A firefighter was treated for a minor injury after responding to a fire in the 900 block of Deerpath Road on Wednesday, Aurora fire officials said. Fire crews responded to a 911 call that came in from a resident around 5:30 p.m., reporting a fire in a bedroom of the home. All occupants were already out of the home, according an Aurora Fire Department news release. The initial response was upgraded to a second alarm after fire crews saw a large amount of smoke upon arriving at the home. Due to a locked gate, firefighters deployed an attack line through the front door of the home. Crews from Truck Company 11 cut the lock, allowing another unit to deploy a second attack line to the rear and begin extinguishing flames that were extending up the vinyl siding, into the second floor and to the eaves of the roof.  

Two were taken to the hospital after a Lexus SUV drove through a travel agency in a strip mall near University Street and Clarewood Avenue. According to the Peoria Fire Department, fire crews were dispatched to Direct Travel at approximately 1:47 p.m. and saw a vehicle in the building with an employee trapped inside. Crews worked to get the driver out of the vehicle and then worked to remove an employee who was stuck between the vehicle and a structural supporting wall. The employee had minor injuries. Both the driver and the employee were taken to the hospital. The property owner, Molly Gilles, said a company would be coming to safely clean the area and board up broken doors and windows. It is unknown when the business will reopen. City of Peoria Code Enforcement was also called to the scene to determine the structural damage to the building.  

1 person was treated for smoke inhalation but declined transport to the hospital after a fire at the Rivian plant in Normal. The Normal Fire Department says firefighters were already at the plant for an unrelated incident when the fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The fire was quickly extinguished with fire extinguishers. Employees were evacuated but have since been allowed back in. The fire started under a section of the conveyor that moves the vehicle chassis down the assembly line on the western side of the building. The exact cause is unknown. The department says the fire did not involve a vehicle or battery components. Damage was contained to the area where the fire began. It took an extended amount of time to ventilate the smoke from the building due to the plant's size.  

Firefighters were called out Thursday afternoon to battle an inferno at the far end of the iconic Oceanside Pier. The fire was reported shortly after 3 p.m. and the firefight stretched overnight and into Friday. A massive plume of smoke quickly filled the sky, and two fire-fighting boats arrived on scene shooting water cannons at the structure at the end of the pier, where it broadens to support two structures and is called the hammerhead. A lone lifeguard vehicle was seen posted up at the foot of pier, with a long fire hose, possibly two, running the length of the pier. Although smoke obscured the scene, the building at the end of the pier was burning furiously. The structure was once the site of the Ruby's Diner, which has stood empty since the business closed three years ago.  

VIDEO: The town of Vernon is proudly billing itself as the first community in the country to adapt what is called the VRNA EMS System to assist first responders. The system, created by nearby East Hartford-based VRSim, uses virtual reality to better train firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and police officers for an array of medical incidents. Matthew Wallace, the president and CEO of VRSim, said, "The goal is to give them a repetition and training tool that will both attract and entice people to the industry." Michael Purcaro, the Vernon town manager and emergency management director, added that the town is hoping "our first responders will be able to sharpen their skills in a safe controlled virtual environment so that when they are needed in the real world, they will be better prepared to respond."  

VIDEOS: It's been an interesting couple of days for a Holladay neighborhood. On Tuesday, resident Robert Eliasoff and many others were told to evacuate after old dynamite was found at a home near 6200 South and 2300 East. "An officer approached my door and told me I needed to evacuate and I asked him, 'How much time do I have?' and he said, 'Just get what you can and let's go'," Eliasoff recalled. Unified Fire Authority says an elderly woman whose husband had died came across the explosive materials. According to officials, the dynamite had been passed down from generation to generation before the current homeowner found it. "She knew it was dangerous, she didn't know the extent, but knew she needed help taking care of it," said Unified Fire Authority Assistant Chief Riley Pilgrim.  

Grand Junction Fire Department Captain James Kavanaugh has recently taken on a new and novel job for a firefighter: podcast host. "Going Interior," GJFD's new wellness podcast, aired its first episode April 1. Kavanaugh, who oversees GJFD's academy, said the department's communications staff has had the idea for a podcast for a while, they just didn't know the format. "I think it's been valuable, it's felt like going out on a limb for sure," Kavanaugh said. "This is an uncomfortable spot, but I'm hopeful pushing ourselves to this point and opening up and sharing these stories opens things up and creates a better connection with both the people we serve and the people within our workplace." The show was created during some downtime in between the department's academies.