A popular South Street restaurant that has served up meals and drinks for nearly four decades went up in flames Wednesday morning leaving two firefighters hurt and two dogs dead.

Flames broke out in the basement kitchen of Bridget Foy’s at 2nd and South streets just after 1 a.m., firefighters said.

More than 100 firefighters spent hours dousing the blaze as heavy smoke poured from the structure and flames shot into the air.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the blaze. A pair of dogs being housed at Doggie Style, a pet store, next door died. Additional pets were rescued and taken to a veterinarian, according to the Red Paw Relief Team.

The fire was placed under control by 3:50 a.m. but as of 6:30 a.m., firefighters continued to put water on the eatery as some flames continued to be seen. Crews closed South Street between 4th and Front streets and 2nd Street between Lombard and Bainbridge streets as they battled flames.

Smoke continued to rise from the rubble, which was spread onto South Street, as firefighters sprayed water onto the blaze around 11 a.m. Construction equipment was brought in to sort through the debris.

Bridget Foy's opened in 1978 hosting brunches, lunches, dinners and drinks. It was a popular spot for special occasions and parties. The South Street Headhouse District called the three-story eatery a "cornerstone" of the shopping and dining destination.

"Families from around the city, region and country have come through Foy's doors to find a wonderfully warm welcome and exceptional hospitality from this beloved family (and their staff)," South Street Headhouse District executive director Michael Harris said.

Brdiget Foy's hosted rehearsal dinners, first dates, fantasy football drafts and bar debates over its many years. Some neighbors even called it the "Cheers" of Philadelphia.

Fire investigators believe the blaze was accidental but they wouldn't know for sure until they could get inside to investigate.

Here are the top news stories you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.

TODAY'S TOP STORY 

Search for Escaped Suspect Leads to Heroin Discovery: The search for a getaway driver who escaped police custody following a shooting in North Philadelphia led to the discovery of hundred of thousands of dollars' worth of heroin as well as weapons, according to police. The ordeal began on the 4000 block of L Street Tuesday evening. Police say a gunman shot a 24-year-old man in the chest and then fled the scene in a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Lamic Conde. Both suspects were then stopped by police on 10th and Russell streets about two miles away around 7:45 p.m. As he was being placed inside a marked police vehicle, Conde managed to escape with handcuffs still on and fled the scene on foot, police said. More police and K9 units joined the search for Conde and a dog managed to track his scent to a nearby home, investigators said. As they searched the house they found a vehicle riddled with bullets, bundles of heroin worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, several assault weapons, ammunition and cell phones. Police are investigating the source of the drugs and weapons but believe it's unrelated to Conde and the shooting suspect. While the unidentified shooting suspect is in custody, Conde remains on the loose. The 24-year-old man who was shot on L Street was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition.

• MORE ON THE DISCOVERY
  

WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY

Fire Tears Through South Street Restaurant: Fire tore through a popular South Street restaurant overnight leaving two firefighters hurt and two dogs dead. Flames broke out in the basement of Bridget Foy’s at 2nd and South streets just after 1 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters spent hours dousing the flames as heavy smoke poured from the structure. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the blaze. Two dogs at a groomer next door died, said Red Paw Relief Team. The restaurant and bar opened in 1978 hosting brunches, lunches, dinners and drinks.

• MORE ON THE FIRE
  

YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST  

Wednesday and Thursday are expected to see sun and cooler temperatures in the 60s. Friday is expected to be sunny with temperatures in the hitting 70 degrees. Saturday is expected to be sunny but the rain could return for Sunday. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.

Greater Philadelphia Ranked 24th in Entrepreneurship: The release of the Kauffman Growth Entrepreneurship Index last week left some startup scene denizens scratching their heads. The annual index, which ranks metro areas based on a composite of data points related to entrepreneurial business growth, put Philadelphia at No. 24 in the country, dropping two spots from the year prior. Washington D.C. and Austin topped the list, followed by Columbus, Ohio and Nashville. Los Angeles ranked 31st, just above New York at 32. At the same time, the report’s separate ranking of VC-backed exit density — a well-agreed upon measure of a startup ecosystem’s health — placed Philadelphia at No. 7, more in the region’s typical range when it comes to the myriad rankings out there.

• MORE ON THE RANKING
  

AROUND THE WORLD

GOP Senators Blister Trump, Reveal Party at War with Itself: A pair of senators from President Donald Trump's own Republican Party blistered him with criticism Tuesday in a dramatic day of denunciation that laid bare a GOP at war with itself. Jeff Flake of Arizona declared he would not be "complicit" with Trump and announced his surprise retirement, while Bob Corker of Tennessee declared the president "debases our nation" with constant untruths and name-calling. Corker, too, is retiring at the end of his term, and the White House shed no tears at the prospect of the two GOP senators' departures. A former adviser to Steve Bannon, Trump's ex-strategic adviser, called it all "a monumental victory for the Trump movement," and Trump himself boasted to staff members that he'd played a role in forcing the senators out. It was a stunning rebuke of a sitting president from prominent members of his own party — and added to a chorus of criticism of Trump that has been growing louder and more public. Flake challenged his fellow senators to follow his lead, but there were few immediate signs they would.

• MORE ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
  

That's what you need to know to Catch Up Quickly, but we've got more stories worthy of your time. Click here to check them out. 

A shooting outside a bar, a car crash, a threat of a 911 call and another shooting left one dead, two hurt and a suspect clutching his license plate taken into custody.

The suspect initially opened fire on a man and woman outside bar at B Street and E Allegheny Avenue in Philadelphia’s Fairhill neighborhood that was closing around 2 a.m., Philadelphia police said.

The shooting left the 24-year-old man dead from a gunshot wound to the chest and the 31-year-old woman in critical condition with a gunshot wound to her torso, police said.

The gunman then jumped in a Toyota sedan and sped off but didn’t get far as he crashed into a pole a block away at B Street and Westmoreland Avenue, investigators said.

Neighbors came out and said they were calling the police as they saw the suspect trying to remove his license plate. The gunman then opened fire again, striking a 55-year-old husband in the head and leaving him in stable condition, police said.

The suspect took the license plate off his car and made a dash for it — he only made it a few blocks.

"Three blocks from here... (police) see a male fitting the description, the male had a license plate in his possession, the officer stopped him, it was the license plate from the Toyota Camry," police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. "When they searched the male, he also had a gun."

The 21-year-old suspect is expected to face a litany of charges.

A woman was found dead inside her home Tuesday, a man was taken into custody and an entire New Jersey neighborhood was draped in crime scene tape.

Police and forensic investigators late on Tuesday night were still seen going through the Paramus home where witnesses say a woman and her adult son lived. Bergen County prosecutors wouldn’t confirm to News 4 that the woman or her son were involved in the death, which they ruled as suspicious.

The identities of both the woman killed and the man in custody are being withheld, prosecutors said. It’s not clear if any charges have been filed in the death. They say they do not believe there are any additional suspects on the loose. 

Neighbors also said it has been a common sight for police to be called to the home in an otherwise quiet neighborhood, which is on Brookfield Avenue and Knollwood Drive; Tim Fichtler said officers had been called to the home on a nearly monthly basis.

“There’s people there because of threats with knives, suicide threats or stuff like that,” he said.

Another neighbor said she is shocked to hear that a suspicious death has hit so close to her often peaceful neighborhood. 

"That's awful, "Tatyana Duggan said. "I couldn't even imagine it could happen in this town."

The next step in the investigation is determining how the woman died, prosecutors said. 

NBC10's Randy Gyllenhaal checks out spooky occurances at Grumblethorpe house, a historic Germantown landmark that is supposedly haunted.

Cows could be seen walking away as fire burned in a Chester County barn Wednesday morning.

Flames broke out in a large barn off Ridge Road in East Vincent Township around 7:35 a.m.

There were no reports to injuries to people.

Cows could be seen fleeing the smoky fire, which appeared contained to one end of the large structure. Crews helped get all the animals safely out of the barn, the Royersford Fire Company said.

The fire continued to burn past 9 a.m. as nearly 100 firefighters battled the blaze.

The Royersford Fire company left the scene around 11:15 a.m.

The Chester County fire Marshal will determine a cause.

As of midnight Oct. 25, 1,006 people were shot in Philadelphia in 2017.

The grim milestone for city violence includes the 253 people murdered since the beginning of the year, with a majority killed by gun.

A spokesman for the Philadelphia police department, in releasing the shooting tally to NBC10, noted that shooting incidents overall — including those in which no one was struck by a bullet — passed into quadruple digits "way earlier in the year."

There have been 1,221 founded shootings through Oct. 25.

Both numbers are down slightly compared to the same date in 2016. If the lower totals hold through the end of the year, it would be a welcome sign in a city where aggravated assaults have climbed the last two years.

Aggravated assaults, as reported by Philadelphia police to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, were up more than 300 in 2016 compared to 2014. The category includes gun assaults. Here's the last full three years:

2014: 7,500

2015: 7,765

2916: 7,803

A New Jersey mom who lost her son to the opioid crisis is now sending a message that she hopes will save lives.

“I see gaps in education and I want to do something about it,” Shelly Lowe told NBC10.

Nearly a year ago, Lowe’s 27-year-old son Adam died from an overdose of heroin laced with fentanyl. As the Manchester Township, New Jersey mother of three dealt with her grief, she decided to use her tragedy to help raise awareness about the nationwide epidemic and warn other people about the dangers of heroin. In a video posted by Manchester Police, Lowe shared her son’s story, speaking candidly about what led to his death.

“They should be afraid,” she says while in tears during the ten-minute video. “They should be deathly afraid to ever try heroin. This isn’t just a disease. This is a plague.”

The video is part of the Manchester Police Department’s #NotEvenOnce campaign, an interactive opiate awareness program for New Jersey high school seniors. Law enforcement agencies across the garden state are now using the program. Lowe has also been a civilian member of the New Jersey State Police for nearly two decades.

“There’s a locker room full of people even here as police officers that are going through the same problems as Miss Lowe in dealing with family members and we’re all in this together,” Manchester Township Police Patrolman Chris Cerullo said.

The video was originally intended to be viewed only in classrooms. When police saw just how powerful it was however, they decided it should be shared with the community and beyond.

“You want every single person that is willing and able to listen to watch this video,” Cerullo said.

Lowe told NBC10 she doesn’t just want her message to be part of another sad story. Instead she wants it to be part of a call to action.

“This turns scholars into rubble,” she said. “This drug affects absolutely everybody.”

The proliferation of opioids continues to claim more lives across the nation than car crashes and homicides. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 142 people die from a drug overdose every day. Half of the deaths are linked to opioids.

President Donald Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency in August at the urging of the presidential opioid commission. The commission is led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has focused his last months in office around combating the opioid epidemic.

A multi-vehicle crash at the toll plaza for the Commodore Barry Bridge is causing major delays during the Wednesday evening rush.

The crash occurred around 5:30 p.m. on the westbound New Jersey side of the bridge in Logan Township, Gloucester County. One toll lane is currently blocked and drivers approaching the bridge should expect heavy delays.

Officials have not yet revealed whether anyone was injured or the cause of the crash.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

A driver is recovering after a tractor trailer fell off an overpass and landed on the road below in West Pikeland Township, Chester County Wednesday night.

The driver was traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike when he or she somehow lost control and went over the median. The vehicle then fell and crashed onto Upper Pine Creek Road.

The driver was hurt in the crash though none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening, officials said. Upper Pine Creek Road is closed at the scene of the accident.

Victor Epelle still can’t believe both of his young sons are dead. They were killed earlier this month in Wilmington when his fiancée allegedly drowned them in a bathtub after fretting over her immigration status.

“That’s the last thing you think about,” Epelle said. “I still can’t believe it.”

Epelle buried 5-year-old Alex and 3-month-old Solomon on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he had to take several breaths before describing the pain he must now learn to live with.

“How can I anticipate her killing her own child? Her own child she gave birth to?” he said before trailing off.

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Epelle's fiancée Kula Pelima, 30, emigrated from Liberia with her family when she was 10 years old, according to Delaware Online. She grew up in Ohio and moved to Philadelphia as an adult.

Epelle, 38, met Pelima last year. He was attracted to her kindness and beauty, he told Delaware Online. She became pregnant with Solomon not long after the couple started dating and she became a guardian of Alex. They decided to move to Wilmington where the cost of living was cheaper.

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But Epelle, who legally emigrated from Nigeria in 1997, was on probation at the time. He had been charged with child endangerment after Alex wandered out of the apartment while Epelle was running errands. The boy was found alone in the street. Epelle violated his probation by moving to Delaware and was entangled in legal proceedings when Pelima started to unravel.

Requests for temporary waivers that would allow Epelle to be with his family or even visit Delaware were denied. According to court services, the probation officer was following federal law. Epelle was ultimately arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for a lapse in his immigration status.

On the day both boys died, Pelima called Immigration and Customs officials to see if her visa would be impacted by Epelle’s probation violation. Several hours later, she called police and allegedly admitted to drowning the boys, officials said. When first responders arrived, Pelima led police to their bodies.

Epelle told NBC10 his sons would still be alive if he had been allowed to visit them in Delaware during his probation. Pelima was an inexperienced mother and easily became overwhelmed, he said. Sometimes, she would feed her infant too late at night or too much.

“I knew that I needed to be there,” Epelle said. “I knew she could get stressed, but I never thought she could kill.”

A pizza deliveryman fell into a three-day coma after he was carjacked and pistol-whipped in a caught on cam attack outside a West Philadelphia gas station.

The 56-year-old victim was delivering pizza to the Lukoil Gas Station on the 5700 block of Baltimore Avenue Friday around 11 p.m. After making his delivery and returning to his vehicle minutes later, the victim was approached by an unidentified suspect who pulled out a gun from his waistband.

Surveillance video captured the suspect pistol-whipping the deliveryman and knocking him unconscious. A second suspect then entered the victim’s vehicle, a Chevy Prism, and drove off eastbound on the 5700 block of Baltimore Avenue.

Police say the first suspect reached into the unconscious deliveryman’s pockets and then fled east on Baltimore Avenue.

The victim suffered severe head injuries and was taken to Presbyterian Hospital where he remained unconscious until Monday.

Police released surveillance photos of the suspects and described them as a group of five black males ranging in age from 14 to 25. If you see the suspects, do not approach them and call 911 immediately.

The bells and music of ice cream trucks may soon be silenced in the Jersey Shore town of Avalon.

That's what the tourist town's governing body planned to vote on Wednesday in an ordinance that calls the trucks "disruptive of the peace and enjoyment that all residents and visitors are entitled to enjoy."

Okay, so maybe the jingles are a little dated. Maybe some of the songs even can be a bit odd. But disruptive of the peace and enjoymment of all? Some residents aren't happy with the proposed ban, which goes beyond ice cream trucks and into other realms of salesmanship one could be forgiven for associating with the 1950s.

"Deal with it. It’s part of summer," Avalon resident Lorien Porrini said. "Kids love it. They wait for the truck."

Also banned by the Avalon Council would be "peddlers" and "hawkers." Because it's fun, here's how the ordinance defines the two:

- Hawker shall mean any person who sells by outcry.

- Peddler shall mean a person who travels about with goods, wares, and merchandise for retail sale, rental or distribution from a vehicle or any other means of conveyance.

The Council postponed a vote on the bill. It is unclear if or when it will be up for consideration again.

Prior to the postponement, Avalon business administrator Scott Wahl said the ordinance comes after years of displeasure by residents.

"We've received many, many complaints through the years and they keep increasing every summer," Wahl said.

He said the trucks also present a traffic problem when they camp out for customers along the beach in the summer tourist season and are dangerous as well.

"It is impossible for the trucks to safely turn around while there are kids in the street," he said.

As part of the proposal, Wahl said ice cream vendors would be allowed to operate on the beach, with well-labeled carts and without bells and whistles.

The Philadelphia 76ers honored a 6-year-old boy who survived a shooting outside his home. NBC10's Aaron Baskerville has the details.

After being alone, hopeless, and near death on the streets of Camden, 27-year-old Michael Corsello has begun the process of overcoming addiction to start the path to a better life.

On Oct. 11, Corsello was one of fourteen people who nearly died after overdosing on fentanyl-laced heroin in a four hour time period in Camden, New Jersey.

He spoke with NBC10 as soon as he was released from the hospital that night while holding heroin in his hands and said he planned on using it as soon as he finished the interview. He also desperately wanted to share a message about the toll his addiction had taken on him.

"I have bald spots in my head," he said while fighting back tears. "I've gotta wear a Mohawk for the rest of my life. I've got scars all over my body because of this drug. I want every kid to understand, if they can stay away from this, I've ruined three families."

Little did Corsello know, his words that night would have an impact. When the founders of Liberation Way Rehabilitation in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania saw our report, they jumped into action.

“It was, ‘Go. How do we find him? Let’s give him an opportunity,’” said Liberation Way Chief Network Officer Michael Armstrong.

Staff members at the alcohol and drug rehab center spent several days trying to track Corsello down. They finally found him at his aunt’s home in Gloucester City, New Jersey where he had walked for an hour from Camden to beg for a shower. It was then that Corsello made a commitment to get clean.

Now on day eight of his medically monitored recovery at Liberation Way, Corsello is set to take his last dosage of detox medicine on Thursday.

“Once again I’m sitting here stuck in my head knowing I'm truly blessed not to be dead,” Corsello wrote in his journal.

As a father of three, Corsello admits to being absent from his kids' lives in the past, and promised himself that he is going to fight to get better.

“The only thing good about addiction is beating it,” he said.

During his recovery, Corsello got the chance to FaceTime with his mother.

“She told me I’m beautiful. It’s so funny to hear her say that, she is so grateful that I’m here,” Corsello said.

Corsello is grateful at his new chance at life, and for once, does not feel alone.

“I have to be reminded I'm safe. I don't have to be in survival mode I have to be in recovery mode,” Corsello said.

After finishing his detox medication, Corsello will start intense group therapy, another major step in his journey.

“I’m so content right now that I actually feel inner peace," Corsello said. "God is good."

A Philadelphia family is outraged after an animal shelter amputated their pet cat’s leg.

Kim Schmidt told NBC10 her cat “Stinky” walked with a limp her entire life with a slightly crooked back leg due to a birth defect.

“Everybody in the neighborhood knows who Stinky is,” Schmidt said.

When Stinky escaped the house over the weekend however, a stranger picked her up and took her to ACCT Philly, the only shelter in Philadelphia that doesn’t turn away animals. Staff members saw the cat’s paw and believed it was mangled and almost facing backwards.

“Instead of giving her an X-Ray, they just took her leg off,” Schmidt said. “And now she has to try to learn to live with three legs.”

ACCT officials say they can’t afford an X-Ray machine and don’t put animals up for adoption with unexplained limps. So they believed it was best to amputate.

Schmidt found out her cat was at the shelter through an online post and went to pick her up. That’s when she found out about the procedure.

“I went berserk,” she said. “I lost it.”

Now her cat is home on medication as Schmidt demands answers from ACCT Philly.

“I understand why the woman is upset, certainly,” said Ame Dorminy, who works at the shelter.

Dorminy told NBC10 that if they had known the cat lived with her leg crooked and wasn’t in pain, they wouldn’t have amputated it. She says they didn’t know however and had to make a quick decision in a high-volume shelter.

“We feel that we made the best possible decision for this cat with the knowledge that we had,” Dorminy said.

While dogs must be held for two days under state law, there is no such law for cats that don’t have a microchip, meaning the shelter didn’t do anything illegal when they amputated Stinky’s leg. Despite this, many are speaking out against the facility in light of what happened. A petition to shut down ACCT Philly has garnered more than 2800 signatures so far.

“It’s inhumane and they don’t know what they’re doing,” Schmidt said.

ACCT Philly asked Schmidt to come back in ten days so that Stinky could get her stitches removed. Schmidt refused however and said she’s taking her cat to a private vet instead.

On Wednesday, nearly 16 years after his death, Philadelphia Police Officer Thomas Bray received a hero's plaque from the Philadelphia Police Department.

"This is all I've been striving for, for the last 16 years. This is something that's just heart wrenching for me because it's something that I'm proud of. And I just feel like my dad's up there smiling down,” said Officer Bray's daughter Jennifer Bray Rivas.

On November 13, 2001, Officer Bray drowned while trying to recover a sunken channel marker in the Delaware River. He was 52-years-old. Since then, his family has been fighting to memorialize the officer, who served in the force for 23 years before his death, with a hero’s plaque, as all Philadelphia Police officers killed in the line of duty typically get.

Since Officer Bray died in the middle of the Delaware River, it took years for the Philadelphia Police Department to find somewhere else to place his plaque.

“We all just wanted this to be done to make him happy and more importantly to make him proud," Rivas said. "And I know now that he's very proud."

Here are the top news stories you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.

TODAY'S TOP STORY 

1 Dead in Crash at Bridge Toll Plaza: One person died in a crash at the toll plaza for the Commodore Barry Bridge that caused major delays for hours on Wednesday. Officials say a car and a truck were involved in a crash around 5:30 p.m. on the westbound New Jersey side of the bridge in Logan Township, Gloucester County. At least one person was killed in the accident. Police have not yet revealed the victim's identity or if anyone else was injured. The crash led to a toll lane being blocked and heavy delays for drivers approaching the bridge. The lane was later reopened.

• MORE ON THE CRASH
  

WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY

Owner Outraged After Animal Shelter Amputates Pet Cat's Leg: A Philadelphia family is outraged after an animal shelter amputated their pet cat’s leg. Kim Schmidt told NBC10 her cat “Stinky” walked with a limp her entire life with a slightly crooked back leg due to a birth defect. When Stinky escaped the house over the weekend however, a stranger picked her up and took her to ACCT Philly, the only shelter in Philadelphia that doesn’t turn away animals. Staff members saw the cat’s paw and believed it was mangled and almost facing backwards.“Instead of giving her an X-Ray, they just took her leg off,” Schmidt said. “And now she has to try to learn to live with three legs.” ACCT officials say they can’t afford an X-Ray machine and don’t put animals up for adoption with unexplained limps. So they believed it was best to amputate. Schmidt found out her cat was at the shelter through an online post and went to pick her up. That’s when she found out about the procedure. While dogs must be held for two days under state law, there is no such law for cats that don’t have a microchip, meaning the shelter didn’t do anything illegal when they amputated Stinky’s leg.

• MORE ON THE CAT
  

YOUR FIRST ALERT FORECAST  

Thursday is expected to see sun and cooler temperatures in the high 50s. There's a slight chance of a shower Thursday afternoon. Plenty of sunshine is expected for Friday with temperatures returning to the 60s. Saturday is expected to be sunny with temperatures nearing 70 degrees. But the rain could return for Sunday. Showers and thunderstorms are possible. Cooler temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s are expected for Monday and Tuesday. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.

NJ Shore Town Proposes Ban on Ice Cream Trucks: The bells and music of ice cream trucks may soon be silenced in the Jersey Shore town of Avalon. That's what the tourist town's governing body planned to vote on Wednesday in an ordinance that calls the trucks "disruptive of the peace and enjoyment that all residents and visitors are entitled to enjoy.” Okay, so maybe the jingles are a little dated. Maybe some of the songs even can be a bit odd. But disruptive of the peace and enjoymment of all? Some residents aren't happy with the proposed ban, which goes beyond ice cream trucks and into other realms of salesmanship one could be forgiven for associating with the 1950s. Also banned by the Avalon Council would be "peddlers" and "hawkers.” The Council postponed a vote on the bill. It is unclear if or when it will be up for consideration again. Prior to the postponement, Avalon business administrator Scott Wahl said the ordinance comes after years of displeasure by residents. "We've received many, many complaints through the years and they keep increasing every summer," Wahl said. He said the trucks also present a traffic problem when they camp out for customers along the beach in the summer tourist season and are dangerous as well.

• MORE ON THE PROPOSED BAN
  

AROUND THE WORLD

Premiums Rising 34 Percent for Most Popular Health Plan: Premiums for the most popular "Obamacare" plans are going up an average of 34 percent, according to a study Wednesday that confirms dire predictions about the impact of political turmoil on consumers. Window-shopping on HealthCare.gov went live Wednesday, so across the country consumers going online can see the consequences themselves ahead of the Nov. 1 start of sign-up season for 2018. The consulting firm Avalere Health crunched newly released government data and found that the Trump administration's actions are contributing to the price hikes by adding instability to the underlying problems of the health law's marketplaces. President Donald Trump puts the blame squarely on "Obamacare" saying the program is imploding, while ignoring warnings that his administration's actions could make things worse.

• MORE ON THE HEALTH PLAN
  

That's what you need to know to Catch Up Quickly, but we've got more stories worthy of your time. Click here to check them out. 

More than 24 hours after fire gutted a popular South Street restaurant known for hosting nights out, special events and meetings with friends, firefighters remained on the scene dousing hot spots.

Firefighters continued to block South Street below 3rd Street and 2nd Street from Lombard to Bainbridge Street as they put water on the rubble of Bridget Foy’s Thursday morning.

An employee waiting for a ride home saw smoke coming from the basement of the iconic eatery and bar at 2nd and South streets around 1 a.m. Wednesday. Flames quickly spread as much of the building went up in flames.

More than 100 firefighters spent hours dousing the blaze as heavy smoke poured from the structure and flames shot into the air. Some firefighters spent the early hours of Thursday continuing to pour water onto the rubble.

By daybreak Thursday, large construction equipment was back on the scene digging through what remains of Bridget Foy's.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the blaze. A pair of dogs being housed at Doggie Style, a pet store, next door died. Additional pets were rescued and taken to a veterinarian, according to the Red Paw Relief Team.

"When you have a place in life where you gather with your friends and you lose it, part of that dies with it too," neighbor Jerry Walker said.

Neighbors recalled fondly meals and laughs shared at the restaurant. Bridget Foy's opened in 1978 hosting brunches, lunches, dinners and drinks. It was a popular spot for special occasions and parties.

"I've probably had everyone of my major life events in that building," neighbor Terry Graybos said.

The South Street Headhouse District called the three-story eatery a "cornerstone" of the shopping and dining destination.

"Families from around the city, region and country have come through Foy's doors to find a wonderfully warm welcome and exceptional hospitality from this beloved family (and their staff)," South Street Headhouse District executive director Michael Harris said.

Fire investigators believe the blaze was accidental but they wouldn't know for sure until they could get inside to fully investigate.