Here are just a few images from a Still and Box Alarm at 7041 South Green Street in Chicago 3/30/19. These were taken about 10-15 minutes after the box was requested. I didn’t have much time to work since CPD cleared everyone from the front of the building shortly after I arrived so this was the best I could come up. – Eric Haak
3/11/19 – On the way back home from a fire on Mansfield, Central office put a Box Alarm out for 17th Ave X Buchanan. We were only about a mile away from it on I-96. We arrived before any of the first-due companies and starting shooting pictures. Engine 39 arrived and stretched. The crew attempted to make a push in the front door but Chief 5 pulled them out almost immediately due to the amount of fire venting from the roof. They took a defensive posture and put Ladder 7 to work. The home was occupied and DEMS transported the homeowner to the ER. I believe DFD was back twice after we left for rekindles which we did not make it too, but the last one was going throughout and had collapsed.
The other job that we took in was at Lawton X Calvert on 3/10/19. Again Engine 39 stretched and had a very quick knock on a small fire in the basement.
Kitchener Ontario fire dispatch received a call for a basement fire at 603 Mill Park Drive at 1:40 February 15, 2019. P6, P1, A1, R1, and Car 23 were dispatched to the call. P6 arrived on scene and reported they had smoke showing and a 360 showed they had a fire in the basement. Command reported all five students in the basement were out of the house and that the owner of the house was out of town.
Station 7 was added to the call, they were running in the tanker for the shift. Multiple lines were pulled into the building. Crews encountered a very cluttered house, full of furniture on every floor and even the garage was full of furniture which prevented access as it was so full. There were three pianos in the bedrooms on the second floor and an organ in the living room which was not accessible due to all of the furniture.
Firefighters were pulled from the basement due to untenable conditions, and the first floor became well involved minutes later. It was not long before the entire building was alight. Two hydrants were picked up to feed the pumper and aerial. Small and large lines as well as an aerial master stream were used to fight the fire.
Due to the tremendous amount of furniture in the house, it took hours to knock the bulk of the fire down. The day shift replaced the tired crews, and worked till 12:30 to fully extinguish all the spot fires. Due to the severe damage in the house, all overhaul had to be done from outside. Crews even pulled a cellar piercing applicator to use on hot spots. That is the first time I have seen this tool used in 31 years on the canteen. Damage has been set at $800,000, cause has not been determined yet. Box 690 provided breakfast and lunch at the fire. Photos and videos shot 35 minutes into the fire.
Gary Dinkel, Box 690
A major fire destroyed four homes and a popular sandwich shop on Center Street in Ashland, PA early Sunday morning (3/24/19). The first alarm rang out shortly after 3:30 AM and was upgraded to a third alarm within four minutes. Firefighters from three counties responded on the alarms as well as a group of tankers to supplement the municipal water supply.
Took this in on Friday (3/15/19). A clubhouse/restaurant at the Chapel Hill Golf Club in McHenry, IL. Unusual to see a building this large used as a burn down. The video and all the images can be seen here:
more photos at Chicagoareafire.com
During a last minute trip up to Detroit recently, we made it to a few jobs. Started the trip off by chasing a header on the westside to find an auto going in a vacant lot. After calling 911 and being on hold for some minutes, we finally got a call taker who then dispatched E42. This was at Monica X Westfield on 3/9.
