Spectacular 4th Alarm Fire Northlake IL 2200 Mannheim Tire warehouse 2/15/14

[Guest]

As I arrived...this really evolved into a heavy fire condition

[Guest]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35NMtECUDPs

[Guest]

lots more to follow, but going to a FD bowling outing today so may not post back til mon or tues...stay tuned!!

 

[gmuhr]

Great stuff!

Can't wait to see more!

[hank]

Good photo and great video!

 

tHANKs

[Guest]

I didn't forget you guys..will be updating today..stay tuned!!

[Truckman]

Steve, as always great images!!

[Guest]

After losing a day to the infamous Lombard Firemen's Bowling outing I now have some time to send out the photos. The fire was at 2200 N Mannheim rd, a block or 2 from the Leyden firehouse, but ultimately I'm told the fire wound up being in Northlake. The fire building was used as a tire shop, apparently with lots of storage and recycling operations as well. The initial alarm was a "company still" from the Leyden firehouse, and they reported heavy smoke and pretty much boxed it on arrival. Ultimately went to 4 alarms and an interdivisional MABAS request to division 3 as well. (5 engines I think)..Later, after I left, the Chicago foam task force came in for some final mop up stuff with some AFFF.
 I arrived about the time they went to the 3rd alarm and was able to get some good early shots of a quickly advancing fire condition. As you saw in the previous video there was a collapse of part of the front wall early in the fire. This appears from the aerial view to have been a bow string truss building. Water was not easy to come by, frozen hydrants reported and some very long and time consuming engines in line operations. A serious exposure to the west was a small frame dwelling that was a little worse for wear but was protected under some very tough conditions. This fire was the result of what was obviously a very heavy fire load, and because it was all tires it basically turned into a flammable liquids type fire with some nearly unbelievable fire conditions. I imagine some of the apparatus sustained some heat damage. Weather conditions were cold, with a pre exsisting heavy snow accumulation.

 

[Guest]

Franklin Park truck..love the black over red

[Guest]

Working my way around to the south side of the scene

[Guest]

Available light version

 

[Guest]

Leyden quint setting up...waiting for water

[Guest]

Really starting to take off

[Guest]

Hard to believe this is the result of just tires

[Guest]

I gotta confess I was gettin' a little nervous

[Guest]

That column is at least 150 feet high

[Guest]

pretty intense, trying to keep the rig cool

[Guest]

Northlake truck setting up...long wait for water..engines in line

[Guest]

Pretty wild to see this in a non tank farm area...

 

[Guest]

gettin' water