Posts Tagged townhouse fire

Working fire in Lincolnshire, 8-14-16

The Lincolnshire-Riverwoods FPD responded to a fire at 840 Inverrary Lane at 4:30 Sunday morning (8/14/16). The first arriving unit was met by the homeowner that had evacuated the unit and reported flames on the lower level of the split-level unit. They encountered hoarder conditions and made their way downstairs where a ruptured water line that fed the washing machine was keeping the fire from expanding rapidly.

The alarm was upgraded to a Code 4 for the working fire which brought mutual aid companies from Buffalo Grove, Prospect Heights, Lake Zurich, and Wheeling, along with chief officers from Deerfield and Countryside. A Northbrook ambulance was later called to transport the homeowner to the hospital.

firefighters standby at fire scene

Larry Shapiro photo

firefighters vent windows at fire scene

Larry Shapiro photo

Lincolnshire Riverwoods FPD Deputy Chief Scott Kneesley

Larry Shapiro photo

Lincolnshire Riverwoods Lieutenant Paul Schebel

Larry Shapiro photo

hose lines on the ground and firefighters at fire scene

Larry Shapiro photo

firefighters standby at fire scene

Larry Shapiro photo

firefighters overhaul after fire

Larry Shapiro photo

Pierce Arrow XT fire engine with lines off at night

Larry Shapiro photo

firefighters escort patient to waiting ambulance

Larry Shapiro photo

hoarder conditions at fire scene

Larry Shapiro photo

more photos at shapirophotography.net

Tags: , , , , ,

Apartment fire in Wheeling 11-10-11

The Wheeling Fire Department received a call Thursday morning reporting a smoke smell in one unit of a three-unit townhouse on Kingswood Lane. Firefighters arrived at 303 Kingswood Lane to find a small fire in one wall. Workers had been sweating pipes in the unit. The fire began to spread up the wall in the adjacent unit and as the Wheeling tower ladder was deployed to the roof, the alarm was upgraded to a Code 4 for the working fire. Buffalo Grove Tower 25, Northbroook Engine 10, and Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Ambulance 52 responded to assist Wheeling companies at the scene. Firefighters made a quick hit on the fire and stopped it before it spread further. Wheeling Tower42 went to the roof in the ‘A’ sector and completed ventilating the roof as Buffalo Grove Tower 25 made the roof from the ‘B-C’ corner on the adjacent street.

Wheeling townhouse fire at 303 Kingswood Lane 11-10-11

Buffalo Grove Tower 25 deployed to the roof at the B-C corner of the building. Larry Shapiro photo

Wheeling townhouse fire at 303 Kingswood Lane 11-10-11

Wheeling Engine 42 was running as Engine 24 and backed down the court after the tower went to the south end of the structure. Larry Shapiro photo

Wheeling townhouse fire at 303 Kingswood Lane 11-10-11

Wheeling Tower 42 put a company on the roof to ventilate. Larry Shapiro photo

Wheeling townhouse fire at 303 Kingswood Lane 11-10-11

The truck company cleared the attic vents and cut a ventilation hole. Larry Shapiro photo

Wheeling townhouse fire at 303 Kingswood Lane 11-10-11

Engine 42 had two lines off going into the building. Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro has a gallery of images from the scene HERE.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Wheeling Box Alarm 8-22-11

The Wheeling Fire Department received a call around 2:30AM from a townhouse resident reporting smoke in their building on Fall Court in the Cedar Run development. The building houses four units, two of which were vacant at the time. Wheeling Police arrived on the scene and reported flames visible on the west side of the building. The alarm was upgraded to a Code 4 working fire prior to companies arriving on the scene, which added units from Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, and Long Grove.

Wheeling Fire Department townhouse fire 8-22-11 Fall Court

A firefighter prepares to enter the second floor unit on Fall Court in Wheeling after the fire was knocked down. Larry Shapiro photo

Engine 24 was the first fire unit on the scene and pulled into the dead-end court. Engine 23 arrived and took a hydrant to supply Engine 24. The fire unit, which was in foreclosure, was a second floor unit with a private entrance with stairs on the west side of the building. Firefighters knocked down the initial fire in the doorway and attempted to enter the foyer to get upstairs but had to retreat as the stairs were burned through. They entered the second floor from a ground ladder and hit the remaining fire noting that an area of the kitchen floor had been compromised and there was still fire beneath the floor.

Wheeling Fire Department townhouse fire 8-22-11 Fall Court

Buffalo Grove firefighters force the door to a neighboring unit in the same building as the fire. Larry Shapiro photo

Wheeling Fire Department townhouse fire 8-22-11 Fall Court

Wheeling firefighters cut through the overhead door to gain access to the garage. Larry Shapiro photo

The alarm was elevated to a Box Alarm when all of the companies were working and there was a fear that fire was running the outside wall and might involve the common attic space. Additional units responded from Deerfield, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, Palatine, Northbrook, and Prospect Heights, but these units were released soon after they arrived on the scene as the fire did not spread beyond the initial unit.

Wheeling Fire Department townhouse fire 8-22-11 Fall Court

Firefighters were forced to access the second floor unit from a ground ladder as the stairway was compromised. Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro went to the scene and arrived shortly after the bulk of the fire had been extinguished. He submitted several images and has a gallery with more photos HERE.

Wheeling Fire Department townhouse fire 8-22-11 Fall Court

Wheeling Engine 24 was the first unit on the scene and setup in the 'A' Sector. Larry Shapiro photo

 

Wheeling Fire Department townhouse fire 8-22-11 Fall Court

Engine 23 took a hydrant at the end of the court and laid a supply line to Engine 24. Larry Shapiro photo

 

Wheeling Fire Department townhouse fire 8-22-11 Fall Court

The fire burned the stairway which was the only access to the second floor unit from the ground. Larry Shapiro photo

 

Wheeling Fire Department townhouse fire 8-22-11 Fall Court

The fire reportedly originated in a wall between the garage and the front entryway. Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: , , , , , ,

Wheeling 2-11 alarm fire 5-19-11

Wheeling IL Fire Department 2-11 townhouse fire 5-19-11

Upon arrival, fire companies were met by a large fire on the exterior of the townhouse that had communicated into the unit. Larry Shapiro photo

The Wheeling Fire Department received multiple calls shortly before 11PM reporting a fire along the outside wall of a four-unit townhouse on Ottawa Court in the Tahoe Village complex. Upon the arrival of police officers, the address was corrected to 573 Custer Court. The response was upgraded to a Code 4 working fire before the first fire units arrived on the scene based on the calls that were coming into the dispatch center. Companies arrived to find heavy fire that had full control of the exterior wall and had communicated into the first and second floors in addition to the attic. Mutual aid companies reported seeing the header against the dark sky from several miles away.

Wheeling IL Fire Department 2-11 townhouse fire 5-19-11

Before a permanent water supply could be established, firefighters used tank water to knock down the exterior fire. Larry Shapiro photo

All of the residents were out of the building when the fire department arrived and went to work. There was an initial concern about the establishment of a permanent water supply and the alarm was quickly upgraded to a MABAS Box Alarm and then to a second alarm. Heavy fire initially kept companies from entering the unit. later, a mayday was called for a firefighter working on the second floor. He sustained a knee injury but was able to exit the building on his own and later refused medical treatment on the scene.

Wheeling IL Fire Department 2-11 townhouse fire 5-19-11

Firefighters use a hand line to darken the fire on the exterior in the 'C' Sector. Larry Shapiro photo

The fire was held to the end unit with the neighboring unit sustaining some minor smoke damage and drywall damage from companies checking for extension. Apparently the homeowner had been cooking in a smoker along the exterior wall which is believed to be the cause of the fire.

Wheeling IL Fire Department 2-11 townhouse fire 5-19-11

The fire had a hold on the attic of the end unit but was knocked down before it could communicate to the next unit. Larry Shapiro photo

Mutual aid was from Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, and Long Grove on the Code 4 alarm. The Box Alarm brought Rolling Meadows, Des Plaines, Prospect Heights, North Maine, Glenview, Northbrook, and Elk Grove Township. The 2nd Alarm brought companies from Morton Grove, Niles, Lake Zurich, Palatine, Deerfield, and Northfield.

Wheeling IL Fire Department 2-11 townhouse fire 5-19-11

Firefighters perform overhaul on the exterior of the unit near the point of origin. A gas grille and a smoker were stored in this area and the smoker was reportedly being used too close to the structure. Larry Shapiro photo

Larry Shapiro and Tim Olk both took in the fire. Larry submitted several images and has a gallery HERE. Tim has a gallery HERE.

Tags: , , , , , ,

First fire for Buffalo Grove tower

Buffalo Grove firefighter Andy Russell breast cancer awareness

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, Buffalo Grove firefighters join other fire departments around the country by wearing pink. Larry Shapiro

At the height of the morning storm yesterday and within a ½ hour of shift change, four calls for service came into Northwest Central Dispatch for the Buffalo Grove Fire Department within minutes of each other. There were two ambulance calls, a reported transformer fire with extension to a shed, and a working fire in a townhouse. As companies scrambled to each call, the transformer fire was just that and had not extended to the shed, but smoke met firefighters on arrival at a center unit in a four-unit townhouse. The fire was upgraded immediately and companies that were already en-route to the shed fire were rerouted providing quick back-up to first-due units.

Buffalo Grove’s 2010 Ferrara Inferno tower ladder was the first fire suppression unit on the scene and was deployed for the first time at a Buffalo Grove fire.

Buffalo Grove Fire Department 2010 Ferrara Inferno tower ladder townhouse fire

Tower Ladder 25 (235) is deployed at a townhouse fire at 161 Old Oak Court E during the storm on Tuesday morning. Larry Shapiro photo

Buffalo Grove townhouse fire at 161 Old Oak Court E

The storm did not let up during fire fighting operations Tuesday morning as high winds knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses. Larry Shapiro photo

More images from this fire can be seen HERE.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,