PHOTOS: The Springfield Fire Department said goodbye to one of its battalion chiefs on Tuesday with his retirement. Chief Mike Koskey signed off shift for the last time Tuesday morning after 35 years with the SFD. He was honored by members of the city's firefighters' union in a Facebook post. "Chief Koskey served 35 years with SFD. He was known for his knowledge and sense of calm that he brought to every scene," the union said. "Every firefighter felt just a little safer knowing that Chief Koskey was in command. We will miss you very much. Enjoy this next phase of life."  

No injuries to people or animals were reported during a fire in Lake Villa, authorities said. Officials said neighbors called the fire department to the 24700 block of W. Dering Lane when smoke was showing in the two-story residential home at 2:21 p.m. Tuesday. Officials said fire was discovered upon arrival on the first floor of the home and was starting to creep its way up to the second floor. Residents were not at home at the time of the blaze, officials said, and no firefighters were injured fighting the fire. Authorities said crews were able to knock the fire down quickly, but damage estimates were unknown. The fire remains under investigation and the home is not habitable at this time, officials said. Mutual aid crews were called to the scene from Antioch, Grayslake, Fox Lake, Gurnee, Newport and Waukegan, while additional investigators were called in from the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District and Fox Lake.  

Crews responded to an Air Force fighter jet crash near University and Rio Bravo Tuesday afternoon. Lockheed Martin confirmed a F-35B fighter jet crashed just south of the Albuquerque International Sunport after a refueling stop at Kirtland Air Force Base. It was traveling from Fort Worth, Texas to Edwards Air Force Base in California. The pilot – who ejected before impact – is recovering at UNM Hospital. The fighter jet crashed and burst into flames just before 2 p.m. Tuesday. Albuquerque Fire Rescue and Bernalillo County firefighters battled the fire, but they needed help from Kirtland Air Force Base. "We carry 500 gallons of water on our apparatus and small foam tanks, but it's no match for a jet fuel fire of that scope," said Lt. Jason Fejer with AFR. Investigators are still looking into what caused the crash.  

San Diego is taking a long-awaited step toward shrinking emergency response times in hard-to-reach areas of the city and neighborhoods with high call volumes. The city launched its first roving "peak-hour" fire engine five months ago in downtown's East Village neighborhood — one of a dozen coverage gap areas where badly-needed new fire stations won't be built for years. The East Village peak-hour engine could be the first of many, with City Heights, Barrio Logan, Liberty Station and southeastern San Diego near Ocean View Boulevard among the most likely candidates. The peak-hour engines are considered a cheaper and faster way to extend the city's emergency-response coverage without building new fire stations, which require finding land and securing money for construction.  

VIDEO: A natural gas explosion explosion in Youngstown, Ohio, blew open the facade of a downtown bank building Tuesday afternoon, with seven people injured and one man killed. According to a press release from Youngstown Police Department, a 27-year-old man was killed in the explosion. Police said the man was an employee at the Chase Bank where the explosion happened. During rescue efforts, the Youngstown Fire Department recovered that man, who was deceased. All other people related to this incident have been accounted for according to police. The front of the Realty building on East Federal Street was heavily damaged. Images from the scene show the facade of the building had been completely destroyed. The building is home to a Chase bank.  

VIDEO: Firefighters are getting new help in navigating the clogged streets of Kissimmee. The Kissimmee Fire Department is using a state-of-the-art simulator to train firefighters on how to drive a fire truck. Deputy Chief Joseph Leone says the Sim-Tech Fire Vehicle Training Simulator will come in handy, especially for new hires. "What we want to do is put them in the driving simulator first before we put them on the street and allow them to face the reality that they're going to face heavy traffic," said Leone, "We want to put them in those scenarios before they actually drive on John Young or OBT." The simulator, which is housed in a mobile trailer, will be mandatory for all firefighters and paramedics. Training begins in June. The technology can simulate congested roads, severe weather and other issues firefighters may encounter.