This from Eric Haak:
It was a very busy early morning for southside companies on Monday (2/15). At approximately 1:30 there was a fatal pin-in accident at 85th and the Dan Ryan. Around the same time, Engine 49 landed at 43rd and Packers for an automatic alarm to find a light haze in an industrial building. This was eventually be elevated to a still and box with stacks of cardboard burning but being held in check by the sprinkler system. Companies were at that address for over three hours.
At 3:45 Engine 101 landed with a working fire at 76th and Artesian. One hour later there was another still and box at 5141 S. Princeton which is where these images were taken. Due to battalion chiefs being committed at both earlier fires, Battalion 7 was the still chief at this incident. There were several frozen hydrants and the fire did spread to the occupied home on the “D” side. The original fire building was a frame house that had been converted to a church. I could not confirm but I believe the spare is Engine 122. The other box engine was Engine 5.
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
Eric Haak photo
#1 by steve K. on March 15, 2016 - 11:46 AM
I need Eric haak’s email address. Anyone have it?
#2 by Eric Haak on February 16, 2016 - 6:35 AM
Engine 5 was on the Dan Ryan headed for a COQ. They did not respond from quarters.
#3 by DMc77 on February 16, 2016 - 1:35 AM
The audio (and virtually all of the still and box alarm fires on up going back to the late 80’s were recorded by Russ Coughlin. He has a table each year at the 5-11 Club Muster at the Chicago Fire Academy. Russ has thousands of fires, either on cassette tape or CD. Some of them may on Youtube, or as the background audio for videos. I will reach out to him and see if he will let me convert some of his audio tapes to the digital realm so the current generation can enjoy them as well. His tapes are the only reason I still keep a function tape player in the house.
#4 by Chuck on February 15, 2016 - 10:34 PM
I would imagine Engine 5 was already on a Change due to the 76th Street & packers fires, probably to 49 or 116. Can’t imagine them being a box engine from quarters.
#5 by Brian on February 15, 2016 - 7:27 PM
Id love to listen to that
#6 by LFD 543 on February 15, 2016 - 3:49 PM
DMc77, is it on YouTube?
#7 by DMc77 on February 15, 2016 - 2:52 PM
Mike – the audio of the T2 response is out there. It is an interesting listen. I have
tape of it stored away. I believe on that same night, on of the DDC’s or command vans requested another tower ladder to respond to one of the far south fires and the Office told them the closest TL was 23 from quarters.
Interesting to see E5 take in a fire that far south
#8 by Mike L on February 15, 2016 - 2:36 PM
February always seems to see multiple simultaneous fires and higher level alarms resulting in oddball responses. Due to the cold and issues with shallow water mains primarily on the southwest side, there seem to be more still & boxes, etc than usual. About 23 years ago at this time, there were multiple fires happening that resulted in Truck 2 being 2nd truck on a still to about 87th and Buffalo or Brandon among other out of place companies. That same morning Truck 24 operated as a “command van” at another fire because no vans were available and they were short BCs at that point so no plans chief was assigned. And it was before RIT responses.
#9 by Eric Haak on February 15, 2016 - 2:21 PM
I actually missed a fire that was at 56 and Morgan. A real busy morning.