Archive for July 5th, 2012

Worth Garage Fire 7-4-12

This from Keith Grzadziel

North Palos FPD had a Full Still for an attached garage fire in Worth around midnight at 6805 W. 114th St. Fire initially came in as a brush fire next to the garage. Crews arrived with a fully involved garage with communication inside the house. Fire was struck within 10 minutes. Crews from Bridgeview, Chicago Ridge, Oak Lawn, Palos Heights and Roberts Park assisted North Palos.

(sorry about poor pics)

North Palos FPD garage fire in Worth  7-4-12

Keith Grzadziel photo

North Palos FPD garage fire in Worth  7-4-12

Keith Grzadziel photo

North Palos FPD garage fire in Worth  7-4-12

Keith Grzadziel photo

Orland FPD had a 3-11 yesterday afternoon for the fully involved townhome at 15035 Mayo Dr. in Orland Park. 3 out of 4 units totally destroyed.

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Orland 3rd Alarm 7-4-12

Here is a video off of YouTube of yesterday’s fire in Orland Park.

15035 MAYO CT., Orland Park, IL      3-11 Alarm Fire

thanks Hank

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Train derailment with fire in Northbrook (update)

At 5PM, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that:

A second body has been found in a car that was buried by debris and wreckage from a train derailment and bridge collapse near Northbrook, officials said.

Officials initially said no one was injured when the train hauling coal derailed on Union Pacific tracks near Willow Road and Shermer Avenue around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday.  But this morning, crews spotted the bumper of a car and dug around it with shovels, officials said.

Officials on the scene initially said one body was inside but were checking for other victims. Later, officials said a second body had been found in the car. Their identities have not been released, but officials said one of them is a man.

The car, with the bodies inside, was loaded onto a flatbed truck and taken to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The car was discovered at about 10 a.m., Globerger said. The crews had been working through the night since 5 p.m. Wednesday. “With 27 rail cars, full of coal, there was no way to get in to discover the car until this morning,” Glenview Fire Chief Wayne Globerger said. “Keep in mind, we’re talking tons (of debris), here.”

He said crews would continue looking for any other victims.

The entire article with a video can be found HERE.

Images from the scene can be found HERE.

 

 

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Train derailment with fire in Northbrook (update)

train derails in Northbrook trapping motorist

A heavy-lift crane is loaded onto a lowboy at the crash site. Larry Shapiro photo

As railroad and construction workers cleared the debris from the collapsed bridge over Shermer Road, they discovered a car that was buried underneath the rubble. Glenview firefighters have been at the scene today working to gain access to the car.

train derails in Northbrook trapping motorist

Work as seen from the south side of the Shermer Road bridge as gravel is built up to the level of the tracks. Larry Shapiro photo

train derails in Northbrook trapping motorist

A steady stream of large dump trucks brings gravel to the site of the destroyed bridge to build a temporary base so that train traffic can resume soon. Larry Shapiro photo

Firegeezer.com filed the following report:

Update, 3 pm Thursday:
Cleanup crews discovered an automobile with one body inside underneath the bridge debris Thursday morning.
Also, the railroad inspectors have determined what caused the bridge to fail.  Both discoveries are covered in this Chicago Tribune report:

Officials initially said no one was injured when the train hauling coal derailed on Union Pacific tracks near Willow Road and Shermer Avenue around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday. But this morning, crews spotted the bumper of a car and dug around it with shovels, officials said.

Shortly before 1 p.m., workers could be seen clearing off what appeared to be the windshield, then covering the area with a blue tarp. Officials on the scene said one body was inside, and they were working to remove it.

WGN-TV

* * *

While the investigation of the derailment continues, extreme heat causing steel rails to expand is a possible cause of the derailment and subsequent bridge collapse, a Union Pacific Railroad spokesman said Thursday.

The preliminary investigation has ruled out the failure of the bridge as the trigger to the accident, said UP spokesman Mark Davis. The bridge was not designed to carry the load of 28 coal cars that derailed, each weighing 75 tons to 85 tons, on the 86-foot bridge, Davis said.

Davis confirmed that UP inspectors were on the tracks checking for possible abnormalities in track gauge or shifting before the accident. Such inspections are routinely conducted twice a day during extreme heat or cold, he said.

Because of the “heat order,” a 40 mph slow zone order, down from 50 mph normally on that segment of track, was in effect at the time of the accident, Davis said. An event recorder in the locomotive showed that the train was traveling at 37 mph when it derailed, he said.

“We ruled out the bridge failing and then the train derailing, based on the discussion with the train crew’’ as well as viewing the images from a camera on the train, Davis said. “The derailment occurred and then what happened was that 28 cars piled onto the bridge structure. Under all that weight, the bridge went down.’’

Since that report was posted, the medical examiner arrived on the scene and the body was then removed.  Any personal information of the victim including its sex has not been released.  The railroad authorities have stated that there is still a possibility that they may find more victims under the debris.

 

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Long Grove 2nd Alarm brush fire 7-4-12 caused by fireworks

Wildland fire in Long Grove 7-4-12 from fireworks results in arrest

Flames rise from the open areas behind the house at 3448 Hidden Valley Road in Long Grove. Larry Shapiro photo

The Long Grove Fire Protection District responded to a field fire yesterday afternoon behind the house at 3448 Hidden Valley Road. The first unit found fire behind the house in a dried out marsh area with tall cattails. They called for additional assistance and then requested a structural response as a precautionary measure since there was concern that the winds could shift and threaten several homes.

Wildland fire in Long Grove 7-4-12 from fireworks results in arrest

The fire spreads through the cattails as seen from the home at 3448 Hidden Valley Road in Long Grove. Larry Shapiro photo

As the winds caused the fire to spread further, additional alarms were requested to assist the initial companies that were becoming overwhelmed by the size of the fire and the high heat conditions. The neighborhood is without hydrants, so a call was made for tankers in addition to wildland support from the Lake and McHenry County Wildland Team.

Wildland fire in Long Grove 7-4-12 from fireworks results in arrest

The fire travels towards homes to the east of the original point of origin. Larry Shapiro photo

Companies spread out both in the dried out marsh and in the yards of multiple homes along the long block that was threatened. Each home in this area has a large multi-acre lot.

Wildland fire in Long Grove 7-4-12 from fireworks results in arrest

Working ahead of the firefighters, several neighbors banded together with garden hoses to protect their homes until firefighters could address the fire in this yard. Larry Shapiro photo

Wildland fire in Long Grove 7-4-12 from fireworks results in arrest Rosenbauer Timberwolf

Wheeling Squad 24 works the bumper turret of their all-wheel-drive unit in the rear of a home five down from the area of origin. Larry Shapiro photo

The Lake County Sheriff’s Department made an arrest before the night was over of an 18-year old male that was at the house were the fire began and charged him with starting the fire with some form of fireworks. One firefighter was transported to the hospital with heat exhaustion and was later released.

Wildland fire in Long Grove 7-4-12 from fireworks results in arrest

The fire grows in intensity behind a neighbor’s home down the block. Larry Shapiro photo

Wildland fire in Long Grove 7-4-12 from fireworks results in arrest

A member of the wildland team in the foreground joins a firefighter in structural gear along one edge of the fire. Larry Shapiro photo

Wildland fire in Long Grove 7-4-12 from fireworks results in arrest

After much of the fire had been extinguished or controlled behind this home, firefighters refill Wheeling’s squad as others survey the scene. Larry Shapiro photo

The last companies left the scene roughly seven hours after the incident began.

Mutual and auto aid at the scene was from Buffalo Grove, Palatine, Lake Zurich, Arlington Heights, Palatine Rural, Prospect Heights, Knollwood, Beach Park, Libertyville, Highwood, Barrington, Countryside, Fox Lake, Hoffman Estates, Beach Park, Deerfield, Fox River Grove, Wheeling, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, Mundelein, Cary, McHenry Township, Grayslake, Newport Township, Wauconda, Gurnee, Spring Grove, Elk Grove Township, and the Nunda Rural FPD.

In all, 18 acres burned.

Larry Shapiro was at the scene and will have a gallery of images and a video later in the day.

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Wheaton 3rd Alarm Fire 7-4-12

John Tulipano submitted the following:

A few shots from Wheaton 3rd Alarm today at 976 Tara Court. Fire started in the rear and extended up the wall and into the attic space, this was a dead end street, 2nd engine had a long lead-out approximately 1000′ to the hydrant, all companies had to walk in from Blanchard with tools and equipment. Temperature was about 98 degrees at time of fire.
house fire on Tara Court in Wheaton 7-4-12

The fire was at the end of a long dead-end street. Companies had a long walk into the scene from staging in near 100 degree temperatures. John Tulipano photo

house fire on Tara Court in Wheaton 7-4-12

Tower ladders were from Wheaton and Glen Ellyn deployed. John Tulipano photo

house fire on Tara Court in Wheaton 7-4-12 Seagrave engine

Wheaton’s Seagrave engine was in front of the house. John Tulipano photo

house fire on Tara Court in Wheaton 7-4-12

Fire is visible from the peak of the cedar shake roof. John Tulipano photo

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Lincolnshire-Riverwoods sells Seagrave units

The end of an era for the Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District (formely the Vernon Township Fire Protection District) as they recently sold their two remaining Seagrave units. What was an all Seagrave department many years ago now has a full Pierce fleet. One of the units sold was the 1996 Seagrave 100′ rear-mount quint that was replaced last year at Station 53 by a new Pierce unit. The second unit sold was Engine 51R, a 1992 Seagrave with a 1,500-GPM pump and 1,000 gallons of water.

Linclonshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District 1992 Seagrave quint

This unit was replaced by a 2011 Pierce Arrow XT 105′ rear mount. It was purchased by the Mount Washington Fire Department in Kentucky.

Truck 53 was sold to the Mount Washington Fire Protection District in Kentucky.

Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District Seagrave engine

This unit was most recently Engine 51R and was sold to the Locke Township Fire Department in Salisbury, NC.

Engine 51R was purchased by the Locke Township Fire Department in Salisbury, NC.

Prior to the current Lincolnshire-Riverwoods apparatus fleet were several Seagrave units. When these units were purchased, the department name was the Vernon Township Fire Protection District.

Vernon Township Fire Protection District 1981 Seagrave WB engine

Vernon Engine 1 was a 1981 Seagrave WB series with a 1,500-GPM pump and 500 gallons of water. Larry Shapiro photo

Vernon Township Fire Protection District 1981 Seagrave WB engine

Engine 2 for Vernon was a 1979 Seagrave WB series unit carrying 1,000 gallons of water with a 1,500-GPM pump. Larry Shapiro photo

Vernon Township Fire Protection District 1981 Seagrave WB truck

The predecessor to the 1996 truck that was just sold was this 1979 low-profile Seagrave W series 100′ rear-mount. Truck 1 had a 1,250-GPM pump and carried 100 gallons of water. Larry Shapiro photo

 

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