In a sad, but also ironic story, a Chicago building in the Archer Heights section of the city burned to the ground over the weekend. No one was injured in the blaze that eventually caused the roof to collapse. While it is upsetting that the building was a total loss, the irony of the story comes into effect when we learn that the building housed a company that made chemicals for fire extinguishers.
The fire burned for only thirty minutes before being upgraded to a 3-11 alarm fire. The blaze burned for more than two hours, and was finally put out at 11:50 PM, according to MyFoxChicago.com. However, while the fire was extinguished, the HazMat teams stayed on the scene to ensure no further damage was done by the chemicals housed in the building.
The factory was fully operational at the time of the fire, and while several tenants leased space there, the fact that the fire extinguishing chemicals were inside the building definitely leaves some questions. According to CBS Chicago, water supply was also an issue for the firefighters. There were six engines used in the battle to save the building, all spaced out over a long distance in order to provide enough water.
The water shortage was caused by a limited number of hydrants, due to the fact that Archer Heights water supply is private. Fire Department Deputy Commissioner John McNicholas “We’re running our hose wagon, which carries approximately on mile of 5-inch feeder hose. We used all of it, and that was in order to … do a relay operation. So we went from the fire building, which is about 3800 South, all the way to 40th Street near Pulaski,”
Now, I don’t want to make light of the situation, as more than a hundred firefighters fought the blazing inferno. Yet, it is also hard not to chuckle a bit at the ironic fact that this building should have been the last to catch fire and burn. Reports do mention that there is an investigation underway to determine the cause of the blaze.
