Larry Shapiro has uploaded images and a video from the 5-alarm fire yesterday in Gurnee. The image gallery can be found HERE.
Archive for August, 2011
Here are several images from Tim Olk at the fire in Gurnee.
The Round Lake tower prepares to go to work with an elevated master stream at the north east corner of the hotel complex. The supply line has not yet been charged as firefighters take the ladder up. Tim Olk photo
Supply lines and attack lines criss-cross on the pavement out front as firefighters hit the fire from multiple positions. Tim Olk photo
Gurnee Engine 1322 was the first unit on the scene and took a position in front of the hotel. They made an interior attack until the intense heat forced them to retreat. The engine is supplying the Gurnee tower ladder as well as hand lines. Tim Olk photo
Multiple hand lines operate in the driveway on the east side of the fire building in addition to the tower ladder from Round Lake. Tim Olk photo
During the initial attack, Gurnee firefighters used this ground ladder to get on the roof. The heat became too intense to maintain that position so they had to evacuate. The ladder that they had used, which was retrieved later, was severely damaged. Tim Olk photo
Thick smoke escapes from the ballroom section of the Vista Hotel which was undergoing renovation to reopen as a Holiday Inn on Grand Avenue in Gurnee. Larry Shapiro photo
The Gurnee Fire Department received calls from motorists driving on Grand Avenue reporting smoke coming from the Vista Hotel at 6161 W. Grand Avenue at roughly 6:45PM on Tuesday. The hotel which previously was a Holiday Inn was closed and currently undergoing renovation. When the first companies arrived, they found heavy smoke and fire visible in the ballroom section of the complex, which is separated from the three-floor building with guest rooms by a foyer and open lobby area. Engine 1322 advanced a line through the main entrance in an effort to prevent the fire from moving into the adjacent lobby. The encountered intense heat and heavy fire which was fueled in part by the ballroom tables and chairs that were being stored in one area. They backed out and companies went defensive.
Gurnee Truck 1331 operates in front of the building in the 'A' Sector as smoke pours out of the ballroom. Larry Shapiro photo
The alarm was upgraded to a MABAS Box Alarm within 15 minutes followed by a 2nd alarm shortly thereafter. Approximately 45 minutes into the fire, the decision was made to upgrade to a 5th alarm.
As the sun sets the intensity of the fire continues to grow and the volume of smoke and fire increases. Larry Shapiro photo
Two tower ladders, one from Gurnee and the other from Round Lake worked in the ‘A’ sector in front of the building and Gurnee Engine 1321 was on the side supporting hand lines and a deck gun.
Gurnee Engine 1321 operates on the east side of the structure as the engineer uses the deck gun. Larry Shapiro photo
The MABAS Division 5 Air Unit was special called to the scene to refill SCBA bottles. Larry Shapiro photo
Long lead-outs across Grand Avenue forced the road to be closed as Mundelein and Beach Park engines found hydrants on the opposite side of the street. The fire was contained to the ballroom structure which was destroyed plus minor extension into the lobby area. In all, there were 23 departments represented at the scene representing the majority of Lake County Division 4 departments plus others from Divisions 3 and 5. The list includes Round Lake, Antioch, Fox Lake, Mundelein, Beach Park, Pleasant Prairie (WI), Libertyville, Newport, Zion, Waukegan, Deerfield, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, Lake Zurich, Spring Grove, Long Grove, Countryside, Great Lakes, Lake Forest, Lake Villa, Buffalo Grove, Grayslake, Highland Park, Wauconda, plus the MABAS Division 5 Air Unit, and the MESS Canteen.
Firefighters continue to douse the rubble after the bulk of the fire has been knocked down. Larry Shapiro photo
Antioch Engine 2121was deployed in the front of the building with a light tower to illuminate the fire scene. Gurnee Engine 1322 on the right was the first engine on the scene. Larry Shapiro photo
Larry Shapiro and Tim Olk went to the fire and submitted several images. Larry has a large gallery which will be accessible HERE and Tim has a large gallery that is building HERE. larry will also have a video to post after getting some sleep.
Fox Lake Squad 2251 was also setup in the parking lot off of Grand Avenue to illuminate the scene and fill air bottles. Larry Shapiro photo
A large excavator was brought to the scene to knockdown the walls of the fire building and sift through the rubble allowing firefighters to extinguish the fire that was buried underneath the debris. Larry Shapiro photo
There is a brief article HERE about the fire as well as HERE and HERE.
The Beecher Fire Protection District in MABAS Division 27 responded mutual aid to an extra alarm fire last week in Lowell, Indiana. According to Beecher Fire Chief Dave Lagesse, Beecher Truck 405, a 2006 Pierce Enforcer with a 75′ aluminum ladder, flowed in excess of 640,000 gallons of water over a period of 10 hours on the scene. The fire occurred a week ago Thursday, on August 10th, at the former Rieter Automotive building, 101 W. Oakley Avenue, and according to The Northwest Indiana Times,
A construction company working inside … is believed to have accidentally sparked a spectacular fire at the abandoned plant shortly before noon Wednesday. Jimmy Harper, a project manager for BRT Indiana LLC, a recycling and sales company, said crews were moving equipment and cutting beams when an unidentified material caught fire. Harper, who was working inside the building with 11 other employees, said sprinklers in the building were shut off and crews could not control the flames with fire extinguishers.
The complete article can be found HERE. A Youtube video is HERE, and additional coverage is HERE.
Chief Lagesse submitted several dramatic images showing Truck 405 working. He was unable to tell us who the photographer was. We would like to acknowledge the photographer if someone can supply us with that information.
Two elevated master streams work at the Rieter Automotive property in Lowell, Indiana on August 10, 2011. photographer unknown
A firefighter from Beecher, IL rests at the tip of Beecher Truck 405's ladder directing water on the massive fire. photographer unknown
Another shot showing Beecher and Lowell Fire Department aerials working. photographer unknown
A fire ball appears to erupt directly beneath the Beecher firefighter working the master stream, although there is quite a bit of space between them. photographer unknown
As the dynamics of the fire change, the firefighter redirects the master stream. photographer unknown
Heavy fire burns through the roof of what was the Rieter Automotive facility in Lowell, Indiana on August 10, 2011. photographer unknown
Beecher Truck 405 was flowing water for 10 hours at the scene in Lowell, Indiana. photographer unknown
Karl Klotz visited the Lisle Woodridge FPD last week and photographed the new buggy for the battalion and the new tower at Truck 537.
Wheeling Box Alarm 8-22-11
Aug 22
The Wheeling Fire Department received a call around 2:30AM from a townhouse resident reporting smoke in their building on Fall Court in the Cedar Run development. The building houses four units, two of which were vacant at the time. Wheeling Police arrived on the scene and reported flames visible on the west side of the building. The alarm was upgraded to a Code 4 working fire prior to companies arriving on the scene, which added units from Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, and Long Grove.
A firefighter prepares to enter the second floor unit on Fall Court in Wheeling after the fire was knocked down. Larry Shapiro photo
Engine 24 was the first fire unit on the scene and pulled into the dead-end court. Engine 23 arrived and took a hydrant to supply Engine 24. The fire unit, which was in foreclosure, was a second floor unit with a private entrance with stairs on the west side of the building. Firefighters knocked down the initial fire in the doorway and attempted to enter the foyer to get upstairs but had to retreat as the stairs were burned through. They entered the second floor from a ground ladder and hit the remaining fire noting that an area of the kitchen floor had been compromised and there was still fire beneath the floor.
Buffalo Grove firefighters force the door to a neighboring unit in the same building as the fire. Larry Shapiro photo
Wheeling firefighters cut through the overhead door to gain access to the garage. Larry Shapiro photo
The alarm was elevated to a Box Alarm when all of the companies were working and there was a fear that fire was running the outside wall and might involve the common attic space. Additional units responded from Deerfield, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, Palatine, Northbrook, and Prospect Heights, but these units were released soon after they arrived on the scene as the fire did not spread beyond the initial unit.
Firefighters were forced to access the second floor unit from a ground ladder as the stairway was compromised. Larry Shapiro photo
Larry Shapiro went to the scene and arrived shortly after the bulk of the fire had been extinguished. He submitted several images and has a gallery with more photos HERE.
Wheeling Engine 24 was the first unit on the scene and setup in the 'A' Sector. Larry Shapiro photo
Engine 23 took a hydrant at the end of the court and laid a supply line to Engine 24. Larry Shapiro photo
The fire burned the stairway which was the only access to the second floor unit from the ground. Larry Shapiro photo
The fire reportedly originated in a wall between the garage and the front entryway. Larry Shapiro photo
Larry Shapiro has added a seven-minute video from the Maywood 3-11 alarm fire at 326 Randolph Street from August 10th. The photo gallery can be found HERE.
The Berwyn Fire Department in MABAS Division 11 has been added to the site through the efforts of several individuals. Photos have been assembled from Drew Gresik, Steve Redick, Hank Sajovic, and Larry Shapiro to fill in the stations and apparatus. Berwyn, a career department with 79 personnel runs out of three stations covering just under four square miles. They have a mixture of apparatus including three pieces from Seagrave plus an engine from Pierce and their newest engine from Crimson.
Berwyn Station 1, their south station, is at 6434 Windsor Avenue. Hank Sajovic photo
The north station, is Station 2 at 6615 16th Street. Larry Shapiro photo
Dan McInerney took in the Still and Box Alarm yesterday on Sheridan Road and submitted several images from the scene with the following comments:
At around 1445 on Friday afternoon, the 9th Battalion was given a still alarm for a fire at 5757 N. Sheridan (corrected address 5747 N. Sheridan). The FAO made it a working fire, then upgraded it to a still in the high rise. The 9th then asked for a still and box alarm when he made the corner on Sheridan from Hollywood. There he found heavy fire and smoke from the third floor of a 3-story townhome, 75×125. The unit on fire directly exposed a 30-story hi-rise to the south. Engine 70 dropped their leader line and made quick work of the fire while Truck 47 laddered the building from the lot to the south. The still in the high rise response was held in to ensure that the stairwells of the hi-rise were not affected and that the building did not become an exposure. The staging area was Hollywood and Sheridan which is the northern exit for Lake Shore Drive (LSD), which made for quite a traffic backup on LSD on a Friday afternoon with the air show winding down.
Command Van 2-7-2 setup at down the street. Dan McInerney photo
Truck 47 laddered the roof of the fire building from a parking lot to the south. Dan McInerney photo
Engine 70 was the Still Alarm engine in front of the building and had one leader line off to knock-dwon the fire. Dan McInerney photo
Air Mask unit 6-4-6. Dan McInerney photo
Truck 12 was staged on Sheridan Road. Dan McInerney photo
Ambulance 40 and 4-4-11 had the RIT assignment and remained on the scene until companies began to pick up. Dan McInerney photo
Members of E70 trying to relieve pressure on the hydrant in order to remove supply hose off the rig. The stem broke when they went to close the hydrant and the water dept had to be called to shut down the water in order to free them up. Dan McInerney photo
Stowing a ladder on T12. Dan McInerney photo
House decals on the 9th Battalion's buggy. Dan McInerney photo
Truck 25 returning from the fire scene. Dan McInerney photo
A new charitable organization created by firefighters called the Remembrance Rescue Project (RRP) is under way. Using stories of FDNY Rescue 4 during 2001, the RRP hopes to generate public awareness of the intrinsic dangers in firefighting while also providing support to the children of fallen firefighters.
They will be using FDNY Res4cue from 9/11 and are currently looking for active and retired firefighters to help prepare the rescue for the 9/11 anniversary.
Anyone interested can email info@firezonefun.com, call 877.597.3473 x801 or visit www.therrp.org
