Archive for September 3rd, 2020

Coal City Fire Protection District news

Sep 3

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

Two grants totaling totaling $171,498 will assist the Coal City Fire Protection District. The Assistance to Firefighters Grants [AFG] from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide $164,861 health and safety award for the purchase of self-contained breathing apparatus replacing many air packs which are more than 20 years old. The second award is a $6,637 COVID-19 Supplemental Award from the CARES Act where $100 million was designated to assist firefighters with the purchase of personal protective equipment [PPE] and related supplies. The COVID-19 response funds will provide the department with means for better and more efficient ways of cleaning ambulances, equipment, and supplies.

Tags: CARES Act, Coal City Fire Protection District, COVID-19 Supplemental Award, Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, fire department awarded federal grant money

3-Alarm fire in Rockford, 9-2-20 (more)

Sep 3

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

Excerpts from WIFR.com:

One of Rockford’s oldest churches, the former Metro Christian Center Church, was destroyed Wednesday night. The building had been condemned for several years and many doors and windows had been boarded up. There was no electricity inside the building. The Rockford Fire Department is opening an arson investigation. The church was a downtown staple for many years.

Heavy clouds of smoke covered downtown as the church was engulfed in fire and dozens of trucks surrounded the structure as parts of it fell to the street. Fire crews say the fire spread very quickly because the structure is made of wood and firefighters didn’t go into the building because the rooftop has asbestos. The damages are estimated at $300,000.

The fire department worked with demolition crews overnight to demolish the building and put out hot spots.

Photos from Tim Olk of the 3-Alarm fire in Rockford, 9-2-20

Tim Olk photo

[Show slideshow]

Tags: chicagoareafire.com, massive church fire in Rockford, Rockford Fire Department, Tim Olk, vacant church destroyed by fire

Box Alarm fire in Winnetka, 9-2-20

Sep 3

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire Scene photos, Fire Scene video | 3 Comments

Winnetka police officers and firefighters were dispatched for a reported house fire before 1PM on Wednesday (9/2/20) at 614 Pine Lane. Battalion 28 was first on the scene to the small, dead-end street, and reported flames showing from the C-Sector. The alarm was upgraded to a working fire for additional resources. The narrow, one lane street did not allow much space for apparatus. Glencoe Engine 30 stretched 400′ of 5″ to a hydrant on the cross street and then supplied Winnetka Engine 28 through another 400′ that they dropped. Several lines were stretched into the house as companies attacked heavy fire in the attic. Additional lines were positioned around the exterior of the building as well.

The alarm was upgraded to a MABAS Box Alarm at roughly the 20-minute mark. The fire vented through the roof in at least three areas. In addition to the interior lines, a cellar nozzle was inserted from the roof into one of the openings and then reapplied into a second area. The fire was brought under control without extending much beyond the attic spaces. Two additional engines were requested later for additional manpower.

Companies at the scene included engines from Winnetka, Glencoe, Wilmette, Northfield, Evanston, Highland Park, Lincolnwood, Deerfield, and Wheeling. Trucks responded from Winnetka, Glenview, and Skokie. Additional units were Morton Grove Squad 4, Northbrook Ambulance 11, and Wilmette Ambulance 27. One firefighter on the scene was evaluated by Ambulance 11’s crew. Chief officers from Winnetka, Wilmette, Northbrook, and Northfield were at the fire.

Housed on the property is the Indonesian Consulate General’s residence.

Larry Shapiro photo

Firefighters pull hose to battle a house fire

Larry Shapiro photo

chief fire officer in front of a house on fire

Larry Shapiro photo

Firefighters on the roof of a house use a cellar nozzle to douse flames in the atti

Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: #larryshapiro, Box alarm fire in Winnetka, cellar nozzle used at house fire, Fire at the Indonesian Consulate General’s residence in Winnetka 9/2/20, fire damages the Indonesian Consulate General’s residence I Winnetka, fire scene photos, fire scene video, flames through the roof of a house, house fire in Winnetka, Larry Shapiro, larryshapiro.tumblr.com, larryshapiroblog.com, shapirophotography.net, smoke and flames vent through roof of a house, Winnetka Fire Department, Winnetka-Kenilworth Fire Department

3-Alarm fire in Rockford, 9-2-20

Sep 3

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News, Fire Scene video | Comments off

Excerpts from wrex.com:

Thirty firefighters, five Rockford fire engines, and three ladders responded to a nearly 150-year-old abandoned church fire Wednesday night at 607 Walnut St., at 6:24 p.m., and quickly spread because of the wooden structure. The church has been abandoned for several years. Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten said he anticipates Kishwaukee and Walnut streets to be closed until morning.

A cause of the fire is still unknown. There was no power to the church, which rules out an electrical issue. Investigators interviewed neighbors and ask the public for any information on how the fire started.

According to inscriptions on the church, it was formerly the Rockford Masonic Cathedral. The year 1869 was etched into one of its walls. At one point it became the Metro Christian Center.

Tags: massive church fire in Rockford, Rockford Fire Department