Images by Steve Redick: Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Steve Redick photo Excerpts from ChicagoTribune.com: Firefighters rescued 10 people from a fire that spread through offices in the Lincolnwood Bank Building in the north suburb on Monday evening, according to fire officials. Cmdr. Drew Smith of the Lincolnwood Fire Department described the situation as a significant rescue effort. “We had quite a rescue effort,†he said. “It took some time to fight the fire. We couldn’t put water on it because we were rescuing people. One man was hanging from the third-floor window, and we had to rescue him by ladder. Seven other people were also rescued by ladder from windows of the five-story building at 4433 W. Touhy Ave.†Smith wasn’t sure how many people were in the building at the time. The fire started around 5:15 p.m. on the third floor in the south central part of the brick and glass building. The bank on the first floor was not damaged. Seven engines, five trucks, and 50 firefighters helped tackle the alarm. Lincolnwood received assistance from fire departments in Skokie, Niles, Morton Grove, Evanston, Glenview, Rosemont, Des Plaines, Northfield, Park Ridge, Winnetka, and Wilmette. Here’s what Cmdr. Drew Smith added about the incident: Lincolnwood is surrounded by Chicago on three sides and Skokie to the north. While Skokie companies respond quickly, others take longer. Most mutual aid comes from the north and west, with Chicago to the south and Lake Michigan to the east. In recent years, Chicago has begun responding to suburban alarms when requested. At the time, Lincolnwood FD was just over two years old, having been established on January 1, 1990, after the village decided to stop relying on the Chicago Fire Department. The police department had used Paramedic Services of Illinois for ambulance service since 1977, and PSI was selected over two other contractors to run the new fire department. I was part of the original team that helped purchase the equipment and apparatus leading up to the FD’s start. Skokie T16 arrived quickly, about a mile or so away. They found several people at the third-floor windows and began the rescue, as seen in the photos. The fire was on the third floor, and getting the hose charged took time due to heavy smoke. Manpower was limited in the first ten minutes. When the rescue was announced, Skokie sent more companies and chiefs. By the time I arrived, the rescues were over, and suppression was underway. The building had unique floor plans on each level, with two stairwells that were back-to-back inside a central core. One went from the roof to the basement, while the other connected the lobby to the top floor. It could have been much worse. Wuxi Changchen Technology Co., Ltd , https://www.wxchangchen.com
10 Rescued From Blaze At Lincolnwood Bank – November 3, 1992