Three young brothers who died in a West Side fire were trapped in an illegal basement apartment with only one exit that was blocked by flames, according to the Chicago Fire Department. A fourth boy remains in extremely critical condition from the fire, which broke out early Sunday in the back of the apartment at 4032 W. Potomac in West Humboldt Park, Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said. The child's mother was badly burned and inhaled smoke, likely while trying to find her children in their bedrooms, Langford said. Flames blocked the back door — the only exit — forcing the mother to break a window and escape, he said. The mother remained incapacitated at a hospital while she recovers from burns to her face, Langford said. Firefighters responded at 12:20 a.m. and had to break through the apartment door, which was locked from the inside, Langford said. Two children were found unresponsive in a room near the door, and the two other children were found on the other side of the apartment.  

Paint splatters the sidewalks in Marion after two generations partnered together to honor those who risk their lives to public safety. A retired Marine veteran who lost people in the Vietnam war has partnered with descendants of a long line of military folks to produce a mural memorializing the military and first responders. "Whenever I got out of the Marine Corps in 1972 there was an entirely different attitude toward warriors then, toward the military," attorney Ronald Osman said. "In fact, we were spit on, on occasion, and it's always bothered me. They deserve to be remembered. All of the first responders and the people that keep us safe day in and day out deserve to be remembered and deserve to be honored." Ronald Osman and his son, Blane Osman, were approached by Tim Barnett, the Marion Fire Department chief, earlier in the year about putting something on the building across from the fire station that honored the fireman.  

An apartment building in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood collapsed Tuesday evening as firefighters were battling an extra-alarm fire. The fire started around 6:25 p.m. at an apartment building in the 2300 block of South Seeley Avenue, and spread to two neighboring buildings. CBS 2's Sabrina Franza reported that smoke from the fire could be seen all the way from Lincoln Park as firefighters worked to stifle the flames. Firefighters eventually called in a 2-11 alarm to bring in more crews and equipment to try to contain the blaze. Around 7 p.m., Fire Department officials announced in a tweet that the building where the fire had started had collapsed.  

The Bloomington Firefighters Union posted on Facebook Wednesday morning that they had dispatched at least nine emergency vehicles to a structure fire at Market and Lee streets. Arriving units reported to an active fire on the third floor of the building just after 6:30 a.m. Smoke and fire were visible upon arrival. Shortly before 7 a.m., Bloomington Firefighters Union updated their Facebook post to reflect that units were pulling out to initiate a defensive operation.  

PHOTOS: Crews are battling a massive blaze at a Maryland summer camp for kids that broke out Wednesday morning. Frederick County Fire & Rescue said at least 100 personnel are on the scene of the fire at Camp Airy. They said the two-alarm fire started in the dining hall and the initial dispatch was at 7:34 a.m. The fire has spread to the first and second floors. Thankfully, officials said the building was empty and no injuries have been reported at this time. According to the Camp Airy website, the campsite is for boys.  

According to a report, nearly half of all firefighter duty-related deaths across the country are caused by sudden cardiac deaths. The Springfield Fire Department says education is crucial in prevention. Springfield Fire Department's Division Chief Kelly Ash says physical fitness is also crucial, with the department dedicating an hour a day to keeping firefighters in shape. "Firefighting often is not a marathon. It's a sprint," Division Chief Ash says. "Our heart rate is at max. All of our physical efforts to get the fire out or to rescue a victim." Division Chief Ash says firefighters have 40 to 50 pounds of gear, which causes their body core temperature to rise quickly. "For a hot day like this, our bodies can't breathe," Division Chief Ash says. "We can't perspire. All that evaporation, which is the part that cools our body that doesn't happen with all the fire gear." Ozark Fire Chief Jarett Metheny says sleep schedules also play a role in this.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Paint splatters the sidewalks in Marion after two generations partnered together to honor those who risk their lives to public safety. A retired Marine veteran who lost people in the Vietnam war has partnered with descendants of a long line of military folks to produce a mural memorializing the military and first responders. "Whenever I got out of the Marine Corps in 1972 there was an entirely different attitude toward warriors then, toward the military," attorney Ronald Osman said. "In fact, we were spit on, on occasion, and it's always bothered me. They deserve to be remembered. All of the first responders and the people that keep us safe day in and day out deserve to be remembered and deserve to be honored." Ronald Osman and his son, Blane Osman, were approached by Tim Barnett, the Marion Fire Department chief, earlier in the year about putting something on the building across from the fire station that honored the firefighter. Especially those that died on 9/11.  

Each year, the Austin, Texas, Police Department (APD) call center diverts more than 80% of its calls to mental health clinicians, freeing police officers to focus on "hot calls," such as life-threatening situations and robberies in progress. Since 2019, Integral Care, the city's Local Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority, has been integrated into APD's computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. This means that when APD operators take a 911 call, they ask if the caller needs police, fire, emergency medical services (EMS) or mental health response. "They do their initial triage, and then depending on what information they're taking in, they have the ability to within the CAD system to transfer to the most appropriate first responder system or our clinicians," said Marisa Aguilar, crisis services administrator at Integral Care.  

Pennsylvania lawmakers have sent a new bill designed to improve safety in state-regulated childcare facilities to Governor Tom Wolf's desk, the General Assembly announced Wednesday. Introduced by Republican State Sen. Dan Laughlin, Senate Bill 563 was crafted in response to a fire that killed five children in Erie three years ago, according to Senate Republicans. "Many of the bills introduced in the General Assembly are in response to real life events that take place in our hometowns and local communities," said Laughlin, who represents Erie County. "Tragically, in this case, I introduced this legislation because of a Aug. 11, 2019 child-care facility fire that claimed the lives of La'Myhia Jones, 8; Luther Jones Jr., 6; Ava Jones, 4; Dalvin Pacley, 2; and Jaydan Augustyniak, age 9 months.