Posts Tagged ruins of massive warehouse fire in Chicago

Chicago FD Turret Wagon history (pt5)

More images of the Chicago Fire Department turret wagons working. These images from Chief Gordon J. Nord, Jr. of the most recent deployment of the inservice/out of service large turret wagon 6-7-1 working at the ruins of the 5-11 & 2 Specials on South Ashland Avenue in January.

 

Chicago FD turret wagon 671 working at fire scene

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

Chicago FD turret wagon 671 working at fire scene

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

Chicago FD turret wagon 671 working at fire scene

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

Chicago FD turret wagon 671 working at fire scene

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

Chicago FD turret wagon 671 working at fire scene

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

Chicago FD turret wagon 671 working at fire scene

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

Chicago FD turret wagon 671 working at fire scene

Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo

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Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials 1-22-13 (pt17)

Well … not quite done yet. Martin Nowak submitted the following:

Friday I decided to go the the demolition of the warehouse on 3757 S. Ashland Ave. I had the honor of meeting Larry and Tim. As you can see, the fire was still burning under the debris. Here are some pictures I took and a video of the demo. More of my pictures from this day will be posted to my website

 

massive warehouse fire in Chicago

Martin Nowak photo

massive warehouse fire in Chicago

Martin Nowak photo

Chicago Engine 39

Martin Nowak photo

Chicago Engine 39

Martin Nowak photo

Chicago Engine 49

Martin Nowak photo

massive warehouse fire in Chicago

Martin Nowak photo

demolition of building destroyed by fire

Martin Nowak photo

demolition of building destroyed by fire

Martin Nowak photo

 

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Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials 1-22-13 (pt16)

It’s the fire that just keeps giving …

This image from TIm Olk at 9PM on Monday …

massive warehouse fire in Chicago

Tim Olk photo

massive warehouse fire in Chicago

Earlier this evening. Tim Olk photo

 

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Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials 1-22-13 (pt15)

Possibly the last in a series of posts about the 5-11 Alarm fire with 2 special alarms on Tuesday, January 22nd at 3757 S. Ashland Avenue, Larry Shapiro has uploaded a somewhat lengthy video chronicling early stages of demolition. The video was created on Friday, January 25th, three days after the fire. Much of the building was encased in ice which brought onlookers and photographers from throughout the Chicago area to the scene. Many images have been posted earlier,HEREHEREHERE and HERE.

The building reportedly has two basement levels that are inaccessible due to the interior collapse of the upper floors. Fire was still burning under the debris in many parts of the collapsed building. Fire companies were at the scene each day and most nights.

 

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Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials 1-22-13 (pt13)

More images still from the ruins of Tuesday’s 5-11 Alarm with 2 Specials at 3757 S. Ashland Avenue. Larry Shapiro this time has images from the beginning of the demolition on Friday.

demolition of building destroyed by fire

Heavy fire still burning in the basement under the debris. Larry Shapiro photo

demolition of building destroyed by fire

A wrecking company begins dismantling the front wall of the fire building. Larry Shapiro photo

demolition of building destroyed by fire

An excavator clears debris on the south side of the building along 38th Street. Larry Shapiro photo

demolition of building destroyed by fire

A large wall section is torn free from the building. Larry Shapiro photo

fire truck coated with ice

Rolled hose on the tailboard of Engine 39 as they return to quarters. Larry Shapiro photo

vacant building interior with graffiti

The interior of an adjacent vacant building from the same era. Larry Shapiro photo

boarded up commercial building after fire

The exposure building to the south sustained minor damage as a result of the fire at 3757 S. Ashland Avenue. Larry Shapiro photo

demolition of building destroyed by fire

The south wall collapses as the crane works. Larry Shapiro photo

Water dripping from the rear discharge on Engine 39 froze. Larry Shapiro photo

Water dripping from the rear discharge on Engine 39 froze. Larry Shapiro photo

building covered with ice after warehouse fire in Chicago

People continue to stop by the ruins to photograph the building covered with ice. Larry Shapiro photo

A streetlight on 38th Street that melted from the fire. Larry Shapiro photo

A streetlight on 38th Street that melted from the fire. Larry Shapiro photo

building covered with ice after warehouse fire in Chicago

A water stream can be seen from the 3rd floor of the building to the north as it is directed into the center of the ruins. Larry Shapiro photo

demolition of building destroyed by fire

A large wall section is removed as the painstaking process of carefully dismantling the building proceeds. Larry Shapiro photo

building covered with ice after warehouse fire in Chicago

A wall section on the northwest corner of the building encased in ice allows a view of smoke rising from the center of the building. Larry Shapiro photo

A large gallery of images from the ruins of Chicago’s 5-11 Alarm fire can be found at shapirophotography.net.

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Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials 1-22-13 (pt12)

Media articles covering the 5-11 Alarm fire with 2 Specials at 3757 S. Ashland Avenue on January 22nd.

The first from Fox32 talking about Turret Wagon 6-7-1 “Little Mo”:

The massive warehouse fire in Bridgeport started up again Thursday, prompting firefighters to break out a piece of equipment that hasn’t been on the streets in decades.

The Chicago Fire Department’s deluge units are the stuff of legend, featured in classic videos. They’re mostly out of service nowadays, except for one: Little Mo.

“It is the last of the big pieces of apparatus we have left, there used to be Big John, there used to be Big Mo, and now we have Little Mo,” CFD Commander Dan Swift explains.

Firefighters decided to break out Little Mo Thursday morning, after the massive Bridgeport warehouse fire started to burn again.

Little Mo is an old mac truck from the late 1960s, equipped with two turret water guns and room for up to ten hoses. It pumps up to 5,000 gallons of water a minute, compared to just 1,500 gallons a minute from an engine truck.

“It’s one of a kind,” Swift says of Little Mo. ” It’s the last one around, but obviously it’s still useful, we can bring it out here today and still make good use of it.”

So far, firefighters have poured more than a million gallons of water on that smoldering warehouse. That’s enough to fill a pool as big as a football field ten feet deep.

The entire article with video is HERE.

The Chicago Tribune has an article touching on the fire’s origin:

Investigators today determined the blaze that gutted a nearly 100-year-old Bridgeport warehouse began when someone started a fire — but while police are investigating, the determination does not mean the fire was an arson.

The Office of Fire Investigations conclusion came as crews began demolishing the warehouse at 3757 S. Ashland Ave., gutted by the largest fire to hit the city in seven years.

“The Office of Fire Investigation has determined the cause of the 5-11 Fire on Ashland to be open flame ignition of available combustibles,’’ said Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.

“In layman’s terms, that means something that was burning such as a flame or match got near something that would burn,’’ Langford said.

Langford said the building had no gas or electric service and no one was known to be living there. But the night of the blaze, Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago told reporters that in the past, firefighters had been called to the warehouse for small fires caused when squatters lit fires to stay warm.

Tuesday night, a Fire Department battalion chief spotted smoke from the blaze as he drove past around 9 p.m. A third of the department’s on-duty personnel were called to fight the fire, fed by century-old support timbers. Crews have remained there since, dousing flames from the smouldering debris.

Records show the owner of the building is 3737 Ashland LLC, which is controlled by North Development. North Development’s president, Calvin Boender, is in federal prison for bribing former 29th Ward Ald. Isaac “Ike” Carothers.

City officials had sued the owners of the warehouse in 2011 for leaving the vacant building open and dangerous, seeking to demolish it. But the owners registered it as a vacant building and corrected code violations.

The complete Chicago Tribune article is HERE.

thanks Chris

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Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials 1-22-13 (pt11)

Tim Olk spent much of Friday at the site of the 5-11 ruins on south Ashland Avenue while the wrecking company began to tear down the front of the building. As the demolition removed sections of the wall, periodic flareups were seen as oxygen was introduced into the various void spaces where fire is still burning underneath the debris. Here are two images from last night just after 11PM.

rekindle after massive warehouse fire in Chicago

Heavy fire is visible from Ashland Avenue and a large wrecking crane works from the bridge. Tim Olk photo

rekindle after massive warehouse fire in Chicago

A look into the ruins from the roof next door, three days after the initial fire. Tim Olk photo

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Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials 1-22-13 (pt10)

More images form the ruins taken by Tim Olk on Thursday, January 24th.

ruins of huge fire scene in Chicago

Turret Wagon 6-7-1 flowing thousands of gallons of water onto the destroyed structure. TIm Olk photo

graffiti and ice on staircase

Ice covers the stairs in the graffiti filled vacant building next door to the fire scene as hose lines wind their way to the roof. Tim Olk photo

firefighters at winter fire scene

Firefighters on the neighboring roof direct a line into the ruins. Tim Olk photo

Tim Olk has another gallery with more of these images.

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Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials (pt9)

It’s the fire that just keeps on giving … photo ops that is.

Here are some images from Dennis McGuire, Jr. from today (Thursday).

 

Chicago fire units at the scene of a massive sarehouse fire

Tower Ladder 5 with a spare, Engine 104 and 6-7-6. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

ice covered ruins of building fire

Tower 5’s basket seen through the ruins. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

Chicago Tower Ladder at fire sene

Tower Ladder 5 using a spare piece. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

ruins of a massive warehouse fire

The scene from the Sector 2/3 corner. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

Chicago fire engine pumping at scene

Engine 39 supplying 6-7-1. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

CFD Turret Wagon Deluge Wagon

Turret Wagon 6-7-6 at the ruins. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

CFD Turret Wagon Deluge Wagon

Turret Wagon 6-7-6 at the ruins. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

CFD Turret Wagon Deluge Wagon

Turret Wagon 6-7-1 at the ruins. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

CFD Turret Wagon Deluge Wagon

Turret Wagon 6-7-1 at the ruins. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

CFD Turret Wagon Deluge Wagon

Turret Wagon 6-7-1 at the ruins. Dennis McGuire, Jr. photo

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Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials 1-22-13 (pt8)

More images from the 5-11 and subsequent days of follow-up

These from Josh Boyajian:

 

firefighters battle huge warehouse fire

Josh Boyajian photo

firefighters battle huge warehouse fire

Josh Boyajian photo

building encased in ice after huge fire Snorkel at work

Josh Boyajian photo

building encased in ice after huge fire Snorkel at work

Josh Boyajian photo

 

Josh has more photos

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