Park Ridge house fire 2-15-14
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**Report from Larry Shapiro:**
Not long before 10 AM on Saturday, February 15th, 2014, calls started coming into the Park Ridge Fire Department about a house fire at 102 South Chester Street. As emergency vehicles were en route, responders quickly noticed signs of smoke in the area. Upon arriving at the intersection of Chester and Garden, crews discovered that the back porch of the house was fully engulfed in flames. A construction worker at the scene had also suffered burns and required immediate medical attention.
The initial alarm was upgraded to a Code 4 for an active fire response. Engine 35 initially struggled with a frozen hydrant directly in front of the house. Firefighters had to manually connect hose lines from Tower 36 to a secondary hydrant located about half a block further south. This delay added some complexity to the operation but didn’t slow down the overall firefighting effort significantly.
Within minutes, the teams managed to control and extinguish the main blaze. Fortunately, the fire hadn't spread extensively to the interior or second floor of the house. It turned out that the residence was unoccupied at the time of the incident and appeared to be nearing completion of its renovation project.
In addition to the Park Ridge Fire Department's resources—Engine 35, Tower 36, and both local ambulances—the response included mutual aid support from surrounding communities. Rosemont and Niles dispatched their trucks, Morton Grove sent a squad unit, while Norwood Park and North Maine contributed additional engines. Ambulances from Lincolnwood and Elk Grove Village also arrived on the scene to assist with medical needs.
By the time I got there, the fire was already under control. I took several photos of the aftermath. Here are some highlights:
- **Fire Trucks at the Scene:** Mutual aid companies lined up along Chester Street, ready to assist if needed. [Image Caption: Mutual aid companies on Chester. Larry Shapiro photo]
- **House Fire Damage:** The rear portion of the house sustained significant damage due to the intense fire. [Image Caption: Rear of the house as seen from Chester. Larry Shapiro photo]
- **Norwood Park Engine:** One of the responding engines, specifically a Pierce Impel model from Norwood Park, was positioned strategically near the action. [Image Caption: Norwood Park Engine 101. Larry Shapiro photo]
- **Frozen Hydrant Issue:** A major challenge faced by Engine 35 was dealing with a frozen hydrant right at the property line. Crews had to adapt by using a backup water source further down the street. [Image Caption: The hydrant in front of the house was frozen. Larry Shapiro photo]
- **Tower Ladder Deployment:** Tower Ladder 36 played a crucial role in reaching higher areas of the building during the firefighting process. [Image Caption: Park Ridge Tower 36 had two lines off. Larry Shapiro photo]
- **Press Briefing:** Deputy Chief Jeff Sorensen addressed reporters and provided updates regarding the situation. [Image Caption: Deputy Chief Jeff Sorensen giving a press briefing. Larry Shapiro photo]
- **Firefighter Activity:** Several images capture firefighters actively engaged in managing the fire, including one showing a team member picking up excess hose. [Image Caption: A Park Ridge firefighter picks up hose. Larry Shapiro photo]
- **Back Porch Fire:** Close-up shots reveal the extent of damage to the back porch where the fire originated. [Image Caption: The fire was on the rear porch of the house. Larry Shapiro photo]
- **Secondary Hydrant Connection:** An important logistical step involved stretching supply hoses to a hydrant located farther away since the primary one was unusable. [Image Caption: Supply hose stretched to a secondary hydrant after the first hydrant was frozen. Larry Shapiro photo]
For those interested in viewing more detailed images from the event, they can be accessed [here].
This incident serves as a reminder of how critical teamwork and resource sharing between neighboring departments can be when facing unexpected challenges like weather conditions affecting firefighting efforts.