Defensive operations were used as fire spread through a vacant apartment building in Chicago early Saturday.
Chicago firefighters were already working a fire less than two miles away when additional crews were dispatched to East 76th Street and South Kingston Avenue for a building fire.
Firefighters found flames coming from a boarded up, vacant four-story apartment building. Heavy smoke was visible from multiple levels of the structure.
A 2-11 (second alarm) was called and aerials were requested as command ordered all crews to use a defensive attack.
Two tower ladders and one Snorkel were used to bring the fire under control.
Steve Redick worked as a Chicago Fire Department dispatcher for 35 years. Since the late 1970s, Redick has been a fire photographer, capturing the work done by firefighters in Chicago and surrounding communities. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Fire Museum, and he is a self-published author and owner of the historical FD website: ksc711.smugmug.com.
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood Landing, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department and currently is a photographer for the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department.
