huge smoke header from building fire

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Hello Larry.  They got this one out very quickly and with the temps being what they were, I didn’t hang around to get too many additional shots.

Shortly before 1400hrs on Saturday afternoon, Chicago’s 17th Battalion Chief was dispatched to the report of a fire on the 5700 block of South Indiana.  While en route, the Englewood Fire Alarm Office received reports that there were occupants trapped on the second floor and the fire response was elevated to a Still and Box.

The first due engine’s house was only 5 blocks away from the incident and Engine 84 was on-scene in less than 2 minutes reporting a fire on the second floor of a 3-story, 30×70 ordinary, occupied apartment building.  If you weren’t within a couple miles of this one, there wasn’t much to see as the fire was contained to one unit of the 6-unit building.

I arrived as Truck 51 was just raising their main to the roof and within a few minutes, the fire was out.  All searches proved to be negative.  Seven adults and six children were displaced by the fire, but a family cat miraculously survived.  As I was leaving, the soot and water drenched pet was returned to it’s grateful owner.  It initially looked DOA, but then it started moving and seemed to be fine.  Still companies were Engine 84, Engine 47, Truck 51, Truck 30.  I believe the box engines were 50 and 16.  I have included a shot of Engine 50 seeing that it is the oldest active engine in the fleet.

Chicago firemen battle a winter fire in a four-story apartment building 12-7-13

Eric Haak photo

Chicago firemen battle a winter fire in a four-story apartment building 12-7-13.

Eric Haak photo

Chicago firemen battle a winter fire in a four-story apartment building 12-7-13

Eric Haak photo

Chicago firemen battle a winter fire in a four-story apartment building 12-7-13. Eric Haak photo

Eric Haak photo

Chicago Spartan Luverne Fire Engine #50

Eric Haak photo

The Town of Rolling Meadows is located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and had two unusually memorable fires several weeks apart in May of 2009. Within two miles of each other, they had a 3-Alarm and then a 4-Alarm fire in two different three-story condominium buildings.

Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Larry Shapiro photo

Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Larry Shapiro photo

The fire shown here was the second and occurred on May 25th of that year at 5200 Carriageway Drive. The fire was in a third floor storage room adjacent to the center stairway behind a mansard roof. Moderate smoke was showing on arrival, but as the fire took hold of the attic space and was fanned by high winds, it grew quickly and vented through the roof.

Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Larry Shapiro photo

Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Larry Shapiro photo

Companies made an interior attack with lines taken in through third floor balconies, but they were chased out by the fire overhead which was then hit from the outside. Some residents were evacuated off of balconies. The fire was reported  around 11:15AM.

Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Larry Shapiro photo

Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Larry Shapiro photo

Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Larry Shapiro photo

Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Larry Shapiro photo

Rolling Meadows Fire Department

Larry Shapiro photo

There is a gallery with many more fire scene photos.