Archive for November 12th, 2013

Lake Forest 2nd Alarm fire, 11-11-13 (more)

Nov 12

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Scene photos, Fire Scene video | 4 Comments

More on Lake Forest’s fire yesterday from Larry Shapiro:

Larry Shapiro photo

I got to the fire shortly after it was upgraded to a 2nd Alarm. The roof was already in and the bulk of the fire had been knocked down. Knollwood’s quint was woking in the driveway and they were getting water to Countryside’s tower. Departments represented were:

with engines – Waukegan, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Beach Park, Newport Township, Lake Villa, and Grayslake

with trucks – Knollwood, Countryside, Lake Forest, Wauconda and Lincolnshire-Riverwoods

with squads – Deerfield-Bannockburn and Gurnee

with ambulances – Lake Forest, North Chicago, Long Grove, Wheeling, and Highland Park

with chiefs – Lake Forest, Highland Park, Countryside, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, North Chicago

Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro photo

Seagrave fire engine at night fire scene

Larry Shapiro photo

From the Chicago Tribune:

Lake Forest firefighters battled a massive blaze that destroyed a Lake Forest mansion early today.

Eric Kositzki, a Lake Forest firefighter, said the blaze in the 1100 block of Keswick Drive started just after midnight, and firefighters finally put out the fire around 4:30 a.m.

Firefighters said the house was a complete loss.

Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric Montanello said officials are unsure what caused the fire, but do not suspect foul play.

Right now, officials are estimating the damage, and Montanello said he predicts it’s at least $1 million. Officials might not know for a few days the cause or the cost, he said.

The blaze took firefighters at least an hour to control as the roof and second floor were fully engulfed in flames, he said.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.

According to Lake County records, the house is valued at about $1.9 million, and records also show the home sold in 2008 for more than $2 million.

thanks Dan

Larry Shapiro photo

More photos can be found HERE.

Tags: Countryside FPD, fire scene photos, fire scene video, fire trucks at fire scene, Lake Forest Fire Department, Lake Forest mansion destroyed by fire, Larry Shapiro, night fire scene photos, Pierce fire engine, Pierce fire engine at night fire scene, Rosenbauer America, video of firemen working

Barrington FD signs auto-aid agreements

Nov 12

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

The Daily Herald has an article about the Barrington Fire Department signing several automatic-aid agreements with neighbors:

Barrington trustees Monday approved two of the four automatic-aid agreements they’ve had to revise with neighboring fire departments due to the village’s coming Jan. 1 split from the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District.

The new agreements reached were those with the Lake Zurich and Long Grove departments. But Barrington is also aiming to have further agreements soon with both the Palatine Rural Fire Protection District and Barrington Countryside itself.

The aid agreements spell out the locations, situations and equipment involved for one department to respond automatically to another’s call — usually driven by whose station is closest. Though the village of Barrington isn’t starting a new fire department from scratch like the Barrington Countryside District, the ending of the two agencies’ decades-long contract for service is changing the jurisdictional boundaries for both.

The fire district will now take independent responsibility for fire protection and ambulance service for parts of Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington, South Barrington and Inverness and unincorporated Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.

On the eve of their contractual split, Barrington and Barrington Countryside have found an auto-aid agreement between themselves to be the most time-consuming to negotiate. But Barrington Village Manager Jeff Lawler said Monday he believes the two agencies are getting there.

In contrast, talks aimed at an auto-aid agreement for Palatine Rural to respond to calls in Barrington Countryside’s area of Inverness seem to have broken down completely.

Barrington Countryside rejected a request to give a significant portion of its property tax from Inverness to Palatine Rural, while Palatine Rural has similarly declined three counterproposals, officials said.

thanks Ron & Dan

Tags: automatic-aid agreements, Barrington & Countryside Fire Protection District, Barrington Fire Department, fire district and village split in Barrington, fire district and village to split in Barrington

Chicago Still & Box Alarm, 10-11-13

Nov 12

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Scene photos | 1 Comment

This from Josh Boyajian:

MFAO dispatched companies to a still and box alarm @ 3143 w Arthington for a fire with reported people trapped. 107 arrived and had smoke showing from the 3rd floor. Truck 36 made the roof while 107 and 44 were leading out. Fire sounded like it started in the basement and traveled up the walls and into the floors above. Here are some of my shots from the first snowy fire of the year.

-Josh