Chicago police and federal investigators are working to identify people who set fire to dozens of businesses and vehicles following the death of George Floyd. Many businesses went up in flames across the Chicago area during violent unrest. Because of the sheer number of fires that were set during that weekend, federal officials were brought in to help. Many businesses went up in flames across the Chicago area during violent unrest. Because of the sheer number of fires that were set during that weekend, federal officials were brought in to help. The national response team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms spent weeks in Chicago going through surveillance video. On Tuesday, they released images from just 10 of those fires.  

A garage is completely destroyed after its apparently set on fire early Wednesday morning. Around 3 a.m. Rockford Fire responded to a call in the 2100 block of Parmele Street for a detached garage fire. Crews arrived to the scene to find the structure fully engulfed in flames. Crews were able to extinguish the fire only after the structure was ruled a total loss and collapsed. The fire also damaged two nearby garages with radiant heat. Rockford Fire reports there were several collector cars inside the garage at the time. The estimated loss is $30,000. Damage to any vehicles was not disclosed.  

Authorities believe a lightning strike is responsible for starting a fire in a Gurnee townhome Monday evening in the north suburbs. The bolt struck about 6:40 p.m. and left distinct charring on the roof, according to Gurnee Fire Battalion Chief Bob Heraver. A neighbor noticed smoke and alerted 911 and the family four, who safely evacuated the home in the 700 block of Wakefield Road, Heraver said. Firefighters arrived and found smoke pouring out from the attic area, he said. "We went inside, looked around and didn't see a large volume of fire," Heraver said. "There was smoke in the attic. We pulled out the ceiling to get access and wet it." In all, the fire was contained in a quarter hour, but crews stayed another 45 minutes to make sure it didn't rekindle, he said.  

Virginia Beach Fire and EMS employees were "pushed and kicked" Monday night while trying to save the life of a motorcyclist, officials say. When firefighters arrived in the 900 block of Atlantis Drive in the Seatack community shortly before 9 p.m. "an unruly crowd gathered and rapidly grew in size and out of control, surrounding the scene," according to a Virginia Beach Fire Department daily briefing report obtained by WAVY-TV 10. As firefighters tried to treat the man involved in the crash, several were "pushed and kicked" the briefing said. The victim ultimately died from his injuries on the way to the hospital, according to Virginia Beach Police. However, the report goes on to say that some from the crash scene followed an ambulance to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and began to "jump on, kick and hit multiple EMS vehicles causing damage."  

VIDEO: The state's final report about the Farmington explosion, obtained by the CBS 13 I-Team, reveals what firefighters experienced in moments just before and after the blast. They've never spoken about it publicly, but their interviews with investigators detail the terrifying ordeal and their brave actions that day. The explosion happened while firefighters investigated the report of a possible gas leak, but according to transcripts of interviews with responding firefighters, they didn't smell gas when they arrived. Firefighter Joe Hastings told investigators: "We couldn't smell any propane, we smelled nothing. I was getting no reads whatsoever." Until they got to the basement, when Hastings said: "When I got to the basement, finally on the ground level the alarm went into full alarm at 100 PPM which our max is at." Hastings said they were going to cut the main "in hopes to not have any electricity spark."  

The Kern County Board of Supervisors took a series of steps Tuesday to address a looming budget crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. One of those steps included passing a $3 billion preliminary budget for fiscal year 2020-21, but the most prominent may have been the reduction of firefighter overtime benefits that the County Administrative Office said exceeds federal labor standards. The reduction came as part of a contract supervisors voted to impose on the local firefighters' union after impasse negotiations between the two parties failed. County officials said the move was necessary to help eliminate a structural deficit within the Fire Fund that's grown over the years to $9 million. The issue has been a sore spot for many years, with the county paying overtime for sick leave and vacation, beyond standards set by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Under the new deal, firefighters would only receive overtime if they worked beyond a 40-hour workweek.  

EaseAlert is a pre-alert system designed to alert firefighters of an emergency before the alarm sounds in their station. It was created by young entrepreneurs Blake Richardson and Elezar Tonev with the goal to reduce stress and improve efficiency for firefighters. "My dad has been a firefighter most of my life. For years I would see him come home from work every third day just stressed and exhausted. I was seeing the toll that firefighting was taking on him first hand," Richardson said. After doing some research, Richardson learned that the toll had a bigger impact on firefighters than he thought -- with heart attacks and an alarming number of suicides being leading causes of death. "Of course, firefighting is a very stressful job. We can't change the inherent nature of the job," Richardson said, "but what we can change is the alerting process and that's where EaseAlert comes in."  

For the first time in 73 years, the town's fire and EMS departments will operate as one unified department beginning Wednesday. The unified department, the result of merging the Coventry Volunteer Fire Association and the North Coventry Volunteer Fire Department, will be known as the Town of Coventry Fire/EMS Department. It will be made up of volunteers. Ahead of that milestone, town officials Monday held a swearing-in ceremony in Patriots Park for the new interim fire and EMS officers. Bud Meyers, who serves as fire marshal and had been chief of the North Coventry Volunteer Department, was approved by the Town Council on April 20 to become the new unified department's interim fire chief. He was sworn into that role Monday. "I am looking forward to working with these officers and members of the unified department," Meyers said today. "We have three core values — dedication, teamwork, and respect."