Sunday night I made it to a fire in the 18th Battalion on Chicago’s westside at 1521 S Kilbourn. Engine 38 arrived to find a 2.5 sty ordinary vacant building completely boarded up with fire on all floors. Companies had forcible entry issues with steel bars behind the boarded up doors. Once the crews finally made entry, they encountered heavy fire and could not make a push. Battalion 18 ordered companies to go defensive and pulled a box. Both Engine 38 and Engine 113 (First companies) had frozen hydrants on Kilbourn. Engine 99 (3rd due) found a good hydrant a block to the East and fed Engine 38. Engine 95 came up the rear in the alley and deck gunned it. 95’s hydrant guy used 200′ of 4″ and broke down a fence and stretched to a midblock hydrant on Kenneth. Full gallery is on our site. 

More at Chicagoareafire.com