old LTI ladder at fire scene

All posts tagged old LTI ladder at fire scene

Some recollections … June 1 1987, about 1930 hrs. I had shopped here many times … a large store/warehouse complex. They sold and warehoused carpet and appliances. This was a bunch of buildings cobbled together, and they even had a railroad siding inside for deliveries.

The fire was heavy in the carpet warehouse section when I arrived. I lived in a hi-rise apartment at the time near O’Hare and could see it from my balcony. I arrived in very short order and observed a lot of standing water in the front of the building. It seemed like a water main had broken, further complicating matters. I setup shop on the east side of the building and watched the fire march from front to back. The Melrose Park Grumman tower ladder and the Westchester Maxim/Hahn mid-mount aerial would setup and the fire would already have raced past them. What little water they had came out brown and sandy, due to the broken water main I guess.

This fire was a huge loss, and one of the largest I have ever attended. The day after photos give somewhat of an idea of the scope of the disaster. I shot this with my trusty Minolta X700 with a Sunpack “potato masher” flash on Ektachrome 400. The film has gotten a magenta cast over the years which I have color corrected. Compared to what I shoot now the grain looks like the size of footballs. It’s hard to believe this was over a quarter century ago….

Steve

Polk Brothers warehouse fire 1987

Steve Redick photo

Polk Brothers warehouse fire 1987

Steve Redick photo

Polk Brothers warehouse fire 1987

Steve Redick photo

Polk Brothers warehouse fire 1987

Steve Redick photo

Polk Brothers warehouse fire 1987

Steve Redick photo

Polk Brothers warehouse fire 1987

Steve Redick photo

Polk Brothers warehouse fire 1987

Melrose Park FD Duplex/Grumman AerialCat aerial at the Polk Brothers warehouse fire 1987. Steve Redick photo

Polk Brothers warehouse fire 1987

Maywood FD Hendrickson/Pierce/LTI aerial at the Polk Brothers warehouse fire 1987. Steve Redick photo

John Tulipano from Chicago’s western suburbs submitted images from a fire that occurred July 4, 1991 in Maywood, IL

This fire in Maywood, IL was on July 4th, 1991. It was a vacant, 1-sty building 150×200 with a bow-string truss roof. This was the former Allstar Pontiac car dealership located at 200 Roosevelt Road.

Here is rundown

  • 10:30 Still – Maywood Eng 506, 507, Trk 502, and Broadview Eng 215

  • 10:35 Box 300 – Melrose Park Eng 707 C/Q

  • 10:40 2nd alarm  – Melrose Park Eng 707, Hillside TL403

  • 10:45 3rd alarm – Bellwood Eng 603, Westchester Trk 315

  • 13:00 struck out

Maywood Fire Department

John Tulipano photo

Maywood Fire Department

John Tulipano photo

Maywood Fire Department

John Tulipano photo

Maywood Fire Department

John Tulipano photo

Maywood Fire Department

John Tulipano photo