Excerpts from the Daily Herald:
[a] house was unoccupied when fire broke out before midnight on Thursday, authorities said. … the homeowner … returned to his house around 2 a.m. to see it up in flames.
Firefighters remained outside the house on the 800 block of North Kaspar Avenue throughout much of Friday, continually putting out hot spots as they flared up. By Friday night, firefighters said, fire operations ceased, and the building was torn down.
Without describing the contents, Arlington Heights Fire Department officials said a “high fire content load” inside the two-story, single-family home kept the fire burning long after the first firefighting crews arrived on scene about 11:45 p.m. Thursday.
Authorities said fire was coming through the roof and first- and second-floor windows when they arrived. But firefighters were unable to make entry into the house due to the excessive flames and heat.
The below-zero overnight temperatures also presented a challenge for [firefighters], who were unable to use the nearest hydrant because it was frozen. After accessing a working hydrant some 300 feet away, firefighters … were able to contain the blaze without it spreading to nearby houses, officials said.
thanks Dan
Tim Olk visited the scene this morning.
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
Tim Olk photo
#1 by Drew Smith on February 22, 2015 - 12:07 PM
http://www.arlingtoncardinal.com/2015/02/house-fire-discovered-just-before-midnight-on-north-kaspar-ave-near-elm-st-destroys-house-arlington-heights/
If you watch the attached video, the same video posted before this post, the 2&1/2s (one on each side) are in place from the start. I am not sure what line will flow more than that so to characterize them as small lines, I have to disagree. There is also a deck gun working. Eventually the tower’s master stream is deployed.
While not a member of this FD, to characterize this as a training issue is irresponsible if you cannot substantiate how this department or any other trains.
Finally, the narrative found with the attached video clearly indicates that firefighters and their officers knew the challenges they faced:
“First firefighters on the scene reported the second floor was well-involved with fire through the roof”
“…the house was difficult to access because it appeared that the door access was blocked”
Other news reports quote “a high content load” were present but do not say hoarder conditions. https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20150220/news/150229918/
Also at http://www.vah.com/news/default.aspx?&ArticleId=791
The house was a complete loss by all reports even before the FD’s arrival and to assume that all fires can be extinguished in a matter of minutes is inaccurate.
#2 by Mike on February 22, 2015 - 6:38 AM
You have to give them some credit. They did have the deck gun going since the start of the video. Eventually there was a 2 1/2 put in service, just needs the fog tip taken off. It seem to take a long time for the tower to arrive and then get set up and put to work.
#3 by Marv Schwartz on February 21, 2015 - 11:45 PM
MM..The fault appears to be in the training. The engine officer should call for the big lines to be dropped when that much fire is showing and the odds of a interior attack is nill. This has to be taught to the company officers.
I can remember when small lines , boosters and inch and a halfs were used for interior work and all heavy fire loads were an automatic lead out with two and ahalfs.
Who changed? And why?
#4 by MM on February 21, 2015 - 11:34 PM
That’s what happens with these suburban departments that do nothing but drill on their 1 3/4 inch preconnects. It becomes almost involuntary muscle memory to just grab that line.
#5 by Marv Schwartz on February 21, 2015 - 6:39 PM
A heavy fire load on arrival and small lines are put into use..and as the video shows,that tactic did not work
Maybe it is time to rethink their use.