VIDEO: Many gathered to honor fallen firefighters at Sunday's 38th annual East Peoria Firefighter Memorial Service. The East Peoria's Fire Department paid its annual tribute to the four firefighters who died in 1959, 1972, and 1980 at Fire Station 2. The men included in the service were Assistant Chief Marvin J. Stein and Firefighter George Cornwell Sr. who both passed 1959, Captain Armando Ballerini who passed in 1972, and Firefighter William A. Folmar, who died in 1980. Throughout this ceremony, biographies were presented about the firefighters. The Celtic Cross Pipes and Drums provided music, and the East Peoria Fire Department Honor Guard presented the colors. East Peoria Fire Chief Bobby Zimmerman said it's a way to honor those who lost their lives in line-of-duty deaths.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: On the afternoon of October 13, a few field fires were visible via satellite imagery from the National Weather Service near fields in northeast Decatur and near Sullivan. Earlier that day, the National Weather Service had issued an elevated fire danger for multiple counties in central Illinois. The Argenta-Oreana Fire Department shared on its Facebook page that around 2:50 p.m., they were dispatched to a field fire near Dunbar and Jordan Road in northeast Decatur. They said in their post, "This fire was moving into a standing corn field. Due to the high winds, we called for a first alarm response which brought Cerro Gordo fire, Cisco Fire, Hickory point fire, and Maroa fire. Asst. Chief Michener arrived on scene to find the field heavily involved and spreading rapidly due to the winds. "  

PHOTOS: An outbuilding filled with construction materials and wood caught fire Sunday, resulting in firefighters working into the night to extinguish the blaze, according to Plainfield Fire Chief Vito Bonomo. The Plainfield Fire Protection District was notified at about 3 p.m. Sunday of the plumes of black smoke coming from the 75-foot-by-100-foot building, located on the site of a construction and recycling center at 22957 W. 119th St., near the DuPage River. The building had likely been burning for hours before firefighters responded but only became noticeable when the plastic canvas top, serving as a roof, burned away, Bonomo told Patch. The outbuilding housed discarded material that rose about 60 feet high. Since there were no hydrants in the area, firefighters used seven water tenders to shuttle water in from Plainfield East High School, about a quarter mile away.  

Around 7:20 a.m. Monday morning, a house fire was reported in Kalamazoo. By the time fire crews were able to get to the scene at Washington Avenue and Race Street, they said the fire was fully involved. Crews worked for 30 minutes to get the fire under control. Officials said they believe all occupants evacuated safely. They said no injuries were reported from the home's residents or the firefighters who responded. After firefighters had the fire under control they remained on scene for several hours to work on hot spots, prevent damage to any structures nearby and also prevent rekindling. Officials with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Fire Marshal's Office are still investigating the cause of the fire.  

VIDEO: The Knoxville Fire Department was one of many agencies that responded to CMC Recycling last week, working to clear more than 200 sticks of dynamite from a steel box. Now, after the event, KFD personnel are recounting what happened. "It's very rare for something like this to happen. In the time I've been on the fire department, I don't know if I've ever had a situation quite like this," KPD Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks said. Wilbanks said they got the call Thursday about explosives being found at CMC Recycling. When crews arrived, they knew the situation was serious and started clearing the area. "Their first thought is ‘we need to start moving folks back.' That's a pretty daunting task; if you just look at the businesses that are right there around the steel recycling facility area," Wilbanks said.  

Restart A Heart Day will be recognized on October 16th worldwide. It's an initiative to raise awareness about the importance of bystander CPR, with hopes to increase the number of people who know CPR. "There are more than 300,000 cardiac deaths per year and we really want to make sure that we are increasing survival. We know that CPR can double or triple the chance of the survival rate, so the more people that know CPR, the better" said Maranda Williams with the American Heart Association in the Midlands. The event is something the American Heart Association of the Midlands is getting behind in hopes of increasing survival in the community in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. It's why state representative Brian Lawson says he's worked with the American Heart Association to introduce the Smart Heart Act, which he says they will pre-file in December.