A family residing at 1080 Hiawatha Lane in Riverwoods, IL was awakened around 3AM by smoke detectors. Before exiting the house, homeowners encountered heavy smoke from the basement and were unable to descend the stairs to help a child escape from his bedroom. The child, unable to navigate the dense smoke to get up the stairs, was able to escape through a window and window well.

Roughly an hour into the fire, thick smoke pushes out of first floor windows as a fire rages in the basement. Larry Shapiro photo

Lincolnshire-Riverwoods companies responded on the Still Alarm, and upon arrival they upgraded the alarm to a Code 4 (working fire). This brought Prospect Heights Squad 9 and a mutual-aid ambulance.

Smoke escapes from basement window wells and first floor windows as firefighters flow water into the basement. Larry Shapiro photo

First arriving firefighters found the front door open and building smoke conditions inside as they made their way to the basement stairway. Almost immediately they noticed a softness under foot and quickly fled the house. Within minutes of all members getting out, the front foyer began to collapse.

A hand line is directed through a hole in the kitchen floor into the basement. Larry Shapiro photo

Lincolnshire Truck 53 had six lines off and the aerial to the roof. Larry Shapiro photo

Companies began an exterior attack and soon thereafter the alarm was upgraded to a Box Alarm which brought engines from Northbrook, Buffalo Grove, and Lake Forest in addition to a Long Grove squad, a Lake Zurich ambulance, and a Countryside truck.

Fire burns between the floor joists in the basement ceiling. Larry Shapiro photo

The fire continued to prove difficult to get ahead of and a 2nd Alarm was requested at roughly 4AM. This brought engines from Mundelein and Deerfield, a Libertyville squad, an ambulance from Northfield, a quint from Highwood, and a truck from Grayslake.

Second floor windows are taken out as the fire climbs through the walls and void spaces. Larry Shapiro photo

A firefighter goes to the roof through heavy smoke to vent the roof. Larry Shapiro photo

After cutting ventilation holes in the roof, an officer is the last one to climb down the ladder. Larry Shapiro photo

As it appeared that the fire was spreading vertically throughout the house, companies vented the roof and second floor windows. The basement fire continued to burn freely and a request was made for high expansion foam. Round Lake Foam Unit 2229 responded to the scene. The fire continued to burn and the alarm was upgraded again to a 3rd Alarm. This brought engines from Lake Bluff, Glenview, plus a truck from Wilmette, an ambulance from Palatine, and a squad from Highland Park.

After venting the second floor, smoke pushes out from all the windows. Larry Shapiro photo

The Quad 2 Foam Unit was requested to the scene with high-expansion foam to smother the fire in the basement. Larry Shapiro photo

Foam was applied from the front and the rear of the house to smother the basement fire. Larry Shapiro photo

Foam suds spread throughout the basement and first floor. Larry Shapiro photo

The basement was partially filled with water and the remainder was filled with foam as the fire burned between the floor joists. The fire was struck-0ut around 8AM and companies began to pickup from the scene. The 3rd Alarm companies were not put to work.

A window well and adjoining basement space are filled with water. Larry Shapiro photo

The basement in the rear is filled with water and foam. Engineered floor joists are visible. Larry Shapiro photo

Lincolnshire Engine 52 was the still alarm engine and had two lines off. Engine 51 laid a supply line across nearby Riverwoods Road to supply Engine 52. Truck 53 had a hydrant in front of the house and had six lines working.

The front foyer which collapsed shortly after firefighters withdrew is filled with foam from the basement. Larry Shapiro photo

The front foyer is visible from the rear of the house as well. Larry Shapiro photo

As the foam settles, the extent of the floor collapse in the front is clearly visible. The basement stairs are directly behind the front wall. Larry Shapiro photo

The rehab area was setup to accommodate the large number of firefighters that were on the scene. Larry Shapiro photo

Wilmette Tower 26 was moved up to the third alarm from the fourth alarm as another truck was unavailable to respond on an earlier alarm. Larry Shapiro photo

Northbrook Fire Department Lieutenant Steve Johnson spent his last shift working the fire in Riverwoods. He retired today after 30 years in Northbrook. Larry Shapiro photo

A gallery of images from the scene can be found on Larry Shapiro’s site HERE. A video of the fire will follow in a subsequent post.

Tags: basement fire, engineered floor joists cause floor collapse, family escapes house fire, firefighters use foam to fight basement fire, floor collapse endangers firefighters, Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District, high expansion foam used to fight fire, large house destroyed by fire in Riverwoods, Larry Shapiro, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods FPD, MESS Canteen, Northbrook Fire Department Lieutenant Steve johnson, Tim Olk, Wilmette Fire Department