CHICAGO,IL. FIREMEN ARRIVED ON 19TH STREET ON THE CITYS SOUTH SIDE TO FIND A FOUR STORY RAG FACTORY PUFFING HEAVY SMOKE THRU IT'S WALLS. THIS BUILDING WAS PART
OF A FOUR BUILDING COMPLEX, HAVING A FOUR STORY BUILDING TO THE SOUTH AND
TWO BUILDINGS TO THE NORTH, ALL LARGE IN THE 100X200 RANGE.
AS FIREMEN PREPARED TO SET UP HOSE LINES TO FIGHT THE FIRE, WITHOUT WARNING
THE FIRST FIRE BUILDING EXPLODED INTO FLAMES FORCEING THE FIREMEN BACK.
WITHIN MINUTES THE ENTIRE BUILDING WAS IN FLAMES AND SPREADING TO THE BUILDINGS ON EACH SIDE.. BY THIS TIME THE CFD,HAD THE ALARMS UP TO A 5-11 ALARM AND BY THE
TIME THE FIRE WAS 30 MINUTES OLD, IT WAS A 9 ALARM LEVEL.
IT TOOK 12 HOURS TO BRING THE FIRE UBDER CONTROL AND TWO DAYS BEFORE THE LAST
FIRE ENGINE LEFT THE SCENE.THE MAIN PROBLEM THAT THE FIREMEN HAD WAS WATER
SUPPLY,THEY FOUND THAT WATER PRESSURE WAS LOW AND THEY HAD TO DROP HOSE LINES
AS FAR AS THREE BLOCKS TO GET WATER WITH ENOUGH WATER PRESSURE