Still & Box Alarm fire at 11809 Michigan Avenue in Chicago August 4, 2019
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Chicago FD Squad 5A
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Here are some images taken early on during the Chicago Fire Department’s 2-11 Alarm this morning (6/9/19) at 62nd and Harlem. The fire quickly overtook several units and with companies being met by bad hydrants, the alarm was elevated to a still and box. What you can’t see from these pictures is that for each exterior unit, there was another unit that was only accessible from an interior hallway. With the fire progressing over the top of those exterior units and the roof being declared unstable, companies were forced into a defensive position. Squad 5A was positioned in the interior lot and aerial operations commenced with Tower Ladder 54 being set up on Harlem. Tower Ladder 39 was also set up but I’m not sure if they ever flowed water. The incident also led to some interesting situations like Engine 8 pumping at the corner of 61st and Harlem and a Summit engine supplying water to the Chicago incident.
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The city had been buffeted by sustained high winds for a full day at the time of this job, and still high wind gusts throughout the event as well as miserably cold conditions. Two buildings were involved with some minor communication to a 3rd larger building. I believe the original fire building may have been a pizza joint. Rumor had it that high winds caused arcing power lines which ignited the siding, though I’m not sure how accurate this is. The streets in this area were raised so from street level they appear to be single-story buildings but in the rear they are two stories, a unique situation in this area. All the photos and video can be seen here:
Steve Redick
Sunday (2/25) was an intensely windy day in the Chicago area which made for difficult firefighting conditions. The second 2-11 alarm for Chicago on this day was at 88th Street and Commercial Avenue and started in a pizza parlor that had occupied that address since the 1950’s. The fire was reported to have started in the rear of the structure and heavy winds blowing across from the west quickly escalated the incident. Eric Haak
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Chicago’s Battalion 19 and companies had a very busy day on the 9th of February. This was their third fire of the day @ 207 E 71st Street. Fire throughout a 75×75 storefront. Four 2.5” landlines were dropped and Squad 5 was put to work. Shortly thereafter, BC19 pulled a box and put Tower 34 to work in the front of the building. I got in there about 30 min into the fire.
This from Eric Haak:
At a little after 0300 Sunday morning (12/23), Engine 101 landed with a fire in a 1-story, 65×100 truss roof trucking company at 74th and Bell Avenue. Battalion 20 boxed the fire less than a minute later and it would eventually be raised to a 2-11 Alarm. The building was a total loss. Engines 101, 15, 123, and 54 were all pumping at this incident and Tower Ladders 39 and 54 along with Squad 5’s Snorkel were in use as well.
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo