Jerame Simmons spent nearly 24 years as a convicted felon after pleading guilty to arson in 1999, until a 2021 pardon cleared that record and allowed him to head the
Arson convicts would be burned under a new proposal from Illinois lawmakers that would require firefighter candidates to disclose past fire-related crimes.
A neighbor heard explosions; no one was injured and the houses had no electricity connected Author: Jeff Cavallin Updated: 10:20 AM CDT April 17, 2021
ALORTON, Ill. An overnight fire destroyed two unoccupied homes on Converse Avenue in Alorton just after 1 a.m. Saturday.
A neighbor who called emergency responders heard two explosions, according to Assistant Fire Chief Antonio Turner with the Alorton Fire Department.
Turner said the houses had no power and arson is suspected.
Firefighters from Alorton, Camp Jackson, Cahokia, Prairie Dupont, Brooklyn, Centreville and Prince Village responded to the four-alarm call.
No one was injured. The cause of the fires are under investigation.