A former Rockford grocery store that's been abandoned for about a decade, and was scheduled to be demolished this month, is now destroyed by fire tonight. The roof collapsed around 9 pm, Monday at the former Al-Mart grocery store at 2323 West State Street. Rockford Fire crews almost immediately called to take a defensive approach to the fire, meaning the structure was unsafe for firefighters to enter. The Al-Mart closed in 2012, and in August Rockford City Council approved the demolition of the building with the expectations it would happen in October. Eyewitnesses say the fire started in the back of the building, and structure was consumed by flames in a matter of minutes. There is no word yet on what caused the fire.  

Pekin firefighters responded quickly to a vacant house fire near their firehouse in the 200 block of Derby at around 3:05 p.m. Monday. Pekin Fire Chief Trent Reeise says the home was abandoned, had no occupants and was a total loss. Responding firefighters took a defensive posture to ensure minimal damage to surrounding buildings - two neighboring buildings do have damage but a monetary estimate is not yet available. No firefighters were injured.  

The Quad City Area Fire Marshals Association is working with the Quad City Area Realtors to provide carbon monoxide detectors to area homeowners free of charge. The Board of Realtors has donated $5,000 towards installing carbon monoxide detectors in homes by local fire departments. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 430 people die and around 50,000 people visit an emergency room in the United States every year from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. To receive a free carbon monoxide detector, residents must live in the Quad City area, be willing to let the local fire department install the detector and be a homeowner who lives at that property. Renters are not eligible. Contact your local fire department to schedule an installation. Participating fire departments include Bettendorf, Clinton and Davenport in Iowa and East Moline, Moline, Rock Island and Silvis in Illinois.  

Peoria firefighters are holding a coat drive for the youth in the city. The Peoria Fire Department is trying to get new or used coats for the winter for kids under the age of 18. So far, they have collected under 50 jackets and are hoping to get that number up. Coat donations are accepted at three Peoria fire stations. Firefighter Matt Young said he was happy to be able to spread some positivity while being off-duty. "We have a lot of people, so we have the volunteers that are willing to do it. So this is just one more thing that we can do. It feels good for us that even though we're not on duty, we're still able to help the people in our community," said Young.  

A monstrous fire devoured a factory in Queens' Long Island City early Tuesday, spewing thick black smoke into the air as bright orange flames leaped into the pitch-black sky overnight. The blaze erupted at a commercial laundromat on 30th Street, near Hunters Point Avenue, around 2:30 a.m. and quickly escalated, triggering a fourth alarm -- which means more fire companies are called in -- a few hours later. The laundromat is part of a larger industrial complex, and other businesses appeared to be heavily damaged as well. Roughly 170 firefighters and EMS members responded, officials said. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries but were expected to be OK. The scene was considered a hazmat operation because of chemicals and propane associated with the laundromat, and officials were monitoring the air to ensure there were no related concerns.  

Tracy Williams got started in the fire service at a young age. "They asked me if I wanted to be a part of the junior program. Well, I said yeah just something new, getting ready to get out of high school I'll just try it. From that day on, I've been hooked," he explained. That was nearly 40 years ago for the current Assistant Fire Chief and Fire Marshal at the Westview-Fairforest Fire Department in Spartanburg County. "People need help and we're there to help," he said. In 2009, Williams became the one who needed help after he was diagnosed with cancer. "Determined that I had Melanoma stage 3A, which meant it was in a lymph node," Williams explained. Research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found firefighters are at a greater risk for certain types of cancers.  

VIDEO/PHOTO: A lack of oxygen can reduce even the most furious flame to smoldering ash. But when fresh air rushes in, say after a firefighter opens a window or door to a room, the blaze may be suddenly and violently resurrected. This explosive phenomenon, called backdraft, can be lethal and has been challenging for firefighters to anticipate. Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have hatched a plan for informing firefighters of what dangers lie behind closed doors. The team obtained data from hundreds of backdrafts in the lab to use as a basis for a model that can predict backdrafts. The results of a new study, described at the 2022 Suppression, Detection and Signaling Research and Applications Conference, suggest that the model offers a viable solution to make predictions based on particular measurements.  

33 years ago the Bay Area was rocked by the Loma Prieta earthquake. Experts warn it's not a matter of if a major quake will strike again, it's a matter of when. First responders have an important message. Emergency responders are urging all of us to take this time to reflect on the past, and prepare for the future. October 17th, 1989 the A's and Giants were preparing to face off in the Battle of the Bay, when a magnitude 6.9 quake shook the Bay Area, killing 63 people, injuring thousands more, and leaving a mark on the Bay Area and the city of San Francisco. Firefighters say they used the quake as an opportunity to learn; to prepare for the next quake. In videos of the time, you can see civilians stepping in to help firefighters battle fires throughout the Marina District. Those volunteers now trained and the relationship formalized as neighborhood emergency response teams.