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Fire destroys South Loop building
Fire department says windy morning helped intensify flames
09/08/2010 10:00 PM
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Firemen work to drown hotspots in final sections of remaining roof after a fire gutted the mixed retail and office building on the 1300 block of S. Michigan Ave Tuesday morning. Authorities said high winds contributed to the fire’s intensity.
Photos by GREG SKINNER/Staff
Firemen work to drown hotspots in final sections of remaining roof after a fire gutted the mixed retail and office building on the 1300 block of South Michigan Avenue on Tuesday morning. Authorities said high winds contributed to the fire’s intensity which destroyed the building as it moved from back to front through the attic.
High winds drove an early-morning fire Tuesday at 1326 S. Michigan Ave. to three alarms as flames devoured a two-story retail and office building home to at least one business.
Authorities said the fire alarm sounded at 3:20 a.m. Fifteen minutes later a second alarm was called as the fire grew to consume the mostly vacant building. The third alarm went out at 4:30 a.m.
Officials said the fire was largely contained before 6:30 a.m. and no injuries were reported.
Firefighters were still on scene mopping up hot spots of concern in the roof shortly before noon Tuesday. Whipping winds drove water from their single hose into the air, across and down the street, showering pedestrian traffic that had restarted.
The fire load was heavy, said Media Affairs Chief Kevin MacGregor, before adding that firefighters were not battling the blaze long before tactics turned defensive in an attempt to control the fire and stop its spread to nearby and adjacent buildings in the high winds.
“The winds were blowing like crazy,” MacGregor said. “We managed to keep the fire from next door.”
High heat and heavy smoke from the three-alarm fire was pushed by strong winds throughout the neighborhood of mixed retail and residential buildings and skyscrapers. MacGregor said several firefighters were sent around to check nearby condominiums for any possible problems related to the smoke and heat.
Officials believe only one business was active in the building. A sign on the south wall of the building advertised Shestokas & Raines Attorneys at Law with a suite on the second floor. A phone call to their office Wednesday morning went unanswered.
ComEd cut electricity during the battle, affecting the surrounding blocks for hours after the blaze was contained. Southbound traffic was affected throughout the day by at least one lane closure.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire was under investigation. MacGregor acknowledged that a remodeling project might have been ongoing when the fire started, but said nothing connecting the work or workers to the fire.
The building’s original construction, which included heavy milled-timber post and beam, is associated with the fire’s intensity within the building, leaving the department to attack from the outside with eight large hoses blasting the interior fire as the roof burned away.
The fire spread back to front through the attic, MacGregor said.
Contact: gskinner@chicagojournal.com