Three Buffalo Grove firefighters, who were called "brave and courageous," were awarded on Monday for their actions in saving four people who were trapped in a burning building. Buffalo Grove Fire Department Lt. Daniel Downey, Firefighter-Paramedic Phil Schroeder and Firefighter-Paramedic Kyle Ditthardt were awarded unit citations during a village board meeting on Monday evening. The incident happened around 8:11 p.m. on August 14 in the 1500 block of Pheasant Trail Lane in Arlington Heights. Numerous fire departments were dispatched for multiple 911 calls of a fire at a townhome. Dispatchers were also receiving reports of victims trapped inside the building. Buffalo Grove Fire Chief Lawrence Kane said Downey, Schroeder and Ditthardt were on Tower Ladder 25 and arrived just after Arlington Heights Engine 4.  

Neighbors called 911 after smelling smoke near Painter and Bronson Streets late Monday night. The Streator Fire Department responded around 10:52 p.m. to 1103 Painter Street, where a fire was discovered inside a single-story home. According to the Streator Fire Department, smoke was visible from the roof and windows upon arrival. Engines 2 and 3 quickly responded. Crews entered the house and used an attack hose to fight the fire, which had been burning unnoticed for hours. The fire was under control within five minutes. A general alarm brought off-duty personnel to assist. Ten firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, ventilate the home, and search for occupants. No one was found inside, and no injuries were reported.  

Buffalo Firefighter's responded to a two-alarm fire on Buffalo's west side early Wednesday morning. Firefighters were called to Pooley Place just around 4:30am for a report of a fire at 62-64 Pooley Pl. The duplex was fully engulfed in flames and quickly spread to neighboring houses. Two civilians and two firefighters were injured, but none of their injuries are life threatening. Fire investigators say damage to the duplex at 62-64 Pooley Place is $275,000. There was exposure damage to nearby homes at 61, 66-68 and 67 Pooley Place estimated at $65,000. The American Red Cross is assisting eight residents. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.  

VIDEO: After months of negotiations, the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association (SAPFA) have struck a deal on a new collective bargaining contract. The new contract will give firefighters and EMS a 20% raise over the next three years. It's the first legitimate pay increase that they've received in the last decade, and it's the first time they've been able to vote for their contract in over 15 years," SAPFA president Joe Jones said. Jones added that the tentative three-year agreement between the city and the firefighters is a major step in the right direction, which is evidenced by the fact that 97% of members voted in favor of the deal. "It's really hard to overstate the importance to our firefighters and paramedics to get this done and get it across the finish," he said.  

The Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department has had its 119th firefighter die in the line of duty since 1887. A firefighter-paramedic with the department died during a training exercise on Tuesday. KSHB 41's Isabella Ledonne learned the majority of firefighter deaths are from medical emergencies, including the most recent death from KCFD's very own. Data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) shows 40% of all firefighters who were killed in the line of duty in 2023 died from sudden cardiac arrest. Thirty-five percent are from trauma and/or crushing while on fire grounds. The number of firefighter fatal medical emergencies has gone down since 1980, as sudden cardiac deaths accounted for 40 to 45 percent of total fatalities from 1980 to 2019.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper Tuesday declared a state of emergency in southeastern counties as more than 50 roads along with many schools and businesses were still closed after a no-name storm hit the coast, spawning a tornado and dumping nearly 21 inches of rain near Wilmington Monday. North Carolina braced for a storm that forecasters warned could bring heavy rain — as much as 6 to 8 inches in some spots. But one narrow band got a "firehose" that dumped historic rain amounts in a so-called 1,000-year flood, triggering flash floods that damaged many homes, businesses and roads. As of Tuesday, 52 roads in 12 counties were closed including seven key routes and a main coastal highway with the majority in Brunswick County, which has closed schools this entire week.