Chicago 5-11 Alarm + 2 Specials 1-22-13 (pt12)

Media coverage of the 5-11 fire at 3757 S. Ashland Avenue in Bridgeport, which involved two special units on January 22nd.

The first piece comes from Fox32, focusing on Turret Wagon 6-7-1 “Little Mo”:

A massive warehouse fire in Bridgeport reignited on Thursday, leading firefighters to bring out a rare piece of equipment that hasn’t been used in decades.

The Chicago Fire Department’s deluge units are well-known in classic fire department videos, but they’re mostly retired these days. Only one remains in service: “Little Mo.”

“It’s the last of the big apparatus we have left,” explained CFD Commander Dan Swift. “There used to be Big John and Big Mo, but now it's just Little Mo.”

Firefighters brought out “Little Mo” after the fire started burning again. This old truck from the late 1960s is equipped with two turret water guns and can handle up to ten hoses. It pumps water at a rate of 5,000 gallons per minute—far more than a regular engine truck, which only manages 1,500 gallons per minute.

“It’s one of a kind,” said Swift. “It’s the last one around, but it’s still very useful. We can bring it out here today and make good use of it.”

To date, over a million gallons of water have been used to douse the smoldering building—enough to fill a football field-sized pool to a depth of ten feet.

You can read the full article with video here.

The Chicago Tribune also covered the incident, including details about the fire’s origin:

Investigators have determined that the fire that destroyed a nearly 100-year-old warehouse in Bridgeport began when an open flame ignited nearby combustible materials. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the fire was intentional or arson.

The Office of Fire Investigations concluded that the cause of the 5-11 fire on Ashland was an open flame igniting available flammable materials. According to Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford, this means something like a match or a flame came into contact with something that could burn.

The building had no gas or electric service, and no one was known to be living there. But Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago noted that in the past, firefighters had responded to small fires at the site caused by squatters lighting fires for warmth.

On Tuesday night, a battalion chief spotted smoke while driving by around 9 p.m. A third of the department’s personnel were called to the scene, where crews have been working since to extinguish the smoldering debris. The fire was fueled by century-old wooden support beams.

Records show that the building is owned by 3737 Ashland LLC, which is controlled by North Development. The company’s president, Calvin Boender, is currently in federal prison for bribing former 29th Ward Alderman Isaac “Ike” Carothers.

In 2011, city officials sued the owners of the warehouse for leaving it vacant and unsafe, seeking its demolition. However, the owners registered the property as vacant and corrected code violations.

Read the full Chicago Tribune article here.

Thanks Chris

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