Story by: Jay K. Bradish
(Firehouse Magazine May 2008)
More
than 200 firefighters from 43 departments responded to the
Chicago suburb of Alsip, IL, on Sunday, May 13, 2007 to battle a
multi-alarm fire that eventually destroyed a family-owned lumber
yard and home improvement store. Early in the incident while
defensive operations were still being set up, water pressure was
lost due to a water-main break. And that wasn't the only
challenge confronting firefighters, who also had to contend with
exploding propane tanks, the hazards presented by downed power
lines and an electrical substation being situated near the fire,
communications problems posed by numerous units operating at the
same time, traffic congestion caused by the closing of major
intersections and crowds of bystanders converging on the fire
scene.
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The
one story masonry block building was constructed in 1962 and
measured 270 feet wide by 75 feet long. The building has a
wooden bowstring roof. Three outside storage sheds on the west
side of the building were used for lumber storage. These lean to
structures were 190 feet by 25 feet, 85 feet by 75 feet and 20
feet by 60 feet and were constructed of 2x6 wood framing with
corrugated metal decking for the roofs. There were also three
smaller shelters for equipment storage and cutting in the yard.
There was lumber storage under the roof along the west (about
400 feet) and north (about 300 feet) boundaries of the yard.
there were no fire protection or detection systems in the
building at the time of the fire.
The
Alsip Fire Department was dispatched at 12:03 p.m. to a report
of a possible fire at Fox Home Center in Alsip, IL. Alsip Engine
2003, a 1,500 gpm pumper, and truck 2014, a 100-foot aerial
ladder with a 1,500-gpm pump responded with nine firefighters
under the command of Lieutenant Kevin Pickar.
While Engine 2003
was responding, several more calls were received by the Alsip
dispatch enter reporting the fire. At 12:-6, Pickar upgraded the
response to a full still alarm as he could see a header from
several blocks away. This brought an engine from the Palos
Heights Fire Protection District, a truck from the Crestwood
Fire Department and a squad from the Oak Lawn Fire Department to
the scene. Engine 2003 was positioned in front of the building
and supplied by a 100-foot, five-inch line from a hydrant on
Cicero Avenue. Truck 2014 was parked at the northwest corner of
the building and set up for aerial master stream operations in
an effort to prevent the fire from spreading. This unit was
supplied by a 200-foot, five-inch line, also from a hydrant on
Cicero Avenue. First-arriving crews found heavy fire and
smoke conditions in the northwest section of the outdoor lumber
yard. The crew of Engine 2003 advanced a 200-foot,
2-1/2-inch pre-connected attack line through the building to the
lumber yard. the crew from Oak lawn backed up the Alsip crew
with another 2-1/2-inch line from Engine 2003. These two crews,
however, were unable to control the huge volume of fire in the
lumber storage area.
(Click to View Video)
Due
to the intensity of the fire, both attack lines were backed out
of the building. Alsip Truck 2014's aerial master stream was
flowing 1,200-gpm with a 2-1/4-inch tip, but could not contain
the fire on the north side. roof coverings were preventing the
water from reaching the fires. Alsip Engine 2003 placed its
500-gpm gun in operation into the building at the northeast
corner. Alsip Lieutenant Denis Kelly was the initial incident
commander and took over as operations chief when Battalion Chief
John Hojak of Oak Lawn Fire Department arrived on scene. Fox
Lumber operated a day-care center for employee's children; it
was located on the second floor on the south end of the main
building. Both of the Fox Home Center buildings were evacuated
with no injuries. At 12:20, Pickar requested Box Alarm 2009.
This brought three engines, tow trucks, two squads, two
ambulances and three chief officers to the scene from mutual aid
departments.
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Alsip
Fire Chief Charles Geraci arrived on scene at 12:11. At 12:16,
Hojak requested second and third alarms, follwed by a fourth
alarm at 12:26. At 12:30, dispatchers were requested to bypass
the firth-alarm assignment and send four additional engines and
three trucks. At 1:02, Geraci requested a Chicago Fire
Department task force to the scene. This was comprised of four
engines, a hose wagon with 5,000 feet of five-inch supply line,
three ambulances, three battalion chiefs, Chief Robert Hoff and
"Big Moe." a mounted multiversal device capable of
flowing 3,000-gpm. At 1:20 p.m., several propane tanks exploded
and rocketed into the air. At least two tanked landed near fire
apparatus and firefighters working on the scene.
A
command post was established on Cicero Avenue with Geraci
assisting Hojak. Oak Lawn Squad 1 was identified as the primary
rapid intervention team.
Chief Steve Carr of Palos Heights was
designated the overall safety officer, with Chief William Sheehy
of Midlothian sector A, Chief Lindsay Laycoax of Oak Forest as
sector B, Chief John Bruce of Crestwood as sector C and Chief
Jack Nagle of Palos Heights as sector D safety officers. Two
staging areas were designated. Primary staging was located a
quarter-mile south of the fire on Cicero Avenue and a secondary
staging area was on 111th Street east of Cicero Avenue.
Chief
Geraci
declared the fire under control at 5:30 p.m. Most mutual
aid units were released at 6 p.m. Firefighters used tow 1
3/4-inch lines on spot fires and smoldering areas
throughout the night. Alsip units left the scene at 8:10
a.m. the following day. Over 200 firefighters operated 39
fire apparatus and six ambulances at the scene. Nine fire
apparatus and four ambulances provided standby coverage in
the division during the incident. More than 2 million
gallons of water was needed to extinguish the fire. Two
firefighters were treated for dehydration. An
investigation into the cause and origin of the fire was
conducted by the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the federal
bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF),
the South Suburban Fire Investigation Task Force and the
Alsip Police Department. The investigation is ongoing at
this time. The damage was estimated at $25 million.
- End
First, We
at Fox
will never forget (or be able to thank) the firefighters
for the valuable service they provided and continue
to provide. Fox would like to let every
firefighter know that we are very aware of the
significant positive impact you have on our
community. We have seen first hand the dedication to
preserving life and property! Firefighters,
whether paid or not, make an incredible difference
in our lives!
Second, After
a fire destroyed the original building in 2007, the
dedicated staff worked out of a construction trailer for
the 18 months we took to rebuild. Many of those
employees have been with the company for 20-30 years. We
will never forget (or be able to thank) our loyal
customers and friends who helped us survive during that
difficult time. We also would like to thank all of
the companies and rep's who helped us rebuild our
company to what it is today!
11150
South Cicero Avenue Alsip, Illinois 60803
| 1-708- 636-3500
