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5-Alarm fire in Quincy destroys vacant hotel

Sep 7

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Firefighting Video | Comments off

The Quincy Herald-Whig has an article with video and images of a fire that destroyed a vacant hotel that the city was hoping to have renovated to revitalize the downtown area.

Phil Carlson photo

The Newcomb Hotel was destroyed in a devastating five-alarm fire Friday night. Firefighers were expected to remain at the scene through the morning. Flames shot out of the roof, and firefighters were pulled back in case of collapse.

Firefighters initially entered the building to extinguish a fire on the second floor on the west side of the former hotel, which opened in March 1888. However, they were unable to contain the blaze. At 9 p.m. firefighters were battling heavy flames in the three-story addition on the east side that partially collapsed during an April storm. Eventually flames overtook the main building, as well.

The city appeared to have turned a corner on the long-vacant building. Last week, the city agreed to enter negotiations with an Iowa developer to potentially renovate the building into market-rate apartments. The city was also trying to foreclose on the property, which is owned by Skokie developer Victor Horowitz after he failed to pay off a $500,000 loan he received from the city in 2003.

“I’m nauseous,” said Travis Brown, executive director of the Historic Quincy Business District, who stood at Fourth and Maine looking at the burning building. “This is the closest we’ve come in the five years I’ve been here. We finally get to enter negotiations with a legitimate developer who is eager to do the building, and right before we start the negotiations, you see flames coming out the side of it.”

Quincy Fire Chief Joe Henning said about 30 firefighters were battling the fire and most were expected to be on the scene throughout the night. He said firefighters’ biggest concern as the hotel burned was keeping the flames out of the Gardner Museum on the west side of Fourth Street. He said crews were on the roof of the Lincoln-Douglas Apartment building at the northwest corner of Fourth and Maine, keeping an eye on that building, as well. Residents of the apartments were evacuated to the Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center, 639 York.

“This is one of those buildings we don’t take risks in,” Henning said.

Michael Kipley photo

Phil Carlson photo

A gallery with more images can be found HERE.

Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois

thanks Patrick

Tags: Ferrara fire truck at big fire, fire video, firefighters working at huge fire, massive fire in Quincy IL, Newcomb Hotel destroyed by fire, Quincy Fire Department, spectacular fire at night destroys old hotel, video of firefighting operations

Stone Park 4-11 Alarm fire 5-28-13

May 28

Posted by Admin in Apparatus on-scene, Fire, Fire Service Photos, Fire Truck photos, Firefighters working | 19 Comments

This from Drew Gresik:

Hello everyone,

I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of submissions about this fire, so I’ll keep it short. Here are just a couple of more than 500 photos I took at this job in Stone Park. Fire was in a grocery store with occupied attached apartments, multiple master streams and handlines used. There were a lot of issues with bad hydrants as well, forcing command to request addition engines from many area departments. Thanks again guys.

From,

Drew Gresik

5 alarm massive grocery store fire in Stone Park

Drew Gresik photo

Images from Tim Olk

Tim Olk photo

Tim has a gallery with many more images.

Images from John Tulipano

John Tulipano photo

Chris Ranck sent this link to WGN helicopter footage

The Chicago Tribune has an article on the fire:

No injuries were reported following an extra-alarm fire that broke out in the potato chip aisle of a grocery store in west suburban Stone Park late this morning, authorities said.

The five-alarm blaze started about noon in the 1600 block of North Mannheim Road, according to a spokeswoman for Stone Park police.

As of about 1 p.m., the blaze was mostly out, but smoke and some flames were still visible from the 2-story brick building, which houses the Durango Supermercado on the first level and about four apartments on the upper level.

No injuries have been reported and the blaze burned through its roof, causing a partial collapse of the building.

Thick, black smoke roiled from the building at one point and about 15-20 fire departments remained on the scene.

Firefighters were pouring water on its roof and through one apartment window using two tower ladders. Several onlookers were standing outside gawking and it appeared that all occupants of the building had escaped.

Manager Jose Rivera was in his office doing paperwork when he heard the smoke alarm go off but he said it’s “very sensitive” so he thought it could just have been cooking smoke that activated it.
When he went to check it out, he found the potato chip aisle was on fire, and the chips were burning.

Rivera sprang into action, grabbed the fire extinguisher and tried to put it out.

“I ran for the extinguisher and managed to control it,’’ Rivera said.

He then raced through the rest of the store, telling the eight customers to “drop their possessions and leave,’’ Rivera said.

Rivera went back inside but the fire had worsened and there was nothing left in the extinguisher. Rivera said he knew he had to leave at that point.Fire officials on the scene said they were letting the fire burn, in a “free burn’’ and would not be able to go inside until it was safe.Rivera’s mother, Imelda Rivera, who is the owner of the store, was outside and appeared very shaken up.

Occupants of the second-story apartments on the building’s south side escaped without being hurt.

Rivera does not know what started the blaze.

Fire department officials said they were performing a “free burn’’ and will not go inside until it’s safe.