McLean County Times

In the early hours of November 2, 2025, the Normal Fire Department responded to a mobile home fire where victims were reported trapped inside. Upon arrival, firefighters faced heavy flames and thick smoke coming from almost every opening of the structure. Neighbors and police officers told responders that there were victims in a rear bedroom, including a possible infant.

Firefighters tried to enter through the doors but could not proceed due to intense heat and flames. Lieutenant Matt Hill and Firefighter-Paramedic Nathan Riordan decided to breach the rear wall with hand tools, despite lacking hose line protection. Flames were already venting from one of two small bedroom windows near the roof line as they forced entry.

Lieutenant Hill and Firefighter Riordan entered through the breached wall into extreme heat and zero visibility conditions. They found a young victim on the floor who showed no signs of life.

Other firefighters set up water supply lines and began fighting the fire from outside. Lieutenant Hill and Firefighter Riordan carried the child out through their entry point, handing him off to crews who brought him to an ambulance for immediate resuscitation efforts.

Rescue 12’s crew—Firefighter-Paramedics Xian Graden and Alan Miron—shifted from firefighting duties to medical care. They worked continuously during transport to revive the child and succeeded in regaining a pulse before reaching the hospital.

After rescuing one victim, Lieutenant Hill and Firefighter Riordan continued searching for another person reportedly trapped inside until structural instability forced them out. It was later determined that there was no second victim in the home.

The department credited seamless coordination among all personnel at the scene for giving the rescued child a chance at survival. “The bravery, teamwork, and professionalism displayed by all involved reflect the very best of the fire service. Their courage and commitment under extreme conditions serve as a powerful reminder of the risks our firefighters willingly take each day to protect others in their greatest moment of need,” according to an official statement.

Responding units included Battalion 10 (Chief Bursack), Engine 10 (Hill, Gerrietts, Riordan), Rescue 10 (Ditchen, Al-Shabah), Engine 12 (Gloede, Steinkoenig, Poplawski), Rescue 12 (Graden, Miron), Engine 13 (Martin, Zobrist, Hospelhorn), Rescue 13 (Whitacre, Allen) as well as mutual aid companies from Bloomington Battalion 1, Bloomington Engine 1, and Bloomington Medic 3.