MARCH 20, 2015
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
A Chicago factory that makes chemicals for use in fire
extinguishers was destroyed in a massive blaze Thursday night.
The extra-alarm fire broke out in the Archer Heights section
of the city just after 9 p.m. at the industrial building on W. 38th Street,
according to MyFoxChicago.com.
Within 30 minutes, the building, which housed several businesses
in addition to the chemical factory, was completely engulfed in flames.
More than 150 firefighters responded to the scene and it
took them nearly three hours to extinguish the fire. The crews had difficulty
getting enough water to the building because of a lack of hydrants and had to
perform an "inline operation," in which six trucks were spaced out
over a mile and connected by hoses to pipe water, the Chicago Tribune reported.
High flames from the blaze could be spotted from miles away
and thick black smoke choked a nearby highway.
The fire caused the roof to collapse and the building was
damaged beyond repair. No one was injured and authorities are investigating the
cause of the blaze.
Source:foxnews.com
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EXTRA-ALARM BLAZE ON SW SIDE OUT BUT HAZMAT SITUATION
CONTINUES
MARCH 20, 2015
Firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire Thursday evening in
the 4000 block of South Pulaski. | Chicago Fire Department
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) -
More than 150 firefighters battled an extra-alarm blaze in a
warehouse Thursday evening in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the Southwest
Side. The fire was struck at 11:50 p.m., but a HazMat situation remained in
effect, fire officials said. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.
At 9:36 p.m., the 100 feet by 100 feet industrial building
at 3800 W. 38th St. was fully involved, according to Fire Media Affairs.
Within 30 minutes, the fire was upgraded to a 3-11 alarm and
a hazardous materials situation, fire officials said.
The fully operational factory housed, among others, a
company that manufactured fire extinguishers, First Deputy Fire Commissioner
Charles Stewart told reporters at the scene. No one was injured and the fire
did not spread to any other buildings.
“It was visible from the Stevenson before we got on the
scene,” said Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford.
The Chicago Fire Department had six engines feeding each
other to bring water from more than a half mile away, fire officials said.
“The problem back here is water. . . . We're running inline
operation, all these hoses are coming, engines are feeding engines going all
the way back to Kedzie,” Langford said, adding that each engine “is good for
about 500 feet.”
Source: www.myfoxchicago.com