Chicago 2-11 at 6001 West Dickens Avenue showing three tower ladders, a squad snorkel and an engine deck gun operating in 100% defensive mode.
Chicago police and firefighter/paramedics responded about 6:33 PM Tuesday August 22, 2017 to a report of a vacant warehouse fire at 6007 West Dickens Avenue Chicago, Il. Engine 125’s crew on arrival reported a fire in a building about 800 x 200 on McVicker Avenue. Engine 125’s crew set up their deck gun for an exterior attack at the front of the building.
Battalion Chief 8 on arrival reported a 2-story vacant warehouse, 1200 x 500 with a little bit of smoke showing, and asked for a Vacant Building Response. A sign on the building from a Google Street View image from October 2016 showed Office, Workshops, Warehouse and Outdoor Storage available from 500 to 300,000 square feet.
The building, which is now structurally unsound, was the former home of the Zenith Electronics company until the late 1990s.
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Zenith was co-founded by Ralph Matthews and Karl Hassel in Chicago, Illinois as Chicago Radio Labs in 1918. At the company’s peak operation there were seven plants in Chicago. The headquarters was located at Plant 1 at 6001 West Dickens, where employees made radios, stereo phonographs and televisions. Plant 3 at 5801 West Dickens Avenue made electronics and involved servicing products. Marketing share for Zenith was lost to Japanese electronics companies accused of dumping products in the 1970s.
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LIVE TRAFFIC MAP of 6001 W Dickens Ave
Tower Ladder 14 was assigned to Dickens and Austin. Engine 96 was assigned to feed Tower Ladder 14.
There were problems with an open radio mic starting about 6:50 p.m. for about 10 minutes.
The Reserve Snorkel was out of service.
Deputy District Chief 222 reported the fire is in the east end of the building with four or five master streams flowing, and it was unknown how far the fire had traveled at 6:52 p.m.
Tower Ladder 23 was assigned to come from the west and back down Dickens. Command reports an engine is needed to feed Tower Ladder 23.
Engine 106 was assigned to pickup Mobile Ventilation Unit 923.
Deputy District Chief 222 requested another Tower ladder at 7:09 pm — Tower Ladder 10 assigned.
TL10 assigned to come in on Dickens from the west.
2-1-21 taking command at 7:28 p.m.
2-7-2 reporting for District Chief 2-1-21: At 7:42 p.m. the fire was basically under control, but running along the roof line: two tower ladders were working with another tower ladder being set up. Two ladder pipes were also working and the fire operations was 100% defensive.
The fire was STRUCK OUT at 7:59 PM on orders of 2-1-21.
The fire was out on the west end of the building at 8:37 p.m. with firefighters chasing hot spots.
A fuel truck was also called to the scene about 8:42 p.m. to supply working engines and trucks.
Old Zenith factory fire on Dickens Avenue Chicago (PHOTO CREDIT: Chicago Fire Media).
FIRE/MEDIC UNITS ASSIGNED …
ENGINE(S): E125 E68
TRUCK(S): T53 T58 TL ??
SQD2 CV272
RIT: BC7 T35
CHIEF(S): BC ??
BC18 Safety Chief
EMS: A ?? FC ?? STANDBY A ??
STAGING:
STILL AND BOX ALARM AT 6:38 PM
ENGINE(S):
TRUCK(S):
SQUAD(S):
EMS:
CHIEF(S): 222 5-1-5
BC17 Box Chief
BC10 Plans Chief
SPECIAL:
CHANGE OF QUARTERS:
STAGING: Memora and Dickens
2-11 ALARM AT 6:43 PM on orders of BC8
ENGINE(S):
TRUCK(S): TL23
SQUAD(S):
EMS: 4-4-11
CHIEF(S): 213A 2-1-21
BC14 to Incident Command
BC12 report to Command Van
BC3
SPECIAL:
CHANGE OF QUARTERS:
OFI 469
STAGING: Memora and Dickens
More Cardinal news Tuesday August 22, 2017 …
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Old Zenith plant fire on Dickens Avenue Chicago (PHOTO CREDIT: Chicago Fire Media).