Archive for November 30th, 2013

CFD rescues dog from pond 11-30-13

Nov 30

Posted by Admin in Firefighters working | 3 Comments

This from Eric Haak:

Shortly before 0900 hrs on Saturday, November 30th, Chicago’s Main Fire Alarm Office received a call of a person in the water at the Humboldt Park Lagoon. Squad 2 was returning from being held on a working fire response and as the MFAO was dispatching them, they received information that it was an over zealous dog who had chased a flock of geese and not a person. Battalion 12 and Engine 57 reported on scene with Truck 36 and confirmed that they had a dog about 25 feet from shore in about 5 feet of water (according to fishing depth charts I checked out on-line). Squad 2 had members suited up as they arrived and proceeded to make the rescue. As Squad 2’s member got ready to lasso the pooch with a life preserver, the dog decided he had enough and began to swim in towards his waiting rescuer. At this point, Squad 2’s member abandoned the life preserver and grabbed the dog by the collar. For a brief moment, the dog’s weight broke the ice and caused it to go under, almost causing the CFD member to take a complete dip in the icy water. However, the dog was quickly wrangled in, lifted out of the water and made a quick run to it’s owner. The dog looked a little sheepish as it climbed into a CPD squad who took the owner and her dog home.

Eric Haak photo

Tags: Chicago Fire Department, Eric Haak, fire department divers, firefighters rescue dog from frozen pond, ice rescue, water rescue of dog

5th Alarm fire in Woodstock, 11-26-13 (more)

Nov 30

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | Comments off

From the Northwest Herald:

Barn fire near Woodstock ignited by hay ‘spontaneously combusting’

Crews Wednesday still were monitoring the charred remains of a barn near Woodstock that caught fire Tuesday night by hay spontaneously combusting, according to the Woodstock Fire Rescue Department.

A total of 16 area departments from as far as Walworth, Wis., were called at around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to assist with the blaze at 16812 Kunde Road in an unincorporated area of McHenry County.

Firefighters arrived to find a 40-foot-tall, 150-foot-wide barn on fire in the rural area that borders Woodstock and Union. No one was in the barn, and several animals escaped safely, although not all are accounted for.

The barn contained as many as eight sheep, about a dozen roosters and chickens, 750 bales of hay weighing 100 pounds each, and machinery, Deputy Chief Terry Menzel said.

Crews had the fire contained to the T-shaped barn by 8:30 p.m. More than half of the departments were called to the scene to help provide water because no fire hydrants were near the residence, Capt. Brendan Parker said. Firefighters remained on the scene Wednesday as the controlled-burn was expected to last another 24 hours.

Firefighters also brought an excavator to the scene to pull apart the bales of hay and put out the fire quicker. The contents in the barn destroyed due to the fire cost about $75,000.

Investigators later determined the fire ignited from wet and dry hay – more than six weeks old – spontaneously combusting, Menzel said.

No one was injured during the incident.

Barn near Woodstock catches fire for second time

Firefighters had to return Thursday morning to a property where a barn caught fire for a second blaze, the Woodstock Fire Rescue District said.

At 2:24 a.m., firefighters were called to another barn at 16812 Kunde Road in unincorporated McHenry County near Woodstock by the property owner.

The cause of the second fire is under investigation, but it is believed winds changed directions during the night and ignited an ember from a large amount of hay, according to a fire district news release.

The hay had been moved because of the previous fire, which is believed to have been caused by spontaneous combustion.

Because there are no hydrants in the area, Woodstock called crews from Marengo, McHenry Township, Union, Harvard, Huntley, Fox Lake, Cary, Nunda Rural, Hebron and the Emergency Management Agency.

thanks Scott

Tags: 5-alarm barn fire in Union, large hay barn destroyed by fire in Union IL, Woodstock Fire Rescue District, Woodstock Rural Fire Protection District