VIDEOS/PHOTOS: Firefighters from both Urbana and Champaign responded to a house fire close to the University of Illinois campus Tuesday afternoon. The fire broke out at California and Lincoln Avenues in Urbana, close to the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. WCIA's weather cameras captured smoke rising from the area around 4:45 p.m. Mark Ashby, a Battalion Chief with the Urbana Fire Department, said approximately 18 firefighters from Urbana responded, along with nine from Champaign. Investigators are looking into the cause of the fire, which Ashby said appears to have started on the first floor and extended to the second floor at the attic. The homeowner told WCIA he was in the backyard cleaning tree limbs off power lines when he heard a popping noise.  

A new fire station in Normal was projected to cost more than twice as much as the original estimation. On Monday, the town council voted unanimously to approve the $7.7 million number 2 station that will expand to Hershey and Shepard Road on the northeast side of Normal. It is nearly $3 million, more than the original estimate of around $5 million. "We had three fire stations at the time, and we looked at starting to move them around and address the needs of the expanding community and where the calls were coming from," said Kevin McCarthy, Normal Town Council member. A total of $1 million from a state grant will help with this new building, and the rest will come from the money the town has saved for the project. This new station will have new amenities for the Normal firefighters.  

A mulch fire burning on Detroit's west side could take days to fully extinguish, according to firefighters. The fire at Detroit Mulch on Prairie Street near Lyndon and Livernois started Tuesday night. Crews continued to battle large flames Wednesday morning. Heavy smoke from the fire has led to calls from areas miles away from the mulch business. However, it was determined that the smoke was from the Prairie location and not other fires. According to AirNow, areas near the fire have a Moderate level of air quality concern as the fire burns. This means that there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. As of Wednesday morning, hazmat and the water department were at the scene. The cause is currently unknown.  

VIDEO: A local fire department has a new piece of sonar equipment that will help them locate a person underwater more quickly. The Vincennes Township Fire Department recently purchased an AQUAEYE handheld sonar device. Fire Chief Tim Smith said it uses new technology that will help them determine when they've located a person in the water, rather than an object. He said while their boats already have sonar equipment, this new handheld device is faster for them to deploy. "It's basically designed for victims that may be close to shore, that maybe were swimming or doing some recreational activity, but there's a general idea of where they're located, and the first arriving crews can immediately deploy that," said Smith. Smith added the department had a loaner unit of this device before purchasing one, so their crews were able to practice and get familiar with it.  

VIDEO: Firefighters from the Beacon Falls Fire Department successfully rescued nineteen people and a dog from the Brookside Inn Restaurant during Sunday's severe flooding. On Sunday, the restaurant was surrounded by five to ten inches of water. With Oxford fire crews occupied with other emergency calls, the Beacon Hose Fire Department intervened using an aerial approach. Fire Marshal Cal Brennan led the operation, deploying a 107-foot aerial ladder to evacuate those trapped inside. The rescue operation was further complicated by a leaking propane tank in the building. Despite these challenges, Brennan described the experience as one of his most memorable rescues. "Everything went seamless because of everybody's dedication and training. We train every Monday night. We didn't have a lot of communications, we just said here's our plan, this is plan A, let's go do it," said Brennen.  

BMW is recalling more than 720,000 vehicles due to an issue with the water pump's electrical connector that could potentially lead to a fire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the recall includes some X1, X3 and X5 vehicles as well as some other models. The impacted vehicles have water pumps with insufficient sealing, according to the NHTSA report, and may be susceptible to fluid ingress at the electrical plug connector over time. There is the possibility that a short circuit could occur, and there's the potential for a fire, in rare cases. Water pumps and plug connectors will be inspected and replaced as necessary. A shield will also be installed to divert any fluid that might drop down onto the pump from the positive crankcase ventilation system's intake air house, the report said.