This from Eric Haak:
The following are rare images of the Mickelberry fire on February 7, 1968. The first image is the only image I know that shows the building before the 3rd explosion which leveled the plant. If you can view this image in a larger format, you can clearly see the people waiting on the roof to be rescued. There is at least one truck parked in front without it’s aerial up and there appears to be a chief or two looking up at the men on the roof. There is also either a truck or engine arriving northbound on Halsted. Image 2 was badly scratched and still has quite a bit of damage. Image 3 shows the helicopter used by Chief Quinn to access the scene. Image 4 shows the gasoline truck in the alley after it had been cleared of rubble. Many of the other images are self-explanatory. The last is damage that occurred to one of the rigs on scene.
Eric Haak collection, photographer unknown
click image for large download
Eric Haak collection, photographer unknown
Eric Haak collection, photographer unknown
Eric Haak collection, photographer unknown
Eric Haak collection, photographer unknown
Eric Haak collection, photographer unknown
Eric Haak collection, photographer unknown
Eric Haak collection, photographer unknown
Eric Haak collection, photographer unknown
#1 by JohnS on December 27, 2017 - 10:23 PM
My uncle Lt. Dorr Lent, Squad9 (?), injured at corner while standing next to his engineer may be the ff photographed lying on Halsted
#2 by mike mc on September 22, 2017 - 8:52 AM
Thanks for the info John. My sources are firehouse kitchen talk over several decades, so I could very well be wrong. I do remember hearing that at least one of the FFs was on a ladder when it blew but I thought it was a ground ladder. Captain John Fischer was the name you could not remember.
If the main aerial was working though, wouldn’t it have been easier and quicker to raise the main to get them off the roof then waiting for a 38′ ground ladder?
Side note: a captain was acting Battalion 11 that day – I can’t remember his name – and he asked for the box with the unusual phrase of “box me baby”.
#3 by John on September 22, 2017 - 11:09 AM
The Chief of the 11th was Jim “Stretch” Hughes, but I think he was a chief of the 11th, not a Captain acting up. He got made Division Marshal shortly afterwards and went to the 5th Div (E-126’s qtrs) 2nd plt. A great guy, he got nicknamed “Ming the Merciless”, from the Flash Gordon TV show, because he was abut 6’5, always had the collar of his firecoat up, big eyebrows,and even when he was smiling, it was hard to tell.
As far as aerial ladder vs 38′ ground ladder, I think it was much quicker there throwing the 38, as it laid flat on the rig & all 3 or 4 guys had to do was pull it out, throw the heel into the base of the bldg, & raise it. Remember, main ladder hydraulics weren’t invented yet… back then, you had to pull out & screw down the 2 small jacks, then after kicking the pedal to raise the aerial, 2 guys had to crank the turntable and crank the fly, then crank it all down to set it into the bldg.
#4 by David on September 22, 2017 - 5:22 AM
Michael if you mean the rig from the last photo, it’s one of the 1956 IHC Hi-Pressure wagons slightly modified with some added compartments. Not sure what company brought it to the fire though or if there were any other rigs damaged by the blast.
#5 by Michael M on September 21, 2017 - 11:03 PM
Any Idea what type of apparatus was damaged in this fire? Was it a engine or a Squad?
#6 by David on September 21, 2017 - 1:40 PM
Thanks for sharing these photos. As to Truck 18’s aerial, I may be mistaken but from some of the photos I’ve seen it looked like they were using the 1949 model FWD tiller, not really a brand new apparatus in 1968, so it makes some sense that the aerial may have failed that day.
#7 by John on September 21, 2017 - 1:17 PM
That would be Truck 18 in front of the building as they came out of 50th St, northbound on Halsted. But from what I remember being told is that their main did work, which is how the members of Truck 18 died; ascending it to the roof of the 3-story after throwing a 38′ ground ladder to get the people off the 2nd-story roof. As they (Bottger, Leifker, and I forget the 3rd) were going up the main just about to the roof, the place blew, and sent them airborne. In the 2nd pic, the engine on the corner is 59; their Capt. (Smith?) got off the rig & went in the front door to see where to lead out, and when it blew, he was pinned under concrete.
This place didn’t blow right away; as Squad 9 had made it in there and was walking toward the building when it went off, causing their guys injuries from flying debris.
#8 by mike mc on September 21, 2017 - 8:58 AM
I have no documented proof of this but I was told, several times over the years, that Truck 18’s aerial did not work – rare, but still not unusual in that era – and that is Truck 18 parked in front of the building. The FFs and civilian(s) on the roof were waiting for a ground ladder to be raised. Of course, if Truck 18’s aerial was operational it would already have been raised and they could have walked down. It was not a favorable outcome for most, if not all of the people shown on the roof.
Quinn was a showman and wanted to justify his “toys” like the helicopters and the jet boats. Assuming he was at city hall, I doubt if it saved him more than five minutes to take the helicopter. His buggy driver – actually a captain and a top aide – would have driven from Engine 13 to city hall to pick up Quinn and then to the fire academy where the helicopter from Meigs Field would be waiting for him at the helicopter pad. He could just as easily jumped on the Dan Ryan or taken Halsted Street all the way down.
Believe it or not, he never suffered the slightest external criticism for Truck 18’s aerial not working and not a single widow considered suing the city. It was a different world back then. At the press conferences he tore into the gas truck delivery driver who made the mistake of hooking up to the wrong intake line and pumped the fuel directly into the building resulting in the fire and eventual explosion.
Does anyone have more knowledge about Truck 18’s aerial ? If so, please feel free to correct me.