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Chicago Firefighter Injured in Wall Collapse
WFLD
A three-alarm fire totally destroyed two buildings and sent one firefighter to a hospital after pieces of a collapsing wall struck his chest on the South Side early Tuesday.
The blaze started about 12:15 a.m. at a 1-story building at 4754 S. Ashland Ave. and spread to a 4-story building at 4756 S. Ashland that is directly south of the building where it started, according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford.
About 150 firefighters kept the flames from spreading to a third building at 4752 S. Ashland.
A 2-11 alarm was called at 1:08 a.m., and was raised to a 3-11 at 1:40 a.m. The fire was finally controlled and the 3-11 canceled at 3:10 a.m. Langford said.
The structure at 4754 S. Ashland caved in, collapsed and was “leveled,’’ and 4756, which contains Century Fashions Hat & Shoes, sustained a “major collapse’’ that brought down its south wall and roof, Langford said.
When the wall came down, a piece bounced off the street and struck a male firefighter in the chest, according to Langford, who said the firefighter was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition.
The first floor of Century is a clothing store, and there is a warehouse and product storage on the upper levels, according to Langford, who said it was rendered a “total loss.”
There was no one inside any of the structures.
“It’s a smoky mess,’’ Langford said, adding that the fire department’s largest snorkel, which is 85-feet tall, was brought in to fight the fire.
He also said crews fought the fire at 4754 “defensively’’ and were not able to go inside, but firefighters were able to get inside of the 4-story building to battle the blaze.
All three buildings, which are very close together and nearly touch each other, are masonry style and the 4-story building appears to be quite old, possibly built in early 1900s, Langford said.
Firefighters did not have any special problems fighting the fire, though there was a lot of “fire material’’ burning inside the buildings, according to Langford.
Power was shut down from 4700 South Ashland to 5000 South Ashland Avenue, which is a strip of businesses in a shopping district, he said.
According to Langford, no residents anywhere near the fire were affected and the only injuries reported were to a firefighter who twisted his ankle but continued to work and to the firefighter taken to Northwestern.
The cause and origin of the fire remained unknown and will be probed by the Office of Fire Investigation.
Copyright Sun-Times Media Group
A three-alarm fire totally destroyed two buildings and sent one firefighter to a hospital after pieces of a collapsing wall struck his chest on the South Side early Tuesday.
The blaze started about 12:15 a.m. at a 1-story building at 4754 S. Ashland Ave. and spread to a 4-story building at 4756 S. Ashland that is directly south of the building where it started, according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford.
About 150 firefighters kept the flames from spreading to a third building at 4752 S. Ashland.
A 2-11 alarm was called at 1:08 a.m., and was raised to a 3-11 at 1:40 a.m. The fire was finally controlled and the 3-11 canceled at 3:10 a.m. Langford said.
The structure at 4754 S. Ashland caved in, collapsed and was “leveled,’’ and 4756, which contains Century Fashions Hat & Shoes, sustained a “major collapse’’ that brought down its south wall and roof, Langford said.
When the wall came down, a piece bounced off the street and struck a male firefighter in the chest, according to Langford, who said the firefighter was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition.
The first floor of Century is a clothing store, and there is a warehouse and product storage on the upper levels, according to Langford, who said it was rendered a “total loss.”
There was no one inside any of the structures.
“It’s a smoky mess,’’ Langford said, adding that the fire department’s largest snorkel, which is 85-feet tall, was brought in to fight the fire.
He also said crews fought the fire at 4754 “defensively’’ and were not able to go inside, but firefighters were able to get inside of the 4-story building to battle the blaze.
All three buildings, which are very close together and nearly touch each other, are masonry style and the 4-story building appears to be quite old, possibly built in early 1900s, Langford said.
Firefighters did not have any special problems fighting the fire, though there was a lot of “fire material’’ burning inside the buildings, according to Langford.
Power was shut down from 4700 South Ashland to 5000 South Ashland Avenue, which is a strip of businesses in a shopping district, he said.
According to Langford, no residents anywhere near the fire were affected and the only injuries reported were to a firefighter who twisted his ankle but continued to work and to the firefighter taken to Northwestern.
The cause and origin of the fire remained unknown and will be probed by the Office of Fire Investigation.
Copyright Sun-Times Media Group
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