending approximately 115 individuals for X-rays as a precautionary measure. Should they develop some sort of medical issue later as a result that needed treatment, establishing a baseline record and paperwork now ensures less red tape later for them to get care, even though it would be covered under the presumptive law regardless," Tanzola said in an email.  

VIDEO: The Cumberland Trail Fire District needs to make upgrades to its building and is having a difficult time doing so without ownership. "It would enable us to apply for some grants to make some modifications and upgrades to the facility without going through the city, or in the event that we need a low-interest loan," Fire Chief Tim Hall said. Hall says the district doesn't qualify for many grants and loans to make critical infrastructure improvements, as the city of St. Clairsville has the title. The fire station used to connect to the city building before moving to its current location. "When the fire district was formed in 1989, the city retained ownership of the building, and for whatever reason I can't speak of, the building always remained in the ownership of the city," Hall said. The pandemic has emphasized the need for building upgrades. All firefighters share a bunk room, and social distancing is a challenge.  

VIDEO: Today marks 25 years since ValuJet Flight 592 crashed in the Everglades, killing all 110 people on board. The plane took off from Miami to Atlanta on May 11, 1996. But about 10 minutes later, it plunged into the Everglades after oxygen canisters ignited a fire in the cargo. Lives were forever changed and the pain of the tragic day remains. "It's a trauma that I think we all carry," said former Miami-Dade firefighter Willi Alvarez. Alvarez vividly remembers the moment first responders halted their work. "…They were standing at attention as the families drove by paying their respects," Alvarez said while fighting back tears. "What I hope to do on this May 11, on the 25th anniversary, is once again have our people come out here and pay our respects for the families." Michael Gast and Danny Llano were divers for the Miami-Dade Police Department at the time. "It's depressing. It's depressing when you realize 110 people were on that airplane and their lives just ended," Gast told NBC 6.  

A man has been charged after allegedly biting a firefighter during a structure fire in Adrian. On May 6, during a structure fire in Adrian, officers with the Buckhannon Police Department observed an individual in the rear bed of a pick-up truck "fighting with pedestrians as they were yelling for assistance," according to a criminal complaint. Prior to deputies' arrival, Tylor Arbogast, 28, of Buckhannon, jumped onto the hood of the truck, and "smashed the front windshield out and busted the driver's side window with a large rock," deputies said. Deputies then "tried to gain control of [Arbogast] and he was refusing to comply and resisted arrest," and during that time, Arbogast "unlawfully and intentionally bit a fireman" … "while assisting in [Arbogast's] apprehension," according to the complaint. While attempting to apprehend Abrogast, he "was instructed numerous times to comply and continued to kick, headbutt and bite," deputies said.