Six people were injured in a high-rise fire in The Loop early Tuesday morning. The building, at 400 East Randolph, located near Maggie Daley Park, caught fire sometime after 12:30 a.m. The fire was located in a single unit on the 32nd floor and it appears to be electrical in nature, but the cause is unknown. While responding to the fire, five firefighters became temporarily stuck in an elevator. They were not injured. A 60-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man, who live on the 32nd floor of the building, are in the hospital in serious condition. A third person was also taken to the hospital, but his condition was not serious. Most of the people injured are suffering from smoke inhalation. A resident's pet died in the fire. The fire was struck out around 1:30 a.m.  

The Utica Fire Protection District will buy a drone and four dual-band portable radios after securing state grant funding with assistance from state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris. "The Utica Fire Protection District plays a vital role for both Starved Rock and its local community," Rezin said in a news release. "The equipment bought with this grant money will help the Utica Fire District better protect our communities." The grant, which totaled $59,212, will be used to purchase a DJI M-300 drone and four Motorola APX 8000 dual-band portable radios. The drone has the latest technologies to aid in search and rescue and firefighting operations, with a 55-minute flight time. It carries a Zenmuse H20T camera that includes a thermal camera, a 20X optical zoom camera and a laser rangefinder.  

While many college students are coping with homework and COVID-19 safety, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal says pay attention to fire safety as well. Public Information Officer J.C. Fults says during this important time in their lives, students should still think safety as well as homework. "This is the first time many are living on their own. So it's important that you have that fire escape plan now for your campus house." Fults says keep those smoke alarm batteries where they belong. "Yes...that is the biggest thing, is don't use those batteries for a game controller or any other device in the house." September is fire safety month. According to Campus Firewatch, 85 percent of college-related fire fatalities have happened in off-campus housing.  

Elgin firefighters put out a fire in a large trash bin outside a business Monday morning. Five fire units, an ambulance and a battalion chief responded to the call at Russo Power Equipment at 1001 N. Randall Road and found smoke coming from a trash container attached to a garbage chute at the rear of the building. Elgin Fire Capt. Tim Ryan said crews weren't able to open the container because of how it was attached, so they had to engage a local towing company to move the bin away from the building. Once that was done, firefighters were able to open the container and extinguish the blaze. The building had some smoke in it that was removed by fans, and there was "minimal to no damage to the structure," according to Ryan. The business was evacuated and no employees or firefighters were injured. "And obviously the trash is burned," Ryan said.  

It has been 19 years since September 11 attacks on this country that left thousands dead and first responders feeling the impact to this day. A new crowdfunding site labels itself as a way to exclusively support families of all first responders facing hard times. For Skip and Tammy Danielson, Fund the First is a way to heal financially as their hearts continue to ache. "He went in immediately to the triage area at the hospital, collapsed, and they worked on him for five hours," said Skip. Skip recalls the tragic day his son Scott died. Scott was the chief of an emergency squad in New Jersey, responding to the scene of a crash. He found out his daughter Alycia was involved in the crash. After following Alycia's ambulance to the hospital, he realized he needed help. Alycia survived, but Scott died of a heart attack.  

Firefighters are responding to a fire, Tuesday morning at a recycling plant in northeast Oklahoma City. According to authorities, the fire is at Derichebourg Recycling USA near Northeast 4th Street and North Martin Luther King Avenue. Fire officials said the fire was called in by someone that was driving by. The fire is mostly burning tires and trash, firefighters said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

A reported assault on two Baltimore City firefighters is contributing to the nationwide, rising concern over attacks on first responders. According to the department, the firefighters were assaulted while responding to a reported fire on Eastern Avenue in southeast Baltimore Sunday night. Officials say a man threw glass bottles at the crew as they attempted to enter the home. It's an unfortunate, yet not surprising incident to former Baltimore City Commissioner Ed Norris. "I think there's been an effort to demonize the police in this country, and these are firefighters," said Norris. Norris then pointed out one of the most recent attacks on law enforcement, the two California deputies who were shot in an ambush. Police have also recent victims of violence during unrest in Seattle and Chicago. In Baltimore, body worn camera footage released over the summer showed an officer being bit by a squeegee worker.  

VIDEO: It has been 19 years, but Scott Miller gets the details right. Some memories — especially the really good and really bad — are indelible. Friday night, Miller managed the FDNY baseball team, which, despite nearly blowing an 11-run lead and leaving 17 men on base, edged the NYPD 12-10 in a four-hour marathon. It's doubtful a year from now Miller will remember these details but, for the record, the FDNY took an 11-0 lead, the NYPD responded with 10 unanswered runs and had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth before Bobby Magnusson nailed down the save just before midnight. James McGee picked up the win and John Giakas had three RBI for the FDNY. The NYPD, which got a two-run blast from Paul Ragone, still leads the series 11-10. The game is an annual showdown and means a lot. But this year was different.  

Borough leaders recently informed firefighters here they would eliminate unionized, full-time positions and transition to a department that relies on part-timers, volunteers and subcontractors. Firefighters whose jobs are on the line are steamed and residents plan to stage a protest outside of Tuesday night's council meeting at the borough's municipal "The fire department has religiously worked in the best interest of the borough," said firefighter John Fronzoni, a 20-year veteran who is union steward for the department. Larksville, a West Side town of about 4,700 residents, currently has round-the-clock paid fire coverage staffed by three full-timers and 11 part-timers. Council members say the COVID-19 pandemic has dried up the town's tax base and they can no longer afford a full-time fire crew. They say the fire union's demands — such as annual five-percent pay increases and no increase in health care contributions — were unrealistic in this day in age.